Joshua Harmon's Significant Other and Martyna Majok's Ironbound Added to 2017/2018 Season

GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE ADDS JOSHUA HARMON’S “SIGNIFICANT OTHER” AND MARTYNA MAJOK’S “IRONBOUND” TO ITS 2017/2018 SEASON

LOS ANGELES (April 11, 2017) – The Geffen Playhouse today announced the addition of the West Coast Premieres of Joshua Harmon’s Significant Other and Martyna Majok’s Ironbound to its 2017/2018 season. Both productions will run in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse.

Significant Other, a smash hit comedy from Bad Jews writer Joshua Harmon, is the story of twenty-something Jordan, the life of the wedding party until it dawns on him that he is “always a groomsman, never the groom.” Significant Other made its Broadway debut at the Booth Theatre on March 2, 2017 under the direction of Geffen alum Trip Cullman (Barcelona and Choir Boy). It premiered Off Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre in 2015, produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, earning immediate critical and commercial acclaim and a place on The New York Times’ prestigious Best Theater of 2015 list.

Ironbound, humorous and heartrending, spans 22 years to tell the story of Darja, a Polish immigrant getting by on a cleaning job, aggressive pragmatism and sheer will. In this wry drama, award-winning playwright Martyna Majok points out that sometimes survival is the only measure of success. Ironbound debuted in 2015 at Round House Theatre in Washington, D.C. before making its way to New York for an Off Broadway premiere at the Rattlestick Theatre in 2016 in a co-production with Women’s Project Theater. One of the most celebrated plays of the last several years, it was named winner of the 2016 Helen Hayes Awards’ Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical, which recognizes excellence in theater in the nation’s capital, and was a New York Times’ Critics’ Pick.

Previously announced plays in the 2017/2018 season are the West Coast Premieres of Halley Feiffer’s Off Broadway comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City; renowned writer Neil LaBute’s The Way We Get By, his seventh play at the Geffen; the World Premiere of Chasing Mem’ries: A Different Kind of Musical, written and directed by Joshua Ravetch with music from legendary songwriters Alan & Marilyn Bergman, starring Tyne Daly and Robert Forster; the Los Angeles Premiere of Skeleton Crew, the final installment in Dominique Morisseau’s award-winning three-play cycle, The Detroit Projects; and West Coast Premiere of Sell/Buy/Date, Tony Award-winner Sarah Jones’s timely and provocative one-woman play.

The Geffen Playhouse 2017/2018 season is currently available by subscription only. For more information and to purchase a subscription, please call 310.882.6533. Single tickets for all 2017/2018 season productions will be available this summer at www.geffenplayhouse.org.

SIGNIFICANT OTHER
WEST COAST PREMIERE
Written by Joshua Harmon

In this smash hit comedy from Bad Jews writer Joshua Harmon, twenty-something Jordan is the life of the wedding party, until it dawns on him that he is “always a groomsman, never the groom.”

Joshua Harmon
Writer of the runaway Geffen Playhouse hit Bad Jews, Joshua Harmon has taken the American theater by storm in recent years. After the sardonic Bad Jews was the third most-produced American play in the 2014-2015 season, earning nominations for Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards, Harmon’s entertaining and affectionate Significant Other was included in the New York Times Best Theater of 2015 list and started previews on Broadway on February 14, 2017. With a remarkable ability to at once skewer and create empathy, Harmon peoples his richly funny comedies with appealing, exasperating and infinitely recognizable characters.

IRONBOUND
WEST COAST PREMIERE
Written by Martyna Majok

At once humorous and heartrending, Ironbound spans 22 years to tell the story of Darja, a Polish immigrant getting by on a cleaning job, aggressive pragmatism and sheer will. In this wry drama, award-winning playwright Martyna Majok points out that sometimes survival is the only measure of success.

Martyna Majok
In the relatively short time since she appeared on the national theater scene, Martyna Majok has quickly become recognized as one of America’s most exciting new voices, putting forth plays that explore the difficulty and dignity of the immigrant experience and the possibility and fragility of connection, and wrestle with the very question of what it means to be human. Her work has been performed and developed at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Ensemble Studio Theatre, among others.

OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS
Audi of America
City National Bank
Hint
KIND Snacks

SIGNATURE SERIES
In addition to the opening nights, the 2017/2018 season will feature the Geffen’s Signature Series events Talk Back Tuesdays, Girls Night Out, Lounge Fridays and Wine Down Sundays. Thanks to the support of Geffen Playhouse partners and sponsors, all elements of Signature Series evenings are complimentary as part of the ticket price.

· TALK BACK TUESDAYS
Talk Back Tuesdays give theater lovers a chance for a deeper conversation to discuss plot, character themes or any other questions directly with the artists with a post-show Q&A from the stage.

· GIRLS NIGHT OUT
It’s a globally accepted piece of pop-culture that girls just wanna have fun and this Signature Series was designed with that in mind, although gentlemen are welcome to join. These unique events only happen once during each Gil Cates Theater production, and every Girls Night Out features partnerships with different lifestyle experts, brands or products that keep patrons on the cusp of what’s hot in LA. Each night features different partners ranging from private shopping events to showcasing the latest beauty trends, but every Girls Night Out promises a festive evening of theater followed by a unique party complete with complimentary signature drinks, delectable buffets and the popular GNO photo booth.

· LOUNGE FRIDAYS
Happy hour Lounge Fridays turn the Geffen Playhouse into a haven to help fast-paced Angelenos ease into their weekend and unwind. Complimentary sparkling joins other enticing beverages starting at 7:00 p.m. with eclectic jams from DJ Mike on the courtyard patio. Sponsored by LAArtsOnline.com.

· WINE DOWN SUNDAYS
Wine Down Sundays provides the perfect pairing – pre-performance wine sampling followed by a 7:00 p.m. curtain time to close out the week. These evenings feature different vintages for each production, so patrons who come regularly will discover a new wine brand before their theatrical experience.

COLLEGE AUDIENCES
Through a variety of events and other opportunities, the Geffen Playhouse welcomes college students to experience the live storytelling presented on our stages. We are proud of our association with UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, and open our doors to all college students throughout Los Angeles. More information is available at www.geffenplayhouse.org/college.

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ABOUT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates, and is currently helmed by Artistic Director Randall Arney, Executive Director Gil Cates, Jr., and Co-Chairs of the Board Martha Henderson and Pamela Robinson. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains extensive education and community engagement programs, designed to involve underserved young people and the community at large in the arts. www.geffenplayhouse.org

MEDIA CONTACT
Ashley Bodul, Geffen Playhouse

310.208.6500 Ext. 159