Wednesday, May 28, 2008, 7:00 p.m., marks Opening Night of InterAct Theatre Company's World Premiere of HOUSE, DIVIDED, written by Philadelphia playwright Larry Loebell. Commissioned through a grant from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, HOUSE, DIVIDED is the story of two brothers and their two grown sons, who find their family divided between Philadelphia and Israel by their faith, but still undeniably united by blood.

ABOUT THE PLAY
For half a century the United States and Israel have been tied to each other - politically, strategically, economically, and through thousands of Jewish families with members living in both countries. Israel, situated in the middle of the Arab world, has been a major source of conflict and controversy among its Middle-Eastern neighbors, especially the Palestinian people. And Israel's eternally precarious position, and sometimes provocative military actions, have also divided American Jews; many anti-war liberals have become increasingly critical while more Zionistleaning conservatives have been unwavering in their support of the Jewish state.

The Goldstein family of Philadelphia is torn apart when older brother Louis decides to embrace Jewish orthodoxy and move to Israel during the height of the Vietnam war. Betrayed and bewildered, Louis' younger brother Douglas builds a life around peace activism. Well over 20 years later, Louis is a retired officer of the Israeli army and Douglas is a Senior Director with Amnesty International. Divided by deep familial wounds and opposing religious and political beliefs, the two brothers are forced to re-engage one another when their sons, Oren and Paul, make surprising life decisions of their own. HOUSE, DIVIDED is a challenging and timely examination of family, faith and politics, and how the desire to distance ourselves from our past may only bring it closer to home in the future.

Excerpts of the script of HOUSE, DIVIDED and an interview with playwright Larry Loebell are available online: www.interacttheatre.org.

DATES & TICKETS
HOUSE, DIVIDED runs for 27 performances, May 23 - June 22, 2008, with preview performances May 23, 24, 25, 27 and Opening Night on Wednesday, May 28. Performances during InterAct Theatre Company's 2007/2008 Season are Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. All performances are held on the Mainstage of The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA.

Tickets for individual performances, which are on sale now, are $15.00 for preview performances; $23.00 for performances Tuesdays through Thursdays; and $27.00 for performances Friday & Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. InterAct offers discounts for senior citizens and full-time students (with valid I.D.). Group rates are available, and students with proper I.D. may purchase Rush Tickets for $10.00 five minutes before curtain (based on availability). All performances take place at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Reservations or more information can be obtained by calling 215-568-8079, by dropping by the InterAct Theatre Company box office at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Philadelphia, PA, or by visiting InterAct Theatre Company's website at www.interacttheatre.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS DURING HOUSE, DIVIDED
During the run of HOUSE, DIVIDED, InterAct will host several post-performance talk-backs to encourage further discussion on the issues raised. Speaker Sundays, a series featuring invited scholars, community leaders and artists, are scheduled to follow matinee performances on Sunday, June 1, 8 and 15. On Sunday, June 1, the guest speaker will be Dr. Salman Akhtar, Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson University. Coffee Conversations, an informal discussion with the production's artists and designers, are scheduled to follow performances on Tuesday, June 3; Wednesday, June 4, Tuesday, June 10 and Wednesday, June 11. For a complete schedule of talk-back speakers, visit www.interacttheatre.org.

On the weekend of June 7-8, 2008, in conjunction with their mainstage production of HOUSE, DIVIDED, InterAct will present an Israeli/Palestinian Play Festival. The festival will feature concert readings of four new and contemporary plays that examine the western perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as well as a panel discussion examining varying viewpoints on the subject. The schedule for the festival is as follows:

Saturday, June 7, 2008
11:00 a.m.
Concert Reading: DIRTY STORY, written by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Sean Christopher Lewis
From the acclaimed author of DOUBT and MOONSTRUCK comes this metaphorical and satirical take on the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian people, as an itinerant young writer moves in with her surly middle-aged mentor only to embark on a truly dysfunctional relationship, abetted by an equally dysfunctional British and American duo.

2:00 p.m.
Concert Reading: MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE, adapted from Rachel Corrie's personal diary by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner, directed by John Bellomo, featuring Jullianna Zinkel
The controversial one-woman play chronicles a young American woman's observations and insights as she travels to the West Bank to fight for the Palestinian cause and, ultimately, dies at the hands of an Israeli bulldozer while standing in front of a Palestinian home.

