Baby, it’s cold outside, so duck inside an Off-Broadway theatre for some hot-blooded dramatic action this winter: Epic family sagas, literary adaptations, new plays ripped from the headlines, and much more!

EQUIVOCATION
In 1605 in England, King James’ right hand man commissions William Shakespeare to write a new play about the Gunpowder Plot, a recent failed attempt to blow up Parliament and the Monarchy. A bold new look at the greatest playwright ever in a drama whose contemporary parallels are unmistakable and whose laughter is abundant, directed by Tony Award-winner Garry Hynes (The Beauty Queen of Leanane). Manhattan Theatre Club at NY City Center Stage I. Previews begin February 9, opens March 2, closes March 28.

HARD TIMES
From childhood, Louisa and Tom Gradgrind were trained to shun emotion, imagination, passion – to put their trust in Cold Hard Facts. Now faced with a loveless marriage and a life devoid of dreams, Louisa has begun to wonder – has something inside her been maimed? In Stephen Jeffreys’ whirlwind adaptation of Dickens’ saga – crowded with eccentric circus performers, shrewd businessmen, cunning widows, and downtrodden workers – we find that even in the darkest industrial landscape, honesty, loyalty, joy, and love abound…and the human heart will not be silenced forever. The Pearl Theatre Company at NY City Center Stage II. Previews begin February 5, opens February 14, closes March 28.

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER
Carson McCullers’ classic novel comes to the stage in a new production by Rebecca Gilman (Spinning into Butter), directed by Doug Hughes (Doubt). A deaf man moves to a small Southern town where the locals flock to him as a newfound confidant, seeking compassion and understanding from the one person who needs it the most. New York Theatre Workshop in a co-production with The Acting Company. Now in previews, opens December 3, closes December 20.

THE LAST CARGO CULT
Monologist Mike Daisey (If You See Something Say Something) tells the story of his journey to a remote South Pacific island whose people worship America and its cargo as the international financial crisis that gripped the globe. Part adventure story and part memoir, he explores each culture to unearth a human truth between the seemingly primitive and achingly modern. The Public Theater, opens December 3, closes December 13.

A LIE OF THE MIND
Blinded by jealousy and rage, Jake believes he may have murdered his wife. While seeking refuge in the home of his abusively unstable mother, his brother Frankie goes to investigate and finds himself caught in the confusing currents of revenge and longing. A revival of Sam Shepard’s drama, directed by Ethan Hawke. The New Group at the Acorn Theatre/Theatre Row. Performances begin January 2010.

THE METAL CHILDREN
The world premiere of an unforgettable and timely drama written and directed by Adam Rapp. A New York writer has an explosive encounter with a small American town when he arrives there to defend one of his young adult novels which had been banned by the local school board. Vineyard Theatre. January to February 2010.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE
Horton Foote’s nine-play saga about Horace Robedaux of Harrison, Texas continues with Parts Two and Three of The Orphans’ Home Cycle. Part Two: The Story of a Marriage features the interrelated one-act plays The Widow Claire, Courtship, and Valentine's Day, and begins previews on December 3 for a December 17 opening. Part Three: The Story of a Family consists of the plays 1918, Cousins, and The Death of Papa, and begins previews on January 7 for a January 26 opening.  Signature Theatre at The Peter Norton Space. All three parts run in repertory through March 28, 2010.

THE PRIDE
Oliver, Philip, and Sylvia are caught in a kind of erotic time warp. Their complex love triangle, replete with conflicting loyalties and passions, jumps from 1958 to the present and back in a maelstrom of fantasy, repression and rebellion in this Olivier Award-winning new drama directed by Joe Mantello (Glengarry Glen Ross, Take Me Out) starring Hugh Dancy (Journey’s End). MCC at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Previews begin January 27, opens February 16, closes March 20.

WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING
An epic drama set in England and Australia that traces a family's history spanning 80 years. The play premiered at Australia's 2008 Adelaide Festival, was subsequently presented by the Sydney Theater Company and recently produced in London by the Almeida Theatre. Directed by David Cromer (Our Town). Lincoln Center Theater at the Newhouse. Previews begin February 11, opens March 8, closes April 18.

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