Contact: Polk & Co., Matt Polk, Wayne Wolfe, Colgan McNeil, Sasha Pensanti ([email protected])
CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR
PHOENIX
STARRING JULIA STILES AND JAMES WIRT
WRITTEN BY SCOTT ORGAN
DIRECTED BY JENNIFER DELIA
SCENIC DESIGN BY CAITE HEVNER KEMP
COSTUME DESIGN BY AMIT GAJWANI
LIGHTING DESIGN BY OONA CURLEY
SOUND DESIGN BY JANIE BULLARD
SCENIC ART BY BURTON MACHEN
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT AT THE CHERRY LANE THEATRE
MONDAY, JULY 28 THROUGH SATURDAY, AUGUST 23
The new production of Scott Organ’s play PHOENIX, starring Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Julia Stiles and James Wirt, will have scenic design by Caite Hevner Kemp, costume design by Amit Gajwani, lighting design by Oona Curley, sound design by Janie Bullard, scenic art by Burton Machen and general management by Brierpatch Productions. Directed by Jennifer DeLia, PHOENIX begins performances at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street) Monday, July 28. Presented by Nicholas Jabbour, PHOENIX will play a limited engagement through Saturday, August 23, and is produced by Poverty Row Entertainment, Rian Patrick Durham and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, by special arrangement with The Cherry Lane Theatre.
Stiles, known for 10 Things I Hate About You, the Bourne series with Matt Damon, and David Mamet’s Oleanna on Broadway, will be joined by James Wirt, who also stars in DeLia’s directorial debut feature film Billy Bates, due out in theaters in November. Stiles and Wirt will co-star with Lily Rabe, Michael Pitt, Billy Magnussen and Louisa Krause in Julie Pacino and Jennifer DeLia’s upcoming film The First. A film adaptation of PHOENIX, under the direction of Amy Redford is currently in development.
When Bruce (James Wirt) and Sue (Julia Stiles) meet four weeks after an uncharacteristic one-night-stand, Sue has this to say to him: one, I had a great time with you that night and two, let’s never see each other again. Thus begins a 4,000 mile journey well beyond the confines of their carefully structured worlds. Bruce is fueled by an overwhelming but undefined compulsion to join her in Phoenix. Sue is reluctantly charmed by his persistence, but steadfast in her resolve to keep him at bay. Both are forced to consider a whole new world of possibility, though not one free of difficulty and loss. PHOENIX is a one-act dark romantic comedy.
PHOENIX premiered at the 34th Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville on March 5, 2010, and received its Off-Broadway premiere produced by The Barrow Group Theatre Company on April 10, 2010.
TICKET INFORMATION
For tickets, visit the Cherry Lane box office at 38 Commerce Street, or order through OvationTix (212-352-3101 or www.phoenixtheplay.com). Ticket prices range from $55-$65. There will be a limited number of $25 general rush tickets available at the Cherry Lane box office on the day of performances (subject to availability). Special student pricing available through OvationTix using code PSTUD20. PHOENIX plays Monday through Saturday at 8pm, with matinees Saturday at 3pm.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PHOENIX VISIT:
Twitter: @PhoenixThePlay
Instagram: @PhoenixThePlay
BIOGRAPHIES
Julia Stiles (Sue), a native New Yorker, started her career performing at downtown New York theaters and has since been seen on stages around the world. She appeared as Viola, the lead role in Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Twelfth Night with Jimmy Smits and in Persephone at BAM as part of the Next Wave Festival. Julia made her London stage debut opposite Aaron Eckhart in a revival of David Mamet’s play Oleanna at the Garrick Theatre. She reprised the role of Carol in a 2009 production of Oleanna, directed by Doug Hughes and co-starring Bill Pullman at the Mark Taper Forum followed by a Broadway run at the John Golden Theatre. Julia rose to prominence with her lead roles in teen films such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Down to You and Save the Last Dance. She also starred in films such as The Business of Strangers, Mona Lisa Smile and The Omen and played the supporting character Nicky Parsons in the Bourne film series with Matt Damon. Julia guest starred as Lumen Pierce in the fifth season of the Showtime series “Dexter,” a role that earned her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Most recently, Stiles had a supporting role in Silver Linings Playbook, and currently stars in the hit Hulu web series “Blue.” Julia will be appearing as Francis Marion alongside Lily Rabe, James Wirt and Michael Pitt in the Mary Pickford film, The First, directed by Jennifer DeLia.
