Academy Award winner Sam Mendes directs the productions that are presented as a collaboration between BAM, The Old Vic and Mendes' Neal Street Productions. Tom Stoppard's new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard runs Jan. 2-March 8, 2009, at BAM with an official opening set for Jan. 14. The Winter's Tale is set to follow from Feb. 10-March 8, 2009 and will open Feb. 20.

Aaron Krohn (The Coast of Utopia, Farnsworth Invention), Dakin Matthews (A Man for All Seasons, Henry IV), Mark Nelson (After the Fall, Invention of Love) and Hannah Stokely (National's Much Ado About Nothing) will be among the transatlantic company of actors who will inhabit the classic works.

They join the previously announced Simon Russell Beale as Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard and Leontes in The Winter's Tale; Sinead Cusack as Madame Ranevskaya and Paulina; Rebecca Hall as Varya and Hermione; Richard Easton as Firs and Old Shepherd/Time; Josh Hamilton as Yasha and Polixene; Ethan Hawke as Trofimov and Autolycus; Paul Jesson as Gaev and Camilo; as well as Michael Braun, Selina Cadell, Morven Christie, Charlotte Parry, Gary Powell, Tobias Segal and Jessica Pollert Smith.

Designing the Bridge Project works are Anthony Ward (set design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Paul Pyant (lighting design), Paul Arditti (sound design) and Mark Bennett (music). Shrek choreographer Josh Prince will choreograph with musical direction by Dan Lipton.

Following the BAM engagement, the Bridge Project company will play the Singapore Repertory Theatre, Auckland New Zealand's EDGE Performing Arts Centre, Madrid's Teatro Español, and Germany's Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, before arriving at The Old Vic in London for a May–August 2009 run. The Bridge Project has announced that the second year of performances will conclude in Epidaurus, Greece as part of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival.

For tickets and further information phone (718) 636-4100 or visit www.BAM.org.