Restoration by Claudia Shear will be the fourth and final play in NYTW's 2009-10 season

New York Theatre Workshop will present Restoration, written by and starring two-time Tony Award nominee Claudia Shear and directed by Christopher Ashley, as the fourth and final play in the theatre�s 2009-10 season, slated for production in spring 2010.

In Restoration, Giulia, once a rising star in the exclusive world of art restoration, now works alone in her Brooklyn garage. When her mentor pays a visit with an extraordinary opportunity�the chance to restore Michelangelo's David for its 500th birthday celebration in Florence�she has a shot to reinvigorate her career. But this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity truly becomes a second chance at life when Giulia begins to connect with fellow museum staff and lets go of the protective patina she has spent a lifetime building.

Inspired by the actual restoration performed by one woman on the David in 2004, Restoration is a portrait of a woman who spends a year in the shadow of a masterpiece�and discovers herself.

Restoration casting and design team to be announced shortly.

The play recently received a critically-acclaimed world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse. Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal called it �one of the best new American plays to come my way in quite some time.�

Claudia Shear and Christopher Ashley first met and worked together on the NYTW production of Shear�s Obie Award-winning play 'Blown Sideways Through Life.' Directed by Ashley, 'Blown Sideways' played an extended NYTW run, transferred for a hit commercial run to the Cherry Lane Theatre, and was later filmed for PBS�s �American Playhouse.� The play was featured in numerous national publications and Shear was named �Person of the Week� by ABC News.

Shear returned to NYTW with 'Dirty Blonde,' a comic exploration of the life of Mae West and society�s need for and obsession with celebrity. Directed by James Lapine, 'Dirty Blonde' transferred to Broadway�s Helen Hayes Theatre and won Shear a Tony Award nominations for Best Play and Best Actress.

Christopher Ashley�s directing credits include 'Xanadu' and 'The Rocky Horror Show' for which he received a Tony nomination for Best Direction of a Musical.