James Wirt (Bruce) was raised in Houston, worked on an oil rig during summers, and graduated from Texas Tech University. He then moved to New York where he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He is a member of John Strasberg’s Accidental Repertory Theatre Company. James’ theatrical highlights include: Let’s Kill Grandma This Christmas, Adams’ Apples, Saturn Return, Closer, The Acting Lesson, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, All’s Well That Ends Well and Troilus and Cressida. James performed opposite Oscar winner William Hurt in a staged reading of the original play entitled Collateral Damage. Mr. Wirt garnered critical acclaim during the Toronto International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival for his gripping turn as an artist, the title character, in Billy Bates, which will be released in theaters and digitally in November 2014. He recently worked with William Sadler in the film The Historian. James will soon begin work on the upcoming Mary Pickford film, The First, starring Lily Rabe, Michael Pitt, and Julia Stiles.
Scott Organ (Playwright) is from Virginia and lives in Brooklyn, NY. PHOENIX premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays. His plays can be found in New Playwrights – The Best Plays 2010, Humana Festival 2010 – The Complete Plays, New American Short Plays 2005, Best American Short Plays and Great Short Plays Volume 9. His work has been commissioned by The Atlantic Theater Company, developed by The New Group, Page 73, and The Barrow Group, and has been performed and work-shopped throughout the United States. A film based on his play PHOENIX is in pre-production, to be directed by Amy Redford.
Jennifer DeLia (Director) began directing in 2008 with her short film, I Am An Island. The short played in Cannes, London, New York, and Los Angeles, and then was expanded into her directorial debut feature film, Billy Bates. Jennifer wrote, directed, and produced Billy Bates. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012 amongst other festivals and showcases and will be released theatrically and digitally in November 2014. She also produced and acted in the short film, Abracadabra, directed by Julie Pacino. Jennifer has directed a range of music videos for renowned artists such as Amadou & Mariam, Kyp & Tunde of TV on the Radio, Ebony Bones, Esseri, Blinddog Smokin’ and musical legends Dr. John and Bobby Rush. The collection of Jennifer’s aforementioned experiences is what breathes life into her philosophy of creating projects with the utmost integrity and passion, as well as on the cutting edge of popular culture. Jennifer is a partner with Julie Pacino in their film production company Poverty Row Entertainment and the two are also partners in their creative branding company, Unofficially Unlimited. Poverty Row is currently producing the feature film The First starring Lily Rabe, Michael Pitt, Billy Magnussen, Louisa Krause, James Wirt and Julia Stiles, which Jennifer will direct. Jennifer studied acting intensively at Sanford Meisner’s Neighborhood Playhouse in New York.
Caite Hevner Kemp (Scenic design). New York based scenic and projection designer. Off-Broadway (selected): My Mother Has 4 Noses, the Duke on 42nd Street; Triassic Parq, Soho Playhouse; Jukebox Jackie, La Mama; Honky, Urban Stages; Son of a Gun, Theater Row. New York (selected): Hansel and Gretel, The Little Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall; Game Play, Ars Nova; Tales from My Parents’ Divorce, The Civilians; La Scala di Seta and Il Cambiale di Matrimonio, The Juilliard School; The Recommendation, The Flea Theater; Miss Lilly Gets Boned, Billy Witch and My Base and Scurvy Heart, Studio 42. Regional (selected): Arena Stage, Guthrie Theater, Playmakers Rep, Williamstown Theatre Festival, ArtsEmerson, Chautauqua Theater Company, Bergen Stages, Infinity Theatre Company, Yale Dramat, Greenwich Music Festival. Caite is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts (MFA), and the Yale School of Drama. Adjunct Faculty at Ramapo College teaching scenic design, member of Wingspace Theatrical Design. www.caitekemp.com.
Amit Gajwani (Costume design) was born in Mumbai, India. At the age of 12, he moved to the United States. The influence of two such very different cultures has had a great influence in his work. After working with established costume designers and stylists he began working on his own and and has a client list that ranges from editorials to commercials to film and theater.
