Leigh Silverman, who also staged the world premiere of In the Wake at the Center Theatre Group and the Broadway run of Kron's Well, helms the NY bow of the play set in the aftermath of the equivocal Bush-Gore election of 2000.
In the Wake will officially open Nov. 1 and run through Nov. 21 in the Newman Theater. The work received its world premiere by the Center Theatre Group in March under the title The Wake and was subsequently produced at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in May.
Ireland, who earned a Tony nomination for Neil LaBute's Reasons to Be Pretty and recently starred in Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind Off-Broadway, is cast in the central role of Ellen. In the Wake also features Michael Chernus (The Aliens) as her partner Danny, Miriam F. Glover (Eclipsed) as Tessa, Jenny Bacon (Omnium Gatherum) as Amy, Deirdre O'Connell (Circle Mirror Transformation) as Judy, Susan Pourfar (When the Rain Stops Falling) as Kayla and Danielle Skraastad (All My Sons) as Laurie.
According to the Public, "It’s Thanksgiving of 2000 and the presidential election still has not been decided. Ellen insists that her friends and family don’t understand how bad the situation really is. But no one — not her loving partner, Danny, nor the passionate Amy, nor the brutally pragmatic and world-weary Judy — can make Ellen see the blind spot at the center of her own politics and emotional life. A funny, passionate, and ultimately searing new play that illuminates assumptions that lie at the heart of the American character — and the blind spots that mask us from ourselves."
The production has scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting and projection design by Alexander V. Nichols and sound design by Darron L West. Kron, who was a 2006 Best Actress Tony Award nominee for Well, also wrote The 2.5 Minute Ride. She is also at work on a new musical project with Tony Award-nominated Caroline, or Change composer Jeanine Tesori.
For tickets phone (212) 967-7555 or visit PublicTheater.
The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan.
