Philadelphia Theatre Company continues its inaugural season in its new home with the Philadelphia premiere of Wendy Wasserstein's Third, March 21-April 20 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets). Directed by Mary B. Robinson, the production features Jennifer Blood, Melanye Duschene Finister, Will Fowler, Ben Hammer, and Lizbeth MacKay.

Previews begin Friday, March 21 with opening night on Wednesday, March 26. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $46 to $58, with discounts for students, seniors and groups. Tickets are available by calling the PTC Box Office at 215-985-0420 or visiting www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.

To celebrate Wendy Wasserstein's life and her significant impact on contemporary playwriting in the second half of the 20th century, PTC will host a series of panels and play readings throughout the run of the production. An Uncommon Woman: Feminism and the Legacy of Wendy Wasserstein looks at the ways in which her work changed and shaped theater for women. This panel will be comprised of individuals important both to her and the general theater community, including Christopher Durang who is Wasserstein's co-literary executor, Broadway set designer and collaborator Heidi Ettinger, and Villanova University professor and Wasserstein expert Gail Ciociola. Harriet Powers will direct a staged reading of An American Daughter, and PTC will also sponsor an additional panel on the impact of Wasserstein's writing on today's generation of women writers.

"In producing Third, we not only mount the Philadelphia premiere of a timely, provocative and beautifully observed play, but we also celebrate Wendy Wasserstein's enormous impact on American theater," said Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik. "Wendy's natural brilliance in making people laugh at times skewered our perception of her as a writer of probing insight. In fact, few playwrights have chronicled life's passages as richly as Wendy Wasserstein. Even fewer have done so against our nation's changing panorama of sexual politics and social mores."

Third chronicles the story of Laurie Jameson, a liberal but well-established college professor at an elite New England college who finds her liberal convictions challenged by her male student - a wrestler - Woodson Bull III (Third) who she suspects of plagiarism. While dealing with the plagiarism scandal, Laurie's life is thrown into disarray, as she tries to deal with her aging father, sick best friend, and rebellious daughter, each of whom cause her to examine everything in which she believes.

Wendy Wasserstein was the first female playwright to win a Tony Award for Best Play for The Heidi Chronicles, which also won the Pulitzer Prize, Outer Critics Circle Award, and Drama Desk Award. Her other theater works include The Sisters Rosensweig (which won the Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Tony Award), Uncommon Women and Others, An American Daughter, Isn't It Romantic, and Old Money. Third, which premiered in 2005 at Lincoln Center, was her final play. Wasserstein's other writings include Shiksa Goddess and Bachelor Girls, two collections of short essays; the children's book Pamela's First Musical; the libretto for The Festival of Regrets; and the screenplay The Object of My Affection.

Mary B. Robinson (director) returns to PTC where she has directed Three Viewings, Molly Sweeney, This is Our Youth, and Dinner with Friends. She served as Artistic Director at the Philadelphia Drama Guild for five years and previously as the Associate Artistic Director of Hartford Stage. Her most recent New York directing credits include Judith Ivey's one-woman show Women On Fire at the Cherry Lane and String Fever at Ensemble Studio Theatre. She directed the premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher's Three Viewings at Manhattan Theatre Club, revivals of Michael Weller's Moonchildren and Lanford Wilson's Lemon Sky (for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award) at Second Stage, and A Shayna Maidel which ran for fifteen months off-Broadway. Regionally, she directed the Los Angeles area premieres of Speed-The-Plow and Angels Fall at South Coast Rep, as well as productions at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, ACT in Seattle, and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Jennifer Blood (Emily) has appeared in New York in several productions at Prospect Theatre Company as well as Mint Theatre Company and Vital Theatre Company. Regionally she has been featured at Lyric Stage Company of Boston, New London Barn, and Mountain Playhouse, where she has been a frequent guest.

Melanie Duschene Finister (Nancy) is a member of People's Light & Theatre Company where she has appeared recently in Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Giver, Something You Did, Fabulation, and Member of the Wedding. She has also been featured locally at InterAct Theatre Company in Jambulu and Arden Theatre Company in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Will Fowler (Third) appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream at both McCarter Theatre and Paper Mill Playhouse, Iphigenia 2.0 at Signature Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing at Alley Theatre, and Durango at the Eugene O'Neill Center.

Ben Hammer (Jack) who last appeared at PTC in Prelude to a Kiss, has performed on Broadway in The Three Sisters, Broadway Bound, The Tenth Man, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Mother Courage. Off-Broadway productions include Tony Kushner's Slavs, Camping with Henry and Tom, The Golem, and Meshugah. At Lincoln Center he was featured in The Crucible, In The Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Scenes from an Execution, and Amphytriyon. Film credits include Sleepers, Crazy People and Jagged Edge.

Lizbeth MacKay (Laurie) returns to Philadelphia where she recently appeared at The Wilma Theatre in The Clean House. Her Broadway credits include leading roles in Crimes of the Heart, for which she won the Theatre World, Outer Circle Critics and Hollywood Drama-Logue Awards, Doubt, The Price, The Heiress, Abe Lincoln in Illinois and Death and the Maiden. Off-Broadway she has been featured at Manhattan Theatre Club in Durang Durang, Roundabout Theatre in The Price of Fame, Second Stage in Square One, and The Public Theater in both The Normal Heart and Kate's Diary. Regionally she starred in productions at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Bay Street Theatre, McCarter Theatre, and Cleveland Playhouse.

