The new season will include two world premieres — Olive and the Bitter Herbs by Charles Busch and Rx by Kate Fodor — as well as the New York premiere of The Morini Strad by Willy Holtzman and In Mother Words, conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein, and written by Leslie Ayvazian, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg, Beth Henley, Lameece Issaq, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette, Lisa Ramirez, Theresa Rebeck, Luanne Rice, Annie Weisman and Cheryl L. West.

In a statement, Casey Childs, Primary Stages founder and executive producer, said, "Our 27th season will include four new works by 16 playwrights. All of these plays are New York premieres and two are world premieres. We commissioned this new work from Charles, and Willy wrote his play with Primary Stages in mind...This ambitious season will be a perfect example of how Primary Stages continues to cultivate opportunities for writers at all stages of development. We are thrilled to present the new works of our long time collaborators as well as the next generation of American playwrights...We are committed to doing what we can to make great theater accessible in New York and are pleased that we can continue to keep our ticket prices affordable."

Opening the 2011-2012 season July 26 will be Busch's Olive and the Bitter, which, according to press notes, concerns "actress Olive Fisher [who] sees a ghost in her mirror, but that’s the least of her problems. Her radiator’s broken, the couple next door stinks up her apartment with exotic cheeses, and the highlight of her long career was a sausage commercial in the ’80s. While she’s not the most popular tenant, her neighbors invite themselves over and she finds herself hosting a Passover Seder. But are Olive’s guests there to see her or the mysterious man in her mirror?"

The fall season at Primary Stages continues Sept. 20 with the New York premiere of In Mother Words, which will be directed by Lisa Peterson. "As maddening as it is joyful," press note state, "the subject of family is never devoid of great stories. When entrusting the subject to some of contemporary theater’s most dynamic storytellers, what results is a thrilling tapestry of many colors. Utterly unpredictable, In Mother Words shatters traditional notions about parenthood, unveils its inherent comedy and celebrates the deeply personal truths that span generations."

The new year at Primary Stages will begin Jan. 24, 2012, with the world premiere of Kate Fodor's new comedy Rx, which is described as such: "Meena Pierotti’s job is making her unhappy. Luckily, there’s a pill for that. Well, not yet. But Meena has joined the clinical trial for a new drug targeting workplace depression. The trial gets messy, however, when she falls in love with her doctor, who himself is trying to enroll into a drug trial targeting heartbreak. Kate Fodor’s (100 Saints You Should Know) quirky comedy about romance in the age of prescription drugs asks what we really need to heal what ails us." The 2011-2012  season concludes with the New York premiere of Willy Holtzman's The Morini Strad, which will be directed by Casey Childs and will begin performances March 20, 2012. Inspired by the true New York story of concert violinist Erica Morini and her legendary Stradivari violin, the new work, according to Primary Stages, "is a delicate duet between Erica, a difficult and former child prodigy, and Brian, a stubbornly independent violin maker she hires to restore and then sell her beloved Strad. As Brian makes the arrangements, the question of what will become of the priceless instrument threatens to destroy their unexpected friendship. Through classical music and fiery confrontations, Brian and Erica must face the choices they’ve made about their music and their lives."

Single tickets for preview performances during the first two weeks of each production have been reduced to $45, with tickets for regular performances after opening remaining at $60.

Discounted four-play subscription packages for previews and regular performances are now available, in addition to a special five-play subscription package that includes the upcoming A.R. Gurney play, Black Tie. Information is available by calling TicketCentral at (212) 279-4200 or online at www.PrimaryStages.org.

All productions play Primary Stages at 59E59Theaters (59 East 59th Street).