Carmen M. Herlihy, Brooke Bloom & More Join Roundabout Underground's KINGDOM COME

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) has just announced the cast for the first new play of Roundabout Underground's newly expanded 2016-2017 season. The world-premiere production of Kingdom Come by Jenny Rachel Weiner will be directed by Kip Fagan, as part of Roundabout's 50th Anniversary Season, and will feature Brooke Bloom (Layne), Carmen M. Herlihy (Samantha Carlin), Alex Hernandez (Dominick Aquendo), Socorro Santiago (Delores Aquendo) and Stephanie Styles (Suz).

The world premiere of Kingdom Come begins preview performances Off-Broadway on Friday, October 7, 2016 and opens officially on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at the Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, December 18, 2016. All tickets for Roundabout Underground productions are $25.

Samantha (Herlihy) is lonely and confined to her bed. Layne (Bloom) is shy and too afraid of the world to journey into it. When both women decide that online dating might be the outlet they need, they venture into the wilds of the Internet and find deep connection in each other. The only problem: they're each pretending to be someone else. What happens when the feelings are real but the people are not?

Kingdom Come launches the tenth season of Roundabout Underground, an initiative to introduce and cultivate artists in Roundabout's 62-seat Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. Kingdom Come was presented as part of last year's Underground Reading Series at Roundabout, and is the first production in the Roundabout Underground's newly expanded two-play 2016-2017 season. Prior productions include the acclaimed world premieres of Stephen Karam's Speech & Debate (2007), Steven Levenson's The Language of Trees (2008), Adam Gwon's Ordinary Days (2009), Kim Rosenstock's Tigers Be Still (2010), David West Read's The Dream of the Burning Boy (2011), Andrew Hinderaker's Suicide, Incorporated (2011), Joshua Harmon's Bad Jews (2012), Meghan Kennedy's Too Much, Too Much, Too Many (2013), Jeff Augustin's Little Children Dream of God (2015), and Lindsey Ferrentino's Ugly Lies the Bone (2015).

Roundabout Underground is an initiative to showcase new plays that will either give a debut production to an emerging writer or director or allow an experienced director to go back to his/her creative roots. Robyn Goodman (Artistic Consultant to the Roundabout) serves as Artistic Producer, with Associate Producers Jill Rafson and Josh Fiedler, for this initiative that continues to be a creative breeding ground for nurturing new talent.

The 62-seat Black Box Theatre, below the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, allows Roundabout to take artistic risks that are better suited for a more intimate space.

The creative team for Kingdom Come includes: Arnulfo Maldonado (Sets), Tilly Grimes (Costumes), Thom Weaver (Lighting), Daniel Perelstein (Sound) and Darrel Maloney (Projections).

TICKET INFORMATION

All tickets for Kingdom Come are $25 General Admission tickets and will be available to purchase on Monday, August 22. For first access to tickets and insider news, sign up for Roundabout's email club at www.roundabouttheatre.org or by calling Roundabout Audience Services at 212.719.1300.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Kingdom Come will play Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:00PM with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30PM.

The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre opened in March 2004 with an acclaimed premiere of Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel starring Viola Davis, directed by Dan Sullivan. In the ten years since that landmark production, the center has expanded beyond the Laura Pels Theatre to include the Black Box Theatre and now a new education center. The Steinberg Center continues to reflect Roundabout's commitment to produce new works by established and emerging writers as well as revivals of classic plays. This state-of-the-art off-Broadway theatre and education complex is made possible by a major gift from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. The Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg to promote and advance American Theatre as a vital part of our culture by supporting playwrights, encouraging the development and production of new work, and providing financial assistance to not-for-profit theatre companies across the country. Since its inception, the Trust has awarded over $70 million to more than 125 theatre organizations.

Roundabout Underground's home is a 62-seat Black Box Theatre, which is also used year-round by Roundabout's education department for its activities including student productions and professional development workshops.

Major support for Kingdom Come is provided by Jodi and Dan Glucksman. Jenny Rachel Weiner is the 2016-17 Tow Foundation Playwright in Residence.

Roundabout's work with new and emerging playwrights and directors, as well as development of new work, is made possible by Katheryn Patterson and Tom Kempner.

We gratefully acknowledge the Roundabout Leaders for New Works: Alec Baldwin, Linda L. D'Onofrio, Peggy and Mark Ellis, Jodi Glucksman, Sylvia Golden, Judith and Douglas Krupp, K. Myers, Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, Lauren and Danny Stein, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Yolanda R. Turocy, Lori Uddenberg, and Xerox Foundation.