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February 28, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press contact for About Love: Brett Oberman at Keith Sherman & Associates, 212-764-7900, [email protected]

OPENING NIGHT – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4

To arrange for press seats or interviews with the artists, contact Keith Sherman & Associates: 212-764-7900, [email protected]. Access photos, video, and additional press materials from our online press kit: www.AboutLoveThePlay.com/presskit

www.AboutLoveThePlay.com @AboutLoveNYC @AboutLoveNYC @AboutLoveNYC

Culture Project presents About Love, a new play with songs and music. With music and lyrics by jazz artist Nancy Harrow and script and direction by Will Pomerantz, About Love plays a limited four-week engagement, through March 22 at The Sheen Center (18 Bleecker Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street, NYC) in the Black Box Theater. The official opening is Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30PM. Tickets are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-925-2812, or in-person at The Sheen Center box office Monday to Friday noon to 5PM and one hour before performances.

About Love tells the compelling story of a young man who expects to spend a quiet summer with his parents in the Russian countryside, but soon discovers those three months will be the most consequential of his life, as he learns the difference between love and passion, and the ephemeral nature of life itself. About Love is inspired by Ivan Turgenev's beautifully crafted short story, "First Love," originally published in 1860. Turgenev was one of Russia's first modern writers to achieve international acclaim with his novel, Fathers and Sons, and his play, A Month in the Country.

The cast of About Love features Silvia Bond (Things Found on the Ground), Helen Coxe (Super Regret), Dan Domingues (The Tempest at The Public), Jeffrey Kringer (Cruel Intentions: The 90's Musical, National Tour), Tom Patterson (1984, Broadway) and Jean Tafler (My Witch: The Margaret Hamilton Stories).

About Love features a scenic design by Brian C. Staton; costume design by Whitney Locher; lighting design by Allen Hahn; sound design by Connor Brent; musical direction by Misha Josephs; musical arrangements by Alphonso Horne, Owen Broder and Daniel Dickson; and stage management by Abigail Strange.

"I was drawn to this material because of Turgenev's exquisite writing and his truth-telling about the human experience," says playwright and director Will Pomerantz. "Everyone remembers the first time they fell in love, and the universality of that experience, coupled with Turgenev's beautiful prose, proved irresistible to me."

"Turgenev's story is so human, and each character so true to life, that even though it takes place 150 years ago it is completely recognizable in 2020," said composer Nancy Harrow. "It is a portrait of human relationships: joy and sorrow, humor and humiliation, cruelty and empathy. Turgenev loved his characters."

LISTING INFORMATION: About Love plays a limited four-week engagement, February 25 through March 22 at The Sheen Center (18 Bleecker Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street, NYC) in the Black Box Theater. The official opening is Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30PM. Visit OvationTix.com for tickets. About Love plays Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30PM, Friday at 8PM, Saturday at 2PM & 8PM and Sunday at 3PM. Preview tickets (through March 3) are $25. After opening, all evening performances are $39 - $59. Rush tickets will be available at the box office an hour before any performance for $25.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

SILVIA BOND (Zina) is pleased to be making be making her Off-Broadway debut in About Love. A recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where she was involved in productions such as The Seagull: Rehearsed- an Adaptation by Tyler Marchant (Masha), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Titania/Hippolyta). She's now returning to the city from the Professional Training Company at the Actors Theatre of Louisville where she was involved in the productions Dracula (Margaret Sullivan) and A Christmas Carol, as well as new plays including And We’re Live by Mara Nelson-Greenberg and We’ve Come to Believe by Matthew Paul Olmos, Emily Feldman, and Kara Lee Corthron. Film/TV credits include: Things Found on the Ground, and “Blue Bloods.” All of the thanks to her family, friends, podcasts, and John.

