Seminar: Lily Rabe & Hamish Linklater join cast

Tony Award nominee Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater will join two-time Tony Award nominee, Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Alan Rickman in the World Premiere of Theresa Rebeck's comedy Seminar, directed by Sam Gold in his Broadway debut.

Seminar will open on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on 20 Nov 2011, following previews from 27 Oct 2011.

Final casting and ticketing information will be announced in the coming weeks.

In Seminar, four young writers are thrilled to be participating in a private seminar taught by the brilliant but unpredictable Leonard (Rickman), an international literary legend. But as Leonard deems some students more promising than others, tensions arise. Sex is used as a weapon, alliances are made and broken, and it's not just the wordplay that turns vicious...

The design team features David Zinn (Set and costume), Ben Stanton (lighting) and John Gromada (sound).

Seminar is being produced on Broadway by Jeffrey Finn, Jill Furman and Smuggler Films.

Alan Rickman (Leonard) returns to the Broadway stage for the first time since being nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as 'Elyot' in the 2002 production of Noel Coward's 'Private Lives.' He previously made his Broadway debut and earned his first Tony Award nomination as 'Valmont' in the 1987 U.S. premiere production of 'Les Liasions Dangereuses.' On film, he is perhaps best known for his performances as "Professor Severus Snape" in the "Harry Potter" franchise and "Hans Gruber" in the 1988 hit "Die Hard," as well as award-winning roles in such films as "Sense and Sensibility" and, more recently, "Sweeney Todd" and "Bottle Shock."

Lily Rabe (Kate) earned a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal as 'Portia' in 'The Merchant of Venice.' She made her Broadway debut in 'Steel Magnolias,' also appearing in 'The American Plan' and 'Heartbreak House.' This summer she earned rave reviews for her starring performance as 'Nora' in 'A Dolls' House' at Williamstown. Her Film credits include "All Good Things" and "Letters from a Big Man" (official Sundance selection).

Hamish Linklater (Martin) is making his Off-Broadway debut. Off-Broadway creditss include "The School for Lies" (Obie Award), "Twelfth Night," "The Merchant of Venice," "The Winter's Tale," "Good Thing" (also in L.A.) and as "Laertes" opposite Liev Schreiber's "Hamlet." He is known to Television and Film audiences for his five seasons on the hit CBS show "The New Adventures of Old Christine," as well as the films "Fantastic Four," "Groove" (official Sundance selection), the current "The Future" and the upcoming "Lola Versus" and "Battleship."

Theresa Rebeck's more than a dozen plays have been produced in New York, as well as regionally and internationally. Seminar marks the first time one of her works will be produced as a commercial Broadway production. ('Mauritius,' her 2007 Broadway debut, was presented by Manhattan Theatre Club.) In addition to her work as a playwright, Ms. Rebeck is also an award-winning television writer and producer ("NYPD Blue," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," the upcoming NBC series "Smash"), film writer ("Harriet the Spy," "Seducing Charlie Barke"r) and novelist (the recent "Twelve Rooms with a View" and "Three Girls and Their Brother").

Sam Gold his making Broadway directional debut with Seminar. A well established Off-Broadway director, he most notably won a 2010 Obie Award for directing two productions, 'Circle Mirror Transformation' and 'The Aliens,' both written by Annie Baker.