Oona Curley (Lighting design) is a New York based lighting and scenic designer. Recent NYC credits include: The Importance of Being Ernest Hemingway (M34 Productions), Yermedea (Soulographie Festival, La MaMa), Love in the Seventh Kingdom of Wrath (FRANK Theater Co.), 4.48 Psychosis (M34 Productions). Recent Philly credits include: Andy: A Popera (Bearded Ladies), Henry IV (Shakespeare in Clark Park), Japan America Wonderwave (Team Sunshine Performance Co.), Animal Animal Mammal Mine (Penn Dixie Productions – PIFA 2013), Wide Awake (Bearded Ladies – PIFA 2013), My Romantic History (Inis Nua Theatre Co.), An Infinite Ache (Theater Horizon), Marlene and the Machine (Bearded Ladies), BANG (Live Arts 2012), Swan Songs (Carbon Dance Theatre), AUTO (Kate Watson Wallace). Recipient of the Weston Award for Design and the Zonta Award for Theatre Arts. MFA Candidate NYU Tisch 2016.
Janie Bullard (Sound design) Currently Running: A Fable (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre at the Cherry Lane) Carnival Kids (Lesser America at TBG Theatre) Soldier’s Heart (Premiere Stages) Recent Designs: Inventing Mary Martin (The York Theatre Company) Jane the Plain (Flux Theatre Ensemble) Stockholm (One Year Lease at 59e59) The Gin Baby (Kid Brooklyn and Mermaid Sand) The Cottage (APAC) Scarcity (Rattlestick Playwrights and Cherry Lane Theatre) Storyville (The York Theatre Company) Slipping (Rattlestick in LA) Sans Merci and Honey Fist (Flux Theatre Ensemble) Headstrong (Ensemble Studio Theatre) Yosemite, The Wood, underneathmybed (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre). Janie was the recipient of the USITT/LDI Rising Star Award for 2014, and was named an Indie Theatre Person of the Year for 2013. Member USA 829. www.janiebullard.com
Burton Machen (Scenic Art) is an American conceptual, mixed media artist with a focus on street art, photography, painting, and collage. His work has been shown in galleries and outdoor public installations worldwide in cities including New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, and Singapore, and will soon be seen in the feature film Billy Bates, to be released in theaters November 2014. Burton’s style of painting and collage work is inspired by street art and urban decay. The pieces that he created for Phoenix combine that inspiration with imagery evoked by the play itself. A native of Ashville, Alabama, Machen currently lives in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Burton’s work can be seen on his website: www.burtonmachen.com.
Brierpatch Productions (General Management) is the partnership of Laura Janik Cronin and Scott Newsome providing general management services for theatrical productions and events. Upcoming projects include: Fuerza Bruta: Wayra; This Will All Be Yours (MITF 2014); The Brightness of Heaven (Cherry Lane Theatre) Off-Broadway: Handle With Care (Westside Theatre); Grounded (Walkerspace); Tennessee Williams’ The Two Character Play (New World Stages); iLuminate: Artist of Light (New World Stages); Sleeping Rough (The Wild Project); Triassic Parq (Soho Playhouse); 7th Monarch (Acorn Theatre); Lidless (Walkerspace); Balls: The Musical (Lyon Theatre); Tales From The Tunnel (Bleecker Street Theatre); The Road To Qatar! (The York Theatre); Glimpses of The Moon (The Oak Room); Out of Town/Touring: Frog Kiss (Virginia Stage January 2013; Broadway 2015); Truth Values – National Tour (written and performed by Gioia de Cari) Rest, In Pieces (Glens Falls, NY); Wallenberg-The Musical, Renovations, and That Time of The Year (White Plains Performing Arts Center 2010-2011 Mainstage Season); Showcase Productions: A Thick Description of Harry Smith (Page 73) Kiki Baby and The Brain that Wouldn’t Die In 3D! (both NYMF 2011) Comm Comm (Page 73); Boomers (MITF 2011); The Toymaker (NYMF 2009); Marrying Meg (NYMF 2009); Frog Kiss (NYMF 2010); Shine! (NYMF 2010); and Bloodties. (NYMF 2010). Under Development: In Fields Where They Lay; Daniel In Babylon; and Stone Witch. Ongoing annual management of The Actors’ Studio Drama School MFA Repertory Season (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons).
