The two plays that will run at venue's Theater A are Intimate Exchanges, written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn, which will run May 31-July 1; and Memory by Jonathan Lichtenstein and directed by Tony Award nominee Terry Hands, which will run May 5-27.
Ayckbourn returns to the festival where his play Private Fears in Public Places was a hit in 2005. Lichtenstein's play The Pull of Negative Gravity played the festival the same year.
Also on tap is Rabbit, written and directed by Nina Raine; The Receipt, written and performed by Will Adamsdale and Chris Branch; Silverland by Benjamin Davis, directed by Di Trevis; Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles by Mark Jenkins, directed by Josh Richards; and Radio by Al Smith, directed by James Yeatman.
The entire Brits Off-Broadway schedule at a glance:
May 3-27
Written and performed by Will Adamsdale and Chris Branch
Premiered at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Press notes describe the play as such: "A man flips out and searches the city for the owner of a receipt. Is he a hero, or an idiot?"
May 5-27
Written by Jonathan Lichtenstein
Directed by Terry Hands
From Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Wales
The play "links the events of the Holocaust with the modern-day Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
May 15-June 3
Written by Benjamin Davis
Directed by Di Trevis
From London's Arcola Theatre
The drama "is set in the near future, in 2011, and global warming has left Britain in near ruin. With resources running dangerously low and a volatile and exaggerated climate teetering on the brink of chaos, six characters search for companionship in the face of inevitable change."
May 29-June 10
Written by Mark Jenkins
Directed by Josh Richards
Starring Christian McKay
The play "revisits the glories of Welles' youth and his subsequent exile from Hollywood."
May 31-July 1
Written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn
From the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough
"One character's dilemma—to smoke or not to smoke—kicks off eight separate plays with 16 different endings."
June 5-July 1
Written and directed by Nina Raine
Premiered in the West End in 2006
"Friends and former lovers meet for a drink to celebrate Bella's 29th birthday. But as the Bloody Marys flow, the bar soon becomes a battlefield in an uncivil and hilarious war between the sexes."
June 12-July 1
Written by Al Smith
Directed by James Yeatman
Played the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe and London's Soho Theatre
A play "about a farmer-turned-flag maker's son who shoots for the moon" that "parallels a young man's coming of age with the birth and death of the Apollo Program, and explores the consequences of our losing sight of the Earth." 59E59 Theaters is located at 59 East 59th Street. Single tickets and festival passes go on sale to 59E59 members on March 26. The general public can get festival passes beginning April 2 and singles tickets beginning April 9. For single tickets call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com. Festival passes can only be purchased over the phone at (212) 279-4200 or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office. For more information visit www.59E59.org or www.britsoffbroadway.com.
