Primary Stages Announces 2003-2004 Season

Primary Stages has announced the three new plays that will comprise its 2003-2004 season.

First up will be A.R. Gurney’s Strictly Academic, a program of two plays: “The Problem,” a farce about a husband and wife and their secret lovers; and “The Guest Lecturer,” about a theater’s artistic director and her unorthodox methods for keeping audiences coming back. The show will begin previews on Wednesday, October 8; it is scheduled to open officially on October 21 and to close on November 30 at the 45th Street Theatre (354 West 45th Street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues).

The next production, Terrence McNally’s The Stendhal Syndrome, will inaugurate Primary Stages’ new home: 59E59 (located at 59 East 59th Street), a state-of-the-art theater complex of three performing spaces. The Stendhal Syndrome is a collection of two plays — “Full Frontal Nudity” examines the power of perfection as three American tourists examine Michelangelo’s David, while “Prelude & Liebestod” finds a young conductor’s life unraveling as he conducts the music of Wagner. Directed by Leonard Foglia, The Stendhal Syndrome is set to begin performances in January 2004.

The season will conclude with Julia Jordan’s Boy, about two young men facing the challenges and promise of the modern world. Joe Calarco is scheduled to direct the production, which will be performed in April and May.

For additional information about Primary Stages, visit www.primarystages.com.