4:00 p.m.
Symposium: A panel discussion examining different perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

8:00 p.m.
Mainstage Performance: InterAct's World Premiere production of HOUSE, DIVIDED, written by Larry Loebell, directed by Seth Rozin

Sunday, June 8, 2008
11:00 a.m.
Concert Reading: READING HEBRON, written by Jason Sherman, directed by Seth Reichgott
A Canadian Jew, while struggling with his own religious and cultural identity, becomes obsessed with the Palestinian cause in the wake of the massacre at the mosque in Hebron.

2:00 p.m.
Mainstage Performance: InterAct's World Premiere production of HOUSE, DIVIDED, written by Larry Loebell, directed by Seth Rozin

7:00 p.m.
Concert Reading: GOLIATH, written by Karen Hartmann, directed by Lisa Jo Epstein
A family of settlers are forced to evacuate their house by a conflicted Israeli army officer, revealing divisions within the Jewish community.

RELEVENT BIOGRAPHIES

Larry Loebell (Playwright) is the recipient of a 2006 New Play Commissions in Jewish Theater from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture for HOUSE, DIVIDED, and a four-time recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship in Playwriting. His full-length plays include LA TEMPESTAD, which premiered in NYC in 2005 and was anthologized in Playing With Canons: Explosive New Works from Literature by America's Indie Playwrights, THE BALLAD OF JOHN WESLEY REED, GIRL SCIENCE, MEMORIAL DAY, and PRIDE OF THE LION. Produced and published short plays include ANGIE AND ARNIE SANGUINE, BUT WHO'S COUNTING, and JUST BEFORE THE WAR BETWEEN THE PLATES. His living newspaper-style play, LIVING NEWS, recently entered its second season of daily school-term performances at the National Constitution Center. He teaches playwriting and dramaturgy on the adjunct faculty of Arcadia University in Glenside, PA, and the history of narrative film at University of the Arts. Mr. Loebell is a native of Philadelphia and currently lives with his wife in the Mt. Airy area. To read an interview with Larry Loebell, the playwright of HOUSE, DIVIDED, visit www.interacttheatre.org.

Seth Rozin (Director) co-founded InterAct Theatre Company in 1988, and has since served as Producing Artistic Director. He has directed over 40 productions for InterAct, including Israel Horovitz's LEBENSRAUM (1999 Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play, Outstanding Overall Production of a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble), IT'S ALL TRUE (2001 Barrymore nominations for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Overall Production), and PERMANENT COLLECTION (2004 Barrymore nomination for Outstanding Overall Production). He has twice been named "Best Director" by the Philadelphia Inquirer for the world premiere of Thomas Gibbons' 6221 in 1993 and for LEBENSRAUM. Other notable productions with InterAct include the world premieres of Thomas Gibbons' BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE, BLACK RUSSIAN and A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS and the Philadelphia premieres of SKIN IN FLAMES, BLUE/ORANGE, NIXON'S NIXON, AUNT DAN AND LEMON, LONELY PLANET, SEASCAPE, and GOD'S COUNTRY. Seth has also directed for the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, Blue Heron Theatre and the 45th Street Theatre in New York, as well as regionally with Act II Playhouse, Venture Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival, and the University of Pennsylvania. As a playwright, Seth is the recipient of two fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, as well as The Smith Prize for his play BLACK GOLD. MEN OF STONE and MISSING LINK garnered Barrymore Award nominations for Outstanding New Play in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Seth has served on funding and/or award panels for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Theatre Communications Group, and the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist. He has served on the Boards of the Women's Theatre Festival, Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, New Paradise Laboratories, Fresh Visions Youth Theatre, and the National New Play Network (for which he served as Chair from 2002-2006).

David Howey (in the role of Lou Goldstein) makes his InterAct debut in HOUSE, DIVIDED. He is an Associate Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He was an actor in England for 30 years working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre Company, in London's West End and in innumerable TV series and films. He has appeared on Broadway twice and performed Shakespeare across the USA, including Macbeth at the Annenberg Center, Prospero at Arcadia University and Shylock, Malvolio and Leontes for the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival. He has performed with the Arden Theatre Company, Walnut Street Theatre, Bristol Riverside Theatre, 1812 Productions and the Wilma Theatre and frequently directs productions for the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival and the University of the Arts School of Theatre.

