Playwright-performer Ed Schmidt in EDWARD - Photo by Sophie Blackall25 Performances Planned January 22 – March 1

“Ed Schmidt’s new play, Edward, is a singular experience…eloquent prose…fantastic writing…If given the chance, I would see this show as many times as I could.” – LA Theatrix, Anthony Gutierrez (Edward)

New York, N.Y. - In EDWARD, a box filled with twenty-seven ordinary objects becomes a profound reconstruction of one man’s life. The acclaimed solo show by Ed Schmidt will present twenty-five performances in independent bookstores throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan from January 22 through March 1. The title character, Edward O’Connell, a former high school English teacher who believed in “the vital role that literature plays in the development of a well-rounded life,” makes bookstores an ideal backdrop for his story to unfold.

EDWARD arrives in New York after a sold-out, sixteen-performance run in Los Angeles. Before its LA engagement, EDWARD played 40 sold-out performances in private homes across New York City, playing nightly for intimate audiences of 10 to 25 people. The full schedule will be announced shortly. 

Schmidt’s work has earned critical acclaim. His previous solo play The Last Supper was praised by The New York Times, which wrote, “You should be prepared to have your every expectation of theater subverted.” The New Yorker raved, “I’d like to recommend it to every single person I’ve ever met,” and New York Magazine called it “one-of-a-kind theater you don’t want to miss.”

About EDWARD

Edward O’Connell died twelve years ago, at the age of seventy-three, and left behind a box containing twenty-seven objects: among them, a 1940 Chevrolet owner’s manual, a one-eared Mr. Potato Head, a Nader/LaDuke campaign button, and a heavily annotated copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Each object tells a story. Audience members sit around a table, on which the objects lie, and choose the order in which the stories are told by Schmidt. Each night, Edward’s life is reconstructed anew.

Tickets are $40 and go on sale December 1 at www.edschmidttheater.com/tickets. Please note seating is limited for most performances. Running time: 95 minutes

Manhattan & Brooklyn Performance Schedule

Thursday, January 22 - Sunday, January 25 at 7PM

POWERHOUSE Arena - DUMBO

32 Adams Street, Brooklyn (Subway: F to York)

Thursday, January 29 - Friday, January 30 at 7PM

Books Are Magic - Cobble Hill

225 Smith Street, Brooklyn (Subway: F to Bergen)

Saturday, January 31 - Sunday, February 1 at 7PM 

Terrace Books - Windsor Terrace

1624 10th Avenue, Brooklyn (Subway: F/G to 15th Street - Prospect Park)

Monday, February 2 - Thursday, February 5 at 7PM 

Sullaluna - West Village

41 Carmine Street, New York (Subway: 1/2 to Houston, A/B/C/D/E/F to 4th Street)

Friday, February 6 - Saturday, February 7 at 7PM 

The Mysterious Bookshop - Tribeca

58 Warren Street, New York (Subway: 1/2/3/A/C to Chambers, R/W to City Hall)

Tuesday, February 10 at 7PM 

McNally Jackson - South Street Seaport

4 Fulton Street, New York (Subway: 2/3 to Fulton)

More dates to be announced soon.

Ed Schmidt (playwright/performer) is best known for the four solo shows he wrote and performed for small audiences in non-traditional spaces: The Last Supper, in his kitchen and dining room; My Last Play, in his book-lined living room; Our Last Game, in a locker room on The Lower East Side; and Edward, in apartments and homes throughout Los Angeles and New York. Those plays have received glowing reviews in many publications, including the New York Times, New Yorker, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Village Voice, New York Post, Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, and the Newark Star-Ledger. His more traditional play, Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting, has been produced at many theaters, including Lookingglass Theater Company, Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, and George Street Playhouse. www.edschmidttheater.comwww.instagram.com/edschmidttheater

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