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Pulitzer & Tony nominated "A View of the Mountains" to Premiere at NJ Rep

New Jersey Repertory Company’s season of premieres continues with Pulitzer Prize and Tony-nominated playwright Lee Blessing’s sequel to his Cold War play, “A Walk in the Woods”. 

The world premiere of Blessing’s “A View of the Mountains”, directed by Evan Bergman, begins April 24 and will run through May 25 at 179 Broadway in Long Branch. The play explores how the current extreme political polarization in our society has come home to roost and threatens not only our nation, but the intimate ties that bind families. 

John Honeyman is a former arms negotiator who represented the U.S. in the early 1980’s and held secret meetings with his Russian counterpart to defuse the explosive tensions that divided the two nuclear super-powers. The fate of the entire world hung in the balance as the men sought to build a bridge based on mutual trust over the turbulent waters of suspicion and paranoia that separated the two nations. 

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It is now thirty years later and Honeyman is retired, remarried, and living an idyllic life in his country home along the Hudson when his estranged son, the junior Senator from Tennessee, arrives for a visit. Will Branch detests his father and his legacy, and feels that he was soft with the pragmatic and ruthless Russians and that his efforts on behalf of his country irreparably hurt the U.S. in the long-run. In turn, Honeyman loathes his son’s radical right-wing politics and fears his ascendancy that makes him a promising candidate for the Vice-Presidency. Their coerced meeting is not a joyful reunion, rather one filled with threats, animosity, ultimatums and long–buried family secrets. 

Opening night is Saturday, April 26 at 8:00pm, followed by a reception. Previews are Thursday, April 24 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, Friday, April 25 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm and Saturday, April 26 at 3:00pm. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 3:00pm and 8:00pm; and Sundays at 2:00pm. 

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Tickets are $42; Previews are $35; Opening night with reception is $60. Discounts are available for seniors, students, and groups of 10 or more. NJ Rep is a year-round, professional, non-profit theater located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch only minutes from the Jersey Shore. Free on-site parking is available and there is easy access from NJ Transit (North Jersey Coast Line) and Academy Buses.                        

Contact the NJ Rep Box Office at 732-229-3166 or visit www.njrep.org to reserve your seats online. Follow NJ Rep on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Tumblr. For more information and publicity photos, contact Adele Sammarco, Director of Marketing and Communications, at 732-229-3166 ext. 103 or email adele@njrep.org

Lee Blessing (Playwright) Broadway and London's West End: “A Walk In The Woods”. Off-Broadway: “Thief River” (Drama Desk nomination, Best Play), “Cobb” (Drama Desk award, best ensemble), “Chesapeake”, “Eleemosynary”, “Down The Road”, “B plus Fortinbras”, “Lake Street Extension”, “Two Rooms” and the world premiere of “Patient A”, all in the 1992-1993 Signature Theatre season. “Going to St. Ives” will have its off-Broadway premiere in March at the new E. 59th St. venue of Primary Stages. Upcoming world premieres: “The Scottish Play” at La Jolla Playhouse and “A Body of Water” at the Guthrie Theater. Recent world and regional premieres: “Riches” at Theatre de la Gate, “Paris”, “Flag Day” and “Whores” at the Contemporary American Theater Festival, that originally premiered at New Jersey Rep,  “Black Sheep” at Florida Stage, “Thief River” at the Guthrie Theater, and early next year “The Winning Streak” at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ. Other plays: “Independence”, “Riches”, “Oldtimers Game” and “Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music”. Other awards: The American Theater Critics Circle Award, the L.A. Drama Critics Award, The Great American Play Award, The Humanitas Award and the George and Elisabeth Marton Award, among others. Nominations for Tony and Olivier awards, as well as for the Pulitzer Prize. Three plays have been cited in Time magazine's list of the year's Ten Best. Blessing heads the graduate playwriting program at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. 