Paul Meshejian (Doug Goldstein) is the founding Artistic Director of PlayPenn, a national new play development conference located in Philadelphia, now in its fourth season. He has been seen at InterAct in MASTERGATE and WHORES also having directed SINCE AFRICA and LAST OF THE BOYS. In addition to performing for the past 18 years as a company member at People's Light and Theatre, he has performed for most of Philadelphia's major theatres. He can be seen on film and television in Equinox, Twelve Monkeys, Homicide: Life on the Street and The Wire, among others. He is a member of the faculties at University of the Arts and Arcadia University.

Dan Hodge (Paul Goldstein) makes his InterAct debut with HOUSE, DIVIDED. Mr. Hodge made his Philadelphia debut as a member of the Barrymore Award-winning ensemble of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. Since then, he has worked with the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, the Delaware Shakespeare Festival, and appeared in DEALER'S CHOICE with Pros from Dover, MR. MARMALADE with Theatre Exile, and MACBETH with Two River Theatre. Mr. Hodge holds an MFA from the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Davy Raphaely (Oren Goldstein) makes his InterAct debut with HOUSE, DIVIDED. Earlier this season he performed in SLEEPING BEAUTY at the Arden Theatre Co. After that he played the title role in ROMEO & JULIET and Lysimachus in PERICLES at The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival. Some other Philadelphia credits include: A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY (Arden),THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) (PSF),THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (PSF), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (PSF), THE BALLAD OF JOHN WESLEY REED (Theatre Catalyst), and FAR AWAY (Flashpoint).

Noah Herman (Young Doug Goldstein) makes his InterAct Theatre Company debut in HOUSE, DIVIDED. Recent regional credits include LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR (Broadway Theatre of Pitman) and A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Civic Theatre of Allentown). A lifelong Philadelphian, he is a graduate of Muhlenberg College where his production of Israel Horovitz' LEBENSRAUM performed and won top honors at the 2006 American College Theatre Festival. Mr. Herman assistant directed last season's THE FOUR OF US for 1812 Productions where he also serves on the Board of Directors.

Robert T. DaPonte (Young Lou Goldstein) makes his InterAct Theatre Company debut in HOUSE, DIVIDED. He studied acting at Bradford College and The National Theater Institute. He has lived in Philadelphia for three years and in that time he has performed for Theater Exile, MumPuppet, Luna, Flashpoint and EgoPo, just to name a few. This summer, Mr. DaPonte will be in AS YOU LIKE IT at Clark Park and during the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in THE GIANT SQUID.

The design team for HOUSE, DIVIDED includes Set Design by Dirk Durossett, Costume Design by Susan Smythe, Lighting Design by Peter Whinnery, and Sound Design by Shannon Zura. Seth Reichgott will serve as Assistant Director, Andy Campbell as Technical Director and Michele Traub will Stage Manage the production.

ABOUT INTERACT THEATRE COMPANY
Founded in 1988, InterAct is a theatre for today's world, producing new and contemporary plays that explore the social, political, and cultural issues of our time. InterAct's aim is to educate, as well as entertain, its audiences, by producing world-class, thought-provoking productions, and by using theatre as a tool to foster positive social change. Through its artistic and educational programs, InterAct seeks to make a significant contribution to the cultural life of Philadelphia and to the American theatre.

In addition to the 4-play mainstage season, InterAct Theatre's major programming includes InterAction, an award-winning program of experiential workshops and residencies in area schools that utilize theatre as a tool to illuminate pressing social problems in the community; New Play Development, working closely with playwrights to develop plays that adhere to the company's mission; Writing Aloud, an award-winning series of Monday evening events in which short fiction by the region's best writers is read aloud by professional actors; and the Kaki Marshall Arts and Community Award, an annual fundraising event that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the lively arts in Philadelphia.

Due to the nature of live theatre, play selection, performance and casting are subject to change.