The New York premiere engagement of the work — which will play Nov. 5-Dec. 18 at the 45 Bleecker Mainstage — is based on Kerry Kennedy’s book. Terry Kinney directs the work.

Speak Truth to Power "chronicles the struggles of 51 activists, including the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, Helen Prejean, and many other lesser known people who have been championing human rights the world over," according to an announcement. The project presents the stories from people in more than 40 countries across the globe who have "stood up to oppression."

Shields and Falco will appear with a cast that includes Carolyn Baeumler, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Megan Byrne, Stephen Kunken, Aasif Mandvi, Lois Markle, Ellen McLaughlin, Charles Parnell, Keith Randolph Smith and Danton Stone.

Subsequent guest spots are slated for Gabriel Byrne, Rosario Dawson, Griffin Dunne, Kim Fields, Charles Grodin, Julianna Margulies, Lynn Redgrave, Isabella Rosellini, and Fisher Stevens. More guests and dates will be announced shortly.

The downtown run at Culture Project's mainstage theatre space (45 Bleecker Street) will play Sundays at 7 PM and Mondays at 8 PM. The play by Dorfman (Death and the Maiden) debuted at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2000 and has toured across the United States as well as throughout Greece, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Sydney, Helsinki, Rome, Geneva, Seoul, Florence and Mantua. Plans are in the works for runs in Nashville, Paris, Beirut and Qatar.

Tickets to Speak Truth to Power at the Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St. (at Lafayette) are available by calling (212) 307-4100 or in person at the box office. For more information, visit cultureproject.org.