Nicholas Jabbour (Producer). A New York native, Nicholas Jabbour is making his theatrical producing debut with PHOENIX. Jabbour, primarily an asset manager, is the President and Founder of SJ Equity Management. Although his career began in real estate brokerage, he is currently specializing in real estate and hospitality analysis, as well as acquisition and management. Jabbour attended Millersville University in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and splits his time between there, New York City, Miami and Los Angeles.
Poverty Row Entertainment (Producer) was established in 2009 by filmmakers Jennifer DeLia and Julie Pacino. With a combined fifteen years in the industry, Jennifer and Julie’s ultimate goal is to bring projects that push boundaries psychologically and artistically to the mainstream world. Jennifer and Julie have a vast understanding of both the creative and business side of the film industry and aim to bring life to projects infused with the utmost integrity and commercial viability. Poverty Row Entertainment (PRE) has a unique slate of projects, ranging in stages from development through to completion.
Rian Patrick Durham (Producer) is a New York based producer and director, working in theater, film and television, in a variety of facets in those mediums. NY Theater highlights include: Triassic Parq (Soho Playhouse), Three Equals One (45th St Theater), and Stop Kiss (Shetler), along with numerous workshops and staged readings. Rian worked on distribution for Billy Bates (Tribeca Film Festival 2012 premiere) and in development for The First, the Mary Pickford film starring Lily Rabe, Julia Stiles, James Wirt, Michael Pitt, and Billy Magnussen. Rian also worked on music videos including Wily Kataso for Amadou and Mariam featuring Kyp and Tunde of TV on the Radio. Rian has also worked heavily in cable television, most notably with the Emmy-nominated series Vikings on HISTORY Channel, which included partnerships with Playboy, ESPN, Pandora, and Entertainment Weekly.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (Producer) is a multi-award-winning company which has produced over sixty world premieres in the past nineteen seasons and was the recipient of the 2007 Ross Wetzsteon Memorial OBIE Award for developing new and innovative work. Previous plays include Two Boys in a Bed, Message to Michael, Carpool, Volunteer Man, A Trip to the Beach, Ascendancy, Stuck, Vick’s Boy, The Messenger, Saved or Destroyed, Neil’s Garden, My Special Friend, Faster, Bliss, St. Crispin’s Day, Where We’re Born, Five Flights, Boise, Finer Noble Gases, That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play, God Hates The Irish: The Ballad of Armless Johnny, Miss Julie, Acts of Mercy: passion-play, Cagelove, It Goes Without Saying, Dark Matters, Stay, American Sligo, Rag and Bone, War, Geometry of Fire, The Amish Project, Killers and Other Family, Post No Bills, Blind, Little Doc, underneathmybed, There Are No More Big Secrets, The Hallway Trilogy, Carson McCullers Talks About Love, The Wood, Asuncion, Horsedreams, Yosemite, Massacre (Sing to Your Children), 3C, Through the Yellow Hour, A Summer Day, The Revisionist starring Vanessa Redgrave and Jesse Eisenberg, Buyer & Cellar (2013 Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance), Basilica, Charles Ives Take Me Home, One Night…, How to Make Friends and then Kill Them, The Correspondent, Ode to Joy, The Few, A FABLE, the Off-Broadway GLAAD Award-nominated hit The Last Sunday in June, Craig Wright’s The Pavilion (Drama Desk nominee—Outstanding Play of 2005) and Lady (Drama Desk nominee—Outstanding Play of 2008), The Aliens by Annie Baker (2010 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play), as well as The Hilltown Plays (2014 OBIE Award). www.rattlestick.org.
Cherry Lane Theatre. Situated in a landmark building in Greenwich Village, Cherry Lane Theatre serves as a vital lab for the development of new American works and a home for groundbreaking productions of both new and classic theater of the highest caliber. As New York’s longest continuously running Off-Broadway theatre, Cherry Lane has helped to define American drama, fostering fresh, daring, and relevant theater since 1924.
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