It’s official: Schoolhouse’s “Biography” sets Off-Broadway run. Here’s the release:

ANOTHER SCHOOLHOUSE THEATER PRODUCTION
MOVES OFF-BROADWAY

S. N. Behrman’s “Biography” to Run at the Mint Theater This Fall

(CROTON FALLS, New York) - The Schoolhouse Theater will take its widely-acclaimed production of S. N. Behrman’s timeless 1932 comedy “Biography” to Off-Broadway this fall. The surprise announcement was made last night by artistic director Pamela Moller Kareman just before the curtain came up on the opening night performance of “Dinner with Friends,” The Schoolhouse’s final production of the 2008-2009 season.

“Biography” will begin its run mid-November at The Mint Theater, on 43rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, and will be co-produced by The Schoolhouse Theater and Mare Nostrum Elements.

Pointing out that S. N. Behrman also wrote “No Time for Comedy ” during the Great Depression, Moller Kareman says, “He made audiences laugh then and he makes us laugh now. Especially with the current economic situation, this is the time for comedy.”

Moller Kareman has directed a long line of critical successes at The Schoolhouse since it opened 10 years ago. In fact, this marks the second time in just two years that a Schoolhouse Theater production has moved Off-Broadway. The 2007 smash hit “The Crucible,” which featured many of the Schoolhouse troupe appearing in “Biography,” moved to ArcLight Theater last year.

Broadway musical star Tracy Shayne will continue in her role as the captivating Marion Froude, a worldly, free-spirited portrait artist who is short on funds but with a rich past, who has been offered a small fortune to write her biography. Shayne, who has had leads in “Les Miserables,” “Chicago” and “Phantom of the Opera,” proved to be a sensation in this non-singing role, which marked her debut at The Schoolhouse .

“The gods of theater have smiled on us all with the marriage of Tracy Shayne and S. N. Berhman’s ‘Biography,’” says Moller Kareman. “I can think of no other actress to play the glamorous, charismatic and beautiful Marion Froude, and I am thrilled to be able to bring this pairing to New York City audiences.”

Shayne will be joined by the cast of Schoolhouse veterans who appeared in “Biography” during its run in Croton Falls this past March: Tyne Firman, Kevin Albert, George Kareman, Keith Barber, Sarah Bennett, Neal Mayer and Cheryl Orsini.

Part of what propelled this production from Croton Falls to 43rd Street were reviews in the local press. A review in The Journal News by Bob Heisler was titled “This Depression-era comedy keeps spirits soaring.” Michael Millius of The Record-Review (Bedford) wrote, “Regional theater doesn’t usually get much better than what’s on at the Schoolhouse, and this ‘Biography’ is one of their best.” And Chesley Plemmons of the News Times (Danbury) wrote, ”’Biography,’ now in a smart and stylish production at The Schoolhouse Theater, is a good example of what the theater lost when they ‘stopped writing them like that.’”

Currently at The Schoolhouse, “Dinner With Friends,” is receiving rave reviews. The Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy/drama by Donald Margulies, about two couples whose friendship is affected in unexpected ways when one of the couples decides to split up, runs Thursdays through Sundays through June 7. 

The Schoolhouse is a unique setting for the arts in Westchester. Built in 1926, the brick building served as an active school until 1976. Galleries exhibit many fine local artists, while the theater seats small but enthusiastic audiences of less than 100. Theater-goers enjoy the intimate quality of the space, as well as the all-Equity casts who bring theatrical excellence and experience from Broadway to Croton Falls.

The Schoolhouse is located at 3 Owens Road, Croton Falls, NY, just off exit 8 on I-684. For information and reservations, call 914-277-8477. Visit the Schoolhouse on the web at www.schoolhousetheater.org.