The production marks the Off-Broadway playwriting debut of Barfield, whose works have been seen around the country.

Leigh Silverman (Well) directs Reg E. Cathey and Andre Holland at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, the intimate second-stage in the PH complex on West 42nd Street.

"When a prominent African-American mathematician begins to lose his grip on reality, the ghosts of his ancestors shatter the silence of an insomnia-filled night," according to Playwrights Horizons. "Blue Door is a tour-de-force for two actors, a vivid, exuberantly theatrical play about the black American male experience."

Performances continue to Oct. 29.

Reg E. Cathey is known for Julie Taymor's The Green Bird on Broadway, "The Wire" and "Oz" on cable, and as Commander Morag on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." André Holland is a 2006 New York University MFA graduate who appeared in The Public Theater/NYSF's As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing in Central Park. Blue Door will feature scenic design by Narelle Sissons, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger, sound design by Ken Travis and original music by Daryl Waters. The production stage manager will be Amy McCraney.

Barfield's plays have been presented at South Coast Rep, Arena Stage, The Royal Court, New York Theatre Workshop, Seattle Rep, Hartford Stage, The Guthrie Lab and New York Stage & Film. Her works include Dent, The Quick, 121° West, Pecan Tan and The Houdini Act, as well as the book for a children's musical, Kofi's Civil War.

Prior to becoming a playwright, she was a solo performer, appearing in her one-woman show Without Skin, or Breathlessness. She is a graduate of Juilliard's Playwriting Program and a recipient of the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award.

For ticket information, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, noon to 8 PM daily, or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at www.playwrightshorizons.org.