HELEN COXE (The Princess/Count Malevsky/Masha). Last seen in Super Regret by Will Arbery. She has performed On, Off ,Off- Off and WAY off Broadway. Film /TV includes “Succession,” “The Deuce,” “The Tick,” “Person of Interests,” “The Knick,” “The Blacklist,” “Law & Orders,” among others. Originally from Philadelphia she holds an MFA from ACT and is a Member Of Ensemble Studio Theatre, “the mighties” writing group and a founder the rUDE mECHANICALS Theatre company.

DAN DOMINGUES (Dr. Lushin/Vonifaty/Dmitri). Off-Broadway: Gingold Theatrical/Theatre Row (Caesar & Cleopatra), The Public (The Tempest, Wild Goose Dreams, Fidelis, The Great Immensity), Rattlestick Playwrights, Atlantic, Abingdon Theatre, BAM, 59E59 Theaters, INTAR, Cherry Lane Theatre. Regional: Alley Theatre, White Heron Theatre, Arena Stage, Guthrie, Goodman, New York Stage & Film, Hangar Theatre, Studio Theatre, Cape Playhouse, Kansas City Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Florida Stage, Portland Stage, George Street Playhouse, Rep Theatre of St. Louis, Pioneer Theater. Film: Run All Night, Future ’38, In Stereo. TV: "5A5B," “West40s,” “The Blacklist,” “Royal Pains,” “Law & Order.” MFA: American Repertory Theatre's Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard; Associate Artist: The Civilians.

JEFFREY KRINGER (Peter). Off-Broadway debut! This year’s credits: Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical as Sebastian (1st National Tour), West Side Story as Tony (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Catch Me If You Can as Frank Jr. (New London Barn Playhouse), The Secret Garden as Dickon (The Palace Theater, Manchester, NH). Jeffrey holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from The State University of New York at Fredonia. He sends thanks to Will and Nancy, all of his instructors, Bloc Talent Agency, his family, and all other loved ones!

TOM PATTERSON (The Father/Captain Markov/The Hotel Manager). Broadway: 1984. Regional: Delmonico (Bay Street Theater / Title Wave); Hand to God, Cherry Docs, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Shotgun(Florida Studio Theatre); Constellations (Studio Theatre, Helen Hayes Award - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play); Ether Dome (Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre Company); Sideways (La Jolla Playhouse); Of Mice and Men (Northern Stage); Bedroom Farce, Murder on the Nile (The Barnstormers). Film: Thorp. MFA, UC San Diego. IG: @tommustbestopped. He is originally from South Bend, Indiana.

JEAN TAFLER (The Mother/Maidonov/Man With A Horse). Most recently played Margaret Hamilton in My Witch: The Margaret Hamilton Stories at Bay Street Theater. New York credits: The Taste of It, The Lady’s Not for Burning, Seeing Stars, Romeo & Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, Opal, Philemon. Her regional work features over 30 productions of Shakespeare plays, and 10 seasons with Orlando Shakespeare Theater, including Nicholas Nickleby, Titus Andronicus (Tamora), Kiss Me Kate (Lilly Vanessi), & Macbeth (Lady Macbeth). Other regional highlights include: Alabama Story, Jane Eyre, Hannah, Dinner With Friends, Follies, The Heiress and many others with Florida Studio Theater, The Asolo Repertory Theater, Premiere Stages, River Rep, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, Snowmass /Aspen Rep, Geva Theatre, Studio Arena and Stages Rep.

WILL POMERANTZ (Director/Writer) is the Associate Artistic Director for Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY, where his newly-envisioned production of Evita broke all box office records to become the highest-grossing production in Bay Street’s 28-year history. He also directed a critically acclaimed production of The Last Night Of Ballyhoo for the theater, and will direct a new production of Ragtime as part of Bay Street’s 2020 mainstage season. Will’s work has been seen in New York, regionally and internationally, at such theaters as The Guthrie, American Repertory Theatre, 2nd Stage, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theatre, Hartford Stage, New York Theater Workshop, The Signature Theatre, The Kennedy Center, BAM, Soho Rep, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Studio Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, the National Theater of Poland, and the Nice International Festival. His productions have won multiple awards, including the Lortel Award, the Helen Hayes Award, The Eliot Norton Award, The Independent Reviewers of New England Award, Broadway World Award, as well as a Drama Desk and Audelco nominations.

