The Castle, which has been playing for 14 months, is to close on 23 May

Off-Broadway's The Castle, a vividly honest account of how four New Yorkers came to be involved in crime and their transition from prison to society, is to close on 23 May 2009 after a 14month run.

The Castle opened at New World Stages / Stage Five on 27 Apr 2008, following previews from 30 Mar 2008.

The Castle is the residential facility run by The Fortune Society for ex-convicts re-entering society. In the play four formerly incarcerated people tell their stories from childhood to prison to redemption.

Directed by David Rothenberg, the company of The Castle (all of whom tell their own real-life stories) includes Vilma Ortiz Donovan, Kenneth Harrigan, Angel Ramos and Casimiro Torres. Since the play�s inception, all four have moved into their own apartments and are fully employed, in addition to appearing in the play.

A portion of each performance revenue goes to The Fortune Society, a not-for-profit, community-based organization dedicated to educating the public about prisons, criminal justice issues, and the root causes of crime. Staffed primarily by ex-prisoners, the organization helps former inmates and at-risk youth break the cycle of crime and incarceration through a broad range of services.