MAHIDA'S EXTRA KEY TO HEAVEN And TWO JEWS WALKED INTO A WAR... Among PTNJ's 2009/10 Season

Playwrights Theatre announces its 24th season. The 2009-2010 programming includes three mainstage productions, the popular Forum reading series and classes for children, teens and adults at the Creative Arts Academy.

The Mainstage season is being called "Plays Without Borders" and opens in October with the New Jersey premiere from Mexican playwright, Javier Malpica (translation by Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas). In a co-production with The Growing Stage in Netcong, NJ, Our Dad is in Atlantis will preview on October 1 and run for three weeks through October 18, 2009 (Press Opening: Friday, October 2 at 8:00pm). After the death of their mother, the father of two young Mexican boys leaves them with their grandmother, while he goes to the United States looking for better work. When the grandmother dies, the boys are shunted off to distant relatives, and when that situation becomes too difficult, they decide to head off on their own to find their father. A student and senior matinee performance is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7 at 10:30am and Wednesday, October 14 at 10:30am (appropriate for ages 11 and up). Ladies Night at Playwrights Theatre is Thursday, October 8 beginning at 5:00pm with curtain at 6:30pm.

In conjunction with the mainstage performance, Our Dad is in Atlantis will also be touring. The show is scheduled to be performed at Leheigh University on October 30 and 31 and will be in Bethlehem, PA during the week of November 2. Also of note, translator Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas will be teaching in the theatre program at Leheigh University in the fall. For those interested in scheduling the production at their location, additional tour dates include November 2-24, November 30-December 22 and January 4-February 26. There may be more tour dates available upon request.

It will be a Studio Presentation at The Growing Stage as part of their mainstage series from January 16-31, 2010. The show is also a part of Young Audiences New Jersey 2009-2010 performance offerings.

The popular Forum series returns in November 2009. Four weekends of staged readings will delight audiences with 15 original plays straight from some of the country's best playwrights. Patrons can attend one reading for $10 or purchase a Forum Pass to the entire event for $25. Playwrights Theatre's full-season subscribers receive a Forum Pass as a free added bonus. During this celebration of new plays, patrons are invited to be a part of the process as some of the best actors and directors in the New Jersey and New York present rehearsed readings of these new works and then participate in post-show discussions with the authors and the Artistic Director. The entire roster of plays and specific schedules will be available on Playwrights Theatre's website www.ptnj.org in the fall.

In a co-production with New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, NJ, the season continues with the East Coast premiere of a comedy Two Jews Walked Into A War... by Seth Rozin. Two Jews Walked Into a War... will run from January 21 - February 7, 2010 (Press Opening, Friday, January 22 at 8pm). A surprising comedy based on actual events. After burying their mutual friend Yakob, Zeblyan and Ishaq are now the Last Two Jews in Kabul—and they don't like each other very much. While they argue about prayer schedules and who is going to reside in their bombed-out temple, both agree they must regenerate the Jewish population in Afghanistan. They're stuck. In order to do this, they need a rabbi, but in order to get a rabbi, they need a Torah, which the Taliban just took. Their bold and grand solution brings them closer to the essence of their faith and, quite possibly, each other. A student and senior matinee is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27 at 10:30am and Wednesday, February 3 at 10:30am (appropriate for ages 15 and up). Ladies Night at Playwrights Theatre is Thursday, January 28 beginning at 5:00pm with curtain at 6:30pm. The New Jersey Repertory leg of the production will run from December 10 - January 10, 2010.

The final show of the season will be Mahida's Extra Key to Heaven by Russell Davis, which will run from April 8 - April 25, 2010. Thomas, a young painter, is visiting Edna, his comfortably conservative and opinionated mother in a small ocean town on an island near the Canadian border. Out walking, he discovers Mahida, an Iranian exchange student who has missed the last ferry back to the mainland. Mahida's brother, Ramin, an Islamic fundamentalist, seems to have left her after she refused to come back to Iran with him after the death of their father, but she can't be sure. She reluctantly agrees to stay at Edna's house for the night. When Ramin shows up for her the next day, two extreme worlds collide thousands of miles from the center of the perceived conflict. A student and senior matinee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14 at 10:30am and Wednesday, April 21 at 10:30am (appropriate for ages 13 and up). Ladies Night at Playwrights Theatre is Thursday, April 15 beginning at 5:00pm with curtain at 6:30pm.

Additional student matinee performances are available upon request as well as a variety of post-show programs. School Groups receive a study guide prior to the performance and teachers can also request a copy of the script for review.

The mainstage series plays on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm and select Thursdays at 3pm and 6:30pm.

Playwrights Theatre wants everyone to be able to enjoy live theatre and, to that end, all seats for the 2009-2010 season will be only $15. It's never been a better time to become a season subscriber. Just a few of the season subscriber benefits include: season presentation party where they can preview the upcoming season with a presentation of set models, meet the directors and see possible excerpts from the plays; attend the first rehearsal of all full productions; priority seating; two half-price seats for friends; free Forum Pass; 2 for 1 tickets to other select New Jersey Theatre Alliance theatres, opening night pre-show party; pre-show and post-show talkbacks in the Subscriber Only room on selected evenings, a special page on the website where they can access scripts online, participate in the Subscriber Blog and more!

Playwrights Theatre will also continue its successful Book Club Project. Instead of reading a book, this unique program lets book clubs read the script, which is provided by Playwrights Theatre. Clubs then come see the production and participate in a special post-show discussion with the Artistic Director and/or cast. Tickets are $15.00.

Due to the overwhelming success of Ladies Night at Playwrights Theatre, the program will continue for the 2009-2010 season. Beginning at 5:00pm on the second Thursday performance of each play, ladies will be able to mingle among the tables of women owned/women run businesses for various products and services. Specific details outlining participating businesses will be available on the website at www.ptnj.org or by contacting Jennifer DeWitt at 973-514-1787 X20 or jdewitt@ptnj.org. Ladies Night dates are October 8, January 28 and April 15.

"This is a season full of exciting plays and exciting partnerships with some of the great arts organizations in New Jersey," said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director. "We're hoping our affordable ticket rates will introduce new patrons to live theatre, and our subscriber perks will generate more audience involvement in the process."

Playwrights Theatre's Creative Arts Academy teaches affordable classes to children, teens and adults. Our professional teaching artists lead process-oriented classes whose objectives are to impact all areas of a student's life.

Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project, a partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, teaches playwriting, prose, poetry and creative dramatics to over 15,000 children in all of New Jersey's 21 counties annually. Professional writers, selected for their writing excellence and their expertise in the classroom teach the classes. Not limited to school classrooms, these programs work with after-school programs, the disabled, youth at risk (including incarcerated youth), inter-generational projects, and gifted and talented students. Playwrights Theatre also teaches residencies completely in Spanish and assists public school teachers through its Professional Development program, licensed by the New Jersey Department of Education. Award-winning programs that work in school and community-based organizations in Newark, Camden, Elizabeth, Madison and Cranford extended Playwrights Theatre's national reputation as an innovative leader in arts education.

Season subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now. Registrations are being accepted for the Summer Camp for children and Summer Program for teens. The New Jersey Writers Project is accepting applications for 2009-2010 residencies. For more information about any of the programs, please visit www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787.

Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional (Actors' Equity) theatre. A community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators, Playwrights Theatre provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production. Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state reaching over 15,000 students annually. We place an equal emphasis on New Play Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.

We are honored that for the years 2007-2010 the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) designated Playwrights Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Playwrights Theatre to be "an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey" (along with Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and the McCarter Theatre Center).