NANCY HARROW (Music & Lyrics). Nancy’s first album, Wild Women Don't Have the Blues, was released in 1962 on the now-legendary Candid label curated by Nat Hentoff. Nancy has recorded eighteen more jazz albums with stellar musicians– , , , , , , Grady Tate, Kenny Barron, among many others — all featuring classics from the great American songbook. In recent years, she has turned to writing her own songs, many based on literary subjects including Willa Cather's A Lost Lady, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun, and F. Scott Fitzgerald's life as seen through some of his characters in The Great Gatsby. Two of these CDs were turned into musicals –For the Last Time and This Side of Paradise. Another two of Nancy's jazz song cycles are based on children's stories: The Adventures of Maya the Bee, by Waldemar Bonsels, ran as a puppet show in NYC for seven years, was then translated into Japanese and toured ten cities there. The Cat Who Went to Heaven, based on a story by Elizabeth Coatsworth, has been staged at the Asia Society, Harlem School of the Arts, the Kennedy Center, and most recently BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) in the spring of 2014. About Love is the fifth theatrical production Nancy has undertaken in partnership with Will Pomerantz.

ALPHONSO HORNE (Arranger) is one of the most sought-after musicians today. Known for his high level of musicianship, Horne has performed with some of the leading musicians in jazz, including Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center, the PBS Special: “Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett,” and playing on Grammy nominated albums (Jamison, 2015; My Favorite Things, 2015). Horne also leads an active career as a sideman. Some of his credits include the Tony Award- winning Broadway production After Midnight, the Tony Award-nominated Shuffle Along. He has performed with the Count Basie Orchestra and with Rihanna at the Video Music Awards Show. Most recently Horne was featured in the film, Bolden, premiering May 3rd. Alphonso holds a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School.

CULTURE PROJECT (Producer) has told stories as timely as the morning’s newspaper in a way that cannot be matched by commercial media. Through brilliantly conceived, expertly staged dramas, which blend prize-winning theater with urgent moral dilemmas, Culture Project sparks conversation and incites political action. A venue for acclaimed, prize-winning performance, Culture Project is also a magnet for today’s best talent including Sting and Trudie Styler, Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jones, Howard Zinn, Desmond Tutu, Mariska Hargitay, Trevor Noah, Martin Short, Samantha Power, Roger, Roger Waters, Vanessa and Corin Redgrave, John Leguizamo, and other artists who share a passion for theater and public justice. Culture Project is dedicated to addressing critical human rights issues by creating and supporting artistic work that amplifies marginalized voices. By fostering innovative collaboration between human rights organizations and artists, we aim to inspire and impact public dialogue and policy, encouraging democratic participation in the most urgent matters of our time.

THE SHEEN CENTER FOR THOUGHT & CULTURE (www.sheencenter.org) is a New York City arts center located in NoHo that presents a vibrant mix of theater, film, music, art and talk events. A project of the Archdiocese of New York, The Sheen Center serves all New Yorkers by presenting performances and artists that reflect the true, the good, and the beautiful. Named for the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, best remembered as an inspirational author, radio host and two- time Emmy Award-winning television personality, The Sheen Center reflects his modern-day approach to contemporary topics. The Sheen Center is a state-of-the-art theater complex that includes the 270-seat off-Broadway Loreto Theater, equipped with five-camera high-definition TV and live-stream capability and a multi-track recording studio; the 80-seat off- off-Broadway Black Box Theater; four rehearsal studios; and an art gallery.

www.AboutLoveThePlay.com @AboutLoveNYC @AboutLoveNYC @AboutLoveNYC