World Premiere of Kaplan's Wildflower Opens Off-Broadway July 27

By Ernio Hernandez
27 Jul 2009

Wildflower stars Quincy Dunn-Baker and Nadia Bowers
Wildflower stars Quincy Dunn-Baker and Nadia Bowers
Photo by Joan Marcus

The world premiere of Lila Rose Kaplan's Wildflower — starring Nadia Bowers, Ron Cephas Jones, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jake O'Connor and Renée Felice Smith — opens July 27 at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre.

Part of 2009's Second Stage Theatre Uptown summer series, Giovanna Sardelli directs the work at the Off-Broadway company's uptown space. The show began performances July 13 for a run through Aug. 8.

Wildflower follows "a woman and her troubled son [who] look to escape their past in Crested Butte, a small town with its own share of secrets," according to Second Stage notes. "They encounter a curious girl, a forest ranger, and an ex-drag queen. The five collide in a summer of botany and sexual awakening."

Playwright Kaplan has penned the plays Aquarium, Catching Flight and Chicken with Stars. Director Sardelli recently won the 2008 Joseph A. Callaway Award for excellence in stage direction for last season's Uptown production of Rajiv Joseph's Animals Out of Paper.

The Wildflower design team includes Steven Kemp (scenic), Paloma Young (costume), Lap Chi Chu (lighting) and Jill Duboff (sound).

The world premiere of Zakiyyah Alexander's 10 Things To Do Before I Die kicked off this year's Uptown series. Natalie Belcon and Tracie Thoms starred in the work that ran May 12-June 14 and was directed by Jackson Gay.

Tickets to Wildflower at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre (Broadway at 76th Street) are available by calling the Second Stage Theatre Box Office at (212) 246-4422 or online at 2ST.com.