@

CHERUBINA
February 1 - 23 at Sanford Meisner Theater

Rebecca Lingafelter in association with Performance Lab 115 (winner of Best Play at FringeNYC 2005 for God’s Waiting Room) will present the World Premiere of Paul Cohen’s CHERUBINA. Based on a true story, this new drama will be directed by Alexis Poledouris. Performances begin February 1st at The Sanford Meisner Theater. Opening night is slated for February 4th. For more info visit www.thecherubina.com.

Set in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1913, CHERUBINA is based on the true story of Elisa Ivanovna, a frustrated poet and crippled school teacher. Elisa and her friend create Cherubina deGabriak, Elisa’s young, beautiful, and fictional nom de plume, to see if Nikolai, who publishes the literary paper, will be more likely to print poems by this mysterious, voluptuous writer. He does, and falls in love with the idea of Cherubina through her poems and the letters they exchange. It is a dark comedy that explores the relationship between art and love, beauty and truth, all with a biting wit that will leave audiences breathless.

The production stars Teddy Bergman (I Was Tom Cruise at FringeNYC, Hell House at St. Ann’s Warehouse and I.E. in Other Words at The Flea), Amanda Fulks (Charlie Kaufman's forthcoming Synechdoche, New York, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and Jimmy Owens with lighting and set by Gina Scherr (Lee Blessing's Two Rooms at 78th Street Theatre Lab) and costumes by Zane Pihlstrom (The Brothers Size).

Paul Cohen is a native New Yorker and a product of its public school system. His plays have been produced at the John Houseman Theatre, The Riant Theatre, The Posseble Theatre, and Maeutic Theatre. His plays include Mourn the Living Hector, The Library Play and Between You and Me.

Alexis Poledouris’s New York directing credits include: All This Beautiful Life (chashama); Baby Face by Ashlin Halfnight (walkerspace); Momma by Edith Freni (PS122); DIRGE with text and lyrics by Claire Brownell (Target Margin Theater/The Ohio Theater); Food for Fish by Adam Szymkowicz (The Kraine); God's Waiting Room by Ashlin Halfnight (FringeNYC at PS122, awarded "Best Play," toured to The Merlin International Theater, Budapest); and Cascando, a radio play, by Samuel Beckett (WKCR/New York and New Jersey).

Rebecca Lingafelter and Performance Lab 115 have produced work at venues including PS 122, HERE, DNA and FringeNYC. Past productions include A Small Hole, Dead Letter Office and God’s Waiting Room. For more info visit www.pl115.org

CHERUBINA runs February 1 - 23, Thursday - Sunday at 8pm with an additional performance Monday, February 4th at 8pm. The Sanford Meisner Theater is located at 164 Eleventh Avenue (between 22nd and 23rd Sts. -- accessible from the C & E trains at 23rd Street). Tickets are $18, available by calling 212-352-3101 or at TheaterMania.com.