Evan Bergman (Director) most recently directed the New York premiere of Jack Canfora's “Poetic License” featuring Geraint Wyn Davies for NJ Rep and The Directors Company at (59E59) and the world premiere of Jack Canfora's “Jericho”, which “The New York Times” called, "A smart, hard-hitting drama filled with biting wit". “The Glass House” with Harris Yulin. Three IT Award nominations including best actor and best ensemble. (Theater Row Clurman) NJ Rep world premiere “The Tangled Skirt” by Steve Braunstein, (Nominated for 2011 EDGAR Award-Best Mystery/Thriller) world premiere of the critically acclaimed New York and Los Angeles productions of “The Director” starring John Shea. The first all-African American production of “American Buffalo” featuring Reg. E. Cathey and Paul Butler (W.H.A.T). “Gryzk”, (Ensemble Studio Theater Marathon). “Poetic License” and “Place Setting” (best play nomination “The Star-Ledger”) by Jack Canfora and East Coast premiere of “Lemonade” by Mike Folie, all for NJ Rep. The musical, “A Girl Called Dusty”- world premiere (Provincetown Playhouse) and Paul Scott Goodman's musical “Tiny Dancer”. (One Dream) Off-Broadway's original production of “Bobbi Boland” with Gregg Henry. “Machiavelli” by Richard Vetere (ArcLight). The workshop productions of NY Playwrights Lab “Ten Ex- Lovers”. “Goodnight Sister”, “Some Counseling” (Cherry Lane). Bryan Goluboff's “Big Al” (ArcLight), John Ford Noonan's “Green Mountain Fever”-world premiere (The Round Barn VT) and “Florida Girls” (Passage Theater NJ). And the inaugural production of “As Bees In Honey Drown” at the New Provincetown Theater on Cape Cod. His work has also been seen at Naked Angles, Rattlestick the Samuel Becket, West Bank, and Jane Street Theaters in NYC. In Los Angeles at The Odyssey, The Tiffany and Actor's Lab Theater. (FILM) Obie Award winner John Ford Noonan “Dig A Hole”, “Find A Finger”, official selection at the Palm Springs and Newport Beach International Film Festivals and Documentary for Warner Music Group and Edge recording Artist G Tom Mac. The film features Roger Daltry of The Who and Philip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire. 

Katrina Ferguson (“Isla”) Katrina is pleased to return to NJ Rep after appearing as Charlotte Payne-Townshend in “Engaging Shaw”, which was published by Samuel French. Katrina received a NJ Footlights Award for her portrayal of Maria Callas in “Master Class” at the Womens' Theatre in NJ. For the last 3 seasons she has appeared with Northern New England Rep. in NH playing the title roles in O'Neill's “Anna Christie” and Ibsen's “Hedda Gabler”, as well as being featured as Emilia in “Othello”. Katrina has worked Off-Broadway and regionally, appearing at Oldcastle Theatre and The Dorset Theatre Festival, VT (Best Actress for Eleanor of Aquitane in “The Lion in Winter”); Ivoryton Playhouse, CT; Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, SC; The Majestic Theater, MA; The Bickford Theatre, NJ and Centenary Stage Co., NJ. Katrina has also toured the U.S. with The National Shakespeare Company, and did 10 European tours with American Drama Group. Some other favorite roles include: Josie in “A Moon for the Misbegotten”; Molly in “Molly Sweeney”; Maggie Cutler in “The Man Who Came to Dinner”; Sara Rosensweig in “The Sisters Rosenweig”; Adriana in “The Comedy of Errors” and Maureen in “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”. 

