Aguirre-Sacasa, the rising playwright whose Based on a Totally True Story was seen at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2006, has been in residence at City Theatre during rehearsals of The Muckle Man in January. The play, about a giant squid, a mysterious man from the sea and a family in crisis, had its world premiere in August 2001 in a staging by the Source Theatre Company in Washington, DC.
City Theatre artistic director Tracy Brigden directs a cast that includes Joe Bender, Nathan Blew, Tami Dixon, C.J. Ketchum, Brett Mack, James Lloyd Reynolds and Robin Walsh.
Opening is Jan. 31, with performances continuing to Feb. 18 in City Theatre's 272-seat mainstage.
According to City Theatre, "The Muckle Man is set around the deep waters of isolated Conception Bay in Newfoundland, where marine biologist Addison Clark has come to search for Architeuthis, the elusive giant squid, intent on solving its mysteries. On dry land, Clark's wife, Marina, chases a mystery of her own when she rescues a naked stranger who emerges from the ocean. As the natural world is thrown off balance, what surfaces is a mystical tale of the sea and its secrets. Currents of pop culture, contemporary science, and ancient folklore run through this chilling edge-of-your seat thriller."
In addition to his work for the stage, Aguirre-Sacasa writes the monthly adventures of "The Sensational Spider-Man" for Marvel Comics. For Warner Bros., he is developing his play Dark Matters into a horror screenplay. Since graduating from the Yale School of Drama in 2003, Aguirre-Sacasa has received an Excellence in Playwriting Award from New York's International Fringe Festival for his play Say You Love Satan, and a GLADD media award nomination. On Jan. 26 at 6:30 PM, he will give the pre-show talk "Stageplays and Superheros."
Aguirre-Sacasa, 34, was born in Washington, DC, and raised in both the United States and Nicaragua. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Organization of American States, the Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, the Eugene O'Neill Scholarship, and the ASCAP Cole Porter Award. His work The Mystery Plays received the Roger L. Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays and was presented in England as part of the Old Vic/New Voices series. The world premiere of The Mystery Plays, a co-production between Second Stage Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre, won the Connecticut Critics' Award for Outstanding Play/Production.
In 2006 Aguirre-Sacasa had three new plays produced: The Velvet Sky premiered at Woolly Mammoth; Based on a Totally True Story premiered at Manhattan Theatre Club; and Dark Matters premiered at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre.
In 2007 his play Rough Magic will be produced by the Rorschach Theatre in Washington, DC. He is currently at work on a commission for Second Stage about missing backpackers in Nicaragua and a commission for Arena Stage called The Cloud Club.
For more information, visit www.citytheatrecompany.org.
