RETRO PRODUCTIONS CLOSES 5TH SEASON WITH A WORLD PREMIERE TO RUN IN REPERTORY WITH CLASSIC 1950S OFFICE COMEDY

WOMEN AND WAR
A new play by Jack Hilton Cunningham
Directed by Peter Zinn

(NEW YORK, NY) – Retro Productions is proud to announce the world premiere of Jack Hilton Cunningham’s new drama Women and War, to premiere Tuesday, May 11, 2010. Women and War will run in repertory with Retro’s previously announced production of The Desk Set this May at midtown’s Spoon Theater. Directed by Peter Zinn (Director, Retro Productions’ fall 2009 hit Holy Days), Women and War debuts Tuesday, May 11th and runs through Saturday, May 22nd.

Through correspondence and monologue in the style of reader’s theatre, Women and War is a collection of stories told by generations of Americans impacted by conflict, from The Great War to the War in Iraq. From housewife to worker, young bride to nurse, mother to widow, and now, young woman to soldier, these are tales of sacrifice, love, determination and hope told by those who bravely persevere on the home front and on the battlefield. Women and War marks Retro Productions’ first original piece in its five-year history.

Women and War features Retro Productions company members: Lowell Byers (Holy Days) Heather E. Cunningham (Holy Days), Lauren Kelston (Mill Fire – NYITA nomination), Casandera M.J. Lollar (Holy Days) and Elise Rovinsky (The Tender Trap).

Director Peter Zinn teams up with members of the acclaimed Retro Productions creative team: set design by Jack and Rebecca Cunningham, costume design by Rebecca Cunningham and Casandera M.J. Lollar, lighting design by Justin Sturges, sound design by Jeanne Travis and stage management is by Jenny Kennedy.

The world premiere of Women and War opens with a gala performance Tuesday, May 11 at 7:30 pm (Tickets are $30, includes champagne reception). The limited engagement continues Saturday, May 15 at 2 pm, Tuesday, May 18 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, May 22 at 2pm. All performances take place at the Spoon Theater, located at 38 West 38th Street on the 5th Floor, New York, NY 10018. The Spoon Theater is air conditioned and fully handicapped accessible. Take the 7, B, D, F or V to 5th Ave/Bryant Park, or the B, D, F, V, N, R, W, Q to Herald Square. Lot parking available nearby.

Tickets to Women and War are $15 and $10 for seniors with valid ID. There is a $5 student rush with valid ID, based on availability. Educators receive free admission with union ID or business card at the door. 2010 repertory passes to Women and War and The Desk Set are available for $31 and $24 for seniors with valid ID (fees included in price; valid for Women and War’s Saturday matinees). There is no late seating for this production. 

Tickets can be purchased by calling Theatermania at 212.352.3101, or online at www.retroproductions.org. The theater box office accepts cash only and opens one half hour prior to show time. Retro Productions participates in the TDF Voucher program. For group rates, inquire to [email protected].

Retro Productions received recognition from their first two productions of Catholic School Girls and Mrs. California (as River Heights Productions) then gathered momentum in their second season with the Retro production of Still Life. Directed by Ric Sechrest, Still Life received accolades from playwright Emily Mann: “Your production got it…Every aspect of the experience was first rate. Retro is clearly a company dedicated to creating impeccable work that truly matters,” and earned Heather E. Cunningham a 2007 Back Stage Performance to Remember. Retro Productions put themselves on the map in their third season producing Sally Nemeth’s Mill Fire and What I Did Last Summer, called “…first-rate: brisk, sweet and occasionally quite moving,” by playwright A.R. Gurney. This, their first season in residence at The Spoon Theater, garnered six 2008 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations: two for performance and four for design, a New York Magazine ‘Off-off Broadway pick’ and the growing reputation of ‘the finished effect of a Retro Production’ (The Fab Marquee, Mill Fire). Retro’s fourth season included The Tender Trap, called “a powerful display of New York’s dramatic talent,” (offoffonline) and the celebrated revival of When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder?. Retro Productions started their fifth season with Sally Nemeth’s Holy Days, Directed by Peter Zinn, nytheatre.com exclaimed, “Retro Productions is a force of nature…[Holy Days] is everything that is great about American theatre.”

Retro’s 5th Season closes with Women and War and William Marchant’s The Desk Set running in repertory. Tim Errickson directs the 1950’s office comedy May 7 – 22, 2010. To support current and future productions, Retro Productions hosts retro-themed, seasonal fundraising parties and an annual silent auction. 2010’s silent auction will be held Wednesday, April 7, from 6:30 – 9 pm at The Galway Hooker. Additionally, Retro’s antique, vintage and gently used set pieces and props are often recycled and re-sold. For more information, please visit www.retroproductions.org.