John Little (“John”) made his NJ Rep debut in “Don't Hug Me”. He played Captain Keller in “The Miracle Worker” at Foothills Theatre, Polonius in “Hamlet” Off-Broadway for the Theatre by the Blind, Ira in “Tale of the Allergist's Wife” and Birling in “An Inspector Calls”, both at the Ivoryton Playhouse. New York audiences have seen John in “Christopher Columbus” at the New Federal Theatre, “Dear Oscar” at Perry Street Theatre and “Too Noble Brothers”, produced by the Public Theatre. Regionally, he has appeared in “Major Barbara” at Yale Rep, “Noises Off” at Barter Theatre, Glimmerglass and Goodspeed, “Pygmalion” at Syracuse Stage and “Woman in Black” at Portland Stage. New Jersey credits include “Out of Order” at Paper Mill Playhouse, “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, “The Weir”, “Talley's Folly”, “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”, all at Tri-State Actors Theatre. He has toured America in “The Fantasticks”, “Angel Street”, and “Light up the Sky”, and Europe in “A Christmas Carol”, “Harold and Maude”, “Little Murders” and “Crazy For You”. He also played Herr Schultz in the Asian tour of “Cabaret”, starring Andrea McArdle. 

Eva Kaminsky (“Gwynn”) Broadway credits include: “The Lyons”, Off-Broadway & New York; “The Language Archive” (Roundabout), “Made in Poland” (The Play Company), “Nami” (Partial Comfort), “The Forest of Without” (Drama League), “The Safety Net” (Broken Watch). National Tour: “The Syringa Tree”. Regional: “The Few, Good People” (The Old Globe), “Mud Blue Sky” (Baltimore Centerstage). “August: Osage County” (Alley Theatre), “God of Carnage” (Cincinnati Playhouse & Rep Theatre of St. Louis), “Breadcrumbs”, “Lidless” (CATF), “The Syringa Tree” (Long Wharf & ACT Theatre), “The Real Thing” (Syracuse Stage), “1:23” (Cincinnati Playhouse), “Speech & Debate” (Hartford TheaterWorks), “A Small Family Business” (Cleveland Play House), and many others. Film: “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”, “Just Like the Son”, and the upcoming “Ten Thousand Saints”. Television: “Mercy”, “Ugly Betty”, “Gossip Girl”, “ER”, “Numb3rs”, “Royal Pains”, and the “Law & Order” series. Eva is also an audiobook narrator, having recorded over 50 titles.  

Michael Zlabinger (“Will”) Off-Broadway credits include: “Desperate Writers”, “The Tempest” and “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress”. International: European premiere of “The Goat, or “Who is Sylvia?” (Vienna's English Theatre, dir. Pam MacKinnon). Regional: “Other Desert Cities”, “Hamlet” (Pioneer Theatre), “The Columnist” (Florida Studio Theatre), “Handle With Care” (Gulfshore Playhouse), “Ah, Wilderness!” (Baltimore Center Stage), “Hamlet” (Shakespeare Theatre), “Romeo in Romeo & Juliet”, “Iago in Othello” (North Carolina Shakespeare Festival), world premiere of “Splitting Infinity” (Geva), Torvald in “A Doll's House” (North Carolina Stage Company), “Hamlet” (Long Wharf), “The Mousetrap” (Studio Arena), “The Credeaux Canvas” (Hartford TheaterWorks). Television: "Person of Interest," "Guiding Light," "ER," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Pacific Blue," "MTV's Undressed," "MTV's Now What?" (pilot). 

Jon Erik Nielsen (“Andrey”) is a Red Bank Regional High School 10th Grader. He is a drama major in Red Bank Regional's VPA Academy. Previous credits include Protean in “Imaginary Invalid”, The Boy in “Midsummer Night’s Dream and Timmy in “Inherit the Wind” at Holmdel Community Theater.  He acted as ASM for Holmdel's productions of “Rounding Third” and “Little Women”. Drama training includes Two River Theater's "Playback" program and the Stella Adler Workshop in NYC. Jon Erik is also a well-rounded musician who enjoys singing, songwriting, and playing guitar, piano and bass. 

Jared Rush (“Andrey”) is a 9th grader at Ranney High School and is making his debut on NJ Rep stage. He has possessed an interest in theater since a young age. Jared has been involved in school productions playing Daniel in “Once on this Island”, The Lion in “The Wizard of Oz” and most recently, the Reverend Kimball in “The Three Penny Opera”. 

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