Third reunites the creative artistic team of set designer James Noone (PTC's Murderers, Full Gallop and Love! Valour! Compassion!); lighting designer Russell Champa (PTC's The Story, Nickel and Dimed, and Wit); costume designer Karen Ledger (PTC's Murderers); and composer Robert Maggio (PTC's M. Butterfly, Intimate Apparel, and Take Me Out). Philadelphia Theatre Company's dramaturg for Third is Warren Hoffman.

Media Sponsors for Third are Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly.com, and CBS-3. Philadelphia Theatre Company's Premier Season Sponsor is The Comcast Family, and the Official Airline Sponsor is US Airways.

Philadelphia Theatre Company is Philadelphia's only not-for-profit professional theater dedicated exclusively to producing world and regional premieres of works by contemporary American playwrights. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik, Philadelphia Theatre Company has had ever-increasing national impact, producing 35 world premieres of new American plays and musicals in its 32 seasons. Recent world premiere productions include: Being Alive with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and conceived and directed by Billy Porter; Nerds://A Musical Software Satire by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Erik Weiner, and Hal Goldberg; Some Men by Terrence McNally (recently produced at Second Stage Theatre); Adrift in Macao by Christopher Durang and Peter Melnick (produced at Primary Stages last Winter); Bruce Graham's According to Goldman; Jeffrey Hatcher's A Picasso; Daniel Stern's comedy Barbra's Wedding (moved to the Westside Arts Theatre in 2003); John Henry Redwood's No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs; J.T. Rogers' White People; David Ives' Lives of the Saints; three-time Tony Award-winning Master Class by Terrence McNally, starring Zoe Caldwell; Bunny Bunny by Alan Zweibel (Lucille Lortel Award, 1997); and the American premiere of Birdy by Naomi Wallace. A Picasso received its New York premiere at the Manhattan Theatre Club in April 2005.

Philadelphia Theatre Company has received numerous "Best Theater Company" citations from media sources such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia magazine, Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and Philadelphia City Paper. Since 1995, Philadelphia Theatre Company has received 122 nominations and 36 awards from Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards.

This year, now under the co-staff leadership of Sara Garonzik and Managing Director Diane Claussen, Philadelphia Theatre Company moved into its new home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre designed by KieranTimberlake Associates LLP. This new state-of-the-art venue includes a 365-seat traditional proscenium auditorium designed to envelope both the actors and audience, a flexible black box theater space, a dramatic lobby and mezzanine level reception areas with an expansive view of the Avenue of the Arts, as well as superior patron amenities, box office, handicapped accessibility and elevator to all floors.

For further information, please call 215-985-1400.

PREVIEWS:
Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 23 at 3:00 PM
Tuesday, March 25 at 8:00 PM

OPENING:
Wednesday, March 26 at 7:00 PM

PERFORMANCES:
Tuesday - Saturday at 8:00 PM
Early curtain performances at 7:00 PM on April 2, 9 and 16
Wednesday matinee at 1:00 PM on March 2, 9 and 16
Saturday matinee at 2:00 PM on March 29, April 12 and 19
Sunday matinee at 3:00 PM on March 23, 30, April 6, 13, and 20

CLOSES:
Sunday, April 20 at 3:00 PM

LOCATION:
Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Streets

TICKET PRICES:
Friday preview, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, Wednesday and Saturday matinees: all seats $46. Saturday preview, Thursday and Friday evenings, Sunday matinees: all seats $52. Saturday Evenings: all seats $58. Student, Senior Citizen and Group Discounts available.

PARKING/TRANSPORTATION:
Onsite parking is available at the Symphony House InterPark lot, as well as many other parking facilities on Broad Street. The Theater is also accessible by taxi, SEPTA buses and trains, and the PATCO Highspeed line.

ACCESSIBILITY:
State-of-the-art infrared assistive listening devices. PTC provides large print, Braille and audio cassette programs upon request. Open-captioned performance on Saturday, April 12 at 2:00 PM. Audio described performance on Saturday, April 19 at 2:00 PM.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:
PTC's Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad & Lombard Streets
Monday-Friday 10:00AM - 5:30 PM
215/985-0420 or 866/985-0420 or online at www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

SPECIAL EVENTS:
Pay What You Can: Thursday, March 20 at 8:00 PM
American Playwrights In Context: An Uncommon Woman: Feminism and the Legacy of Wendy Wasserstein featuring Christopher Durang on April 6 following the matinee performance
Meet-the-Artists Post-Show Discussions: March 27, April 10 and April 15
Pre-Show Wine Tasting: April 1 and 17 at 7:00 PM (FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY)
Night OUT!: pre-show LGBT-friendly reception on Thursday, April 3 at 6:30 PM before 8pm performance
NEXT!: A post-performance reception for patrons ages 26-40 on Friday, March 28
Staged Reading: Wendy Wasserstein's An American Daughter, directed by Harriet Powers (Date to be announced)

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:
Playwright: Wendy Wasserstein
Director: Mary B. Robinson
Lizbeth MacKay as Laurie
Will Fowler as Third
Jennifer Blood as Emily
Melanye Duschene Finister as Nancy
Ben Hammer as Jack
Set Designer: James Noone
Costume Designer: Karen Ledger
Lighting Designer: Russell Champa
Composer: Robert Maggio

PRESS INFORMATION:
Deborah Fleischman 215/735-7356

TICKET INFORMATION:
215/985-0420 or 866/985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

SYNOPSIS:
Third chronicles the story of Laurie Jameson, a liberal but well-established college professor at an elite New England college who finds her liberal convictions challenged by her male student - a wrestler - Woodson Bull III (Third) who she suspects of plagiarism. While dealing with the plagiarism scandal, Laurie's life is thrown into disarray, as she tries to deal with her aging father, sick best friend, and rebellious daughter, each of whom cause her to examine everything in which she believes.