Cast and Creative Team Set for DATA By Matthew Libby At Arena Stage

Arena Stage has revealed the cast and creative team for Data, an intriguingly suspenseful new play designed to take audiences behind the locked doors of Silicon Valley. Written by Matthew Libby (Northern Stage's Sisters) and directed by Margot Bordelon (Denver Center's The Lehman Trilogy, Arena's POTUS), Data will premiere October 31 - December 15, 2024, in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

Data follows Maneesh, an entry-level programmer at Athena Technologies. Content with working in the low-stress environment of User Experience, Maneesh faces a crisis of conscience when he is transferred to the central Data Analytics team and learns the true nature of Athena's highly controversial and secretive work. Torn between idealism and survival, Maneesh is forced to come to terms with his unique American identity while learning the lengths to which Athena is willing to go to hide its gruesome secrets.

“I am beyond thrilled to be collaborating with this dream team to bring the world premiere of Data to Arena Stage,” said Libby. “This play was born out of my experience coming of age in Silicon Valley, torn between the tech industry's glamour and its power, — a tension that, as the past several decades have proven, creates the world we live in for better or worse.”

“Matthew Libby's sharp political thriller brings a fresh take on the role humanity plays within our digital landscape that is prime for this vibrant, diverse political city,” said Arena Stage Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif. “The first time I read this script, I couldn't put it down, and I cannot wait for DC audiences to be swept up in the tides and tensions of the inexorable expansion of Artificial Intelligence along with us.” 

“I wanted to take audiences behind the curtain of these mysterious, monolithic companies specifically through the eyes of the young people — the peons, fresh out of college, at the bottom of the food chain,” continued Libby. “What does it mean to have a quarter-life crisis within an industry that is itself having a quarter-life crisis? How do you learn the responsibility of an individual within a corrupt system? What do we lose when we reduce people to their data points? I'm so excited to bring these questions to DC audiences alongside such an incredible cast, director, and design team — as well as bring a question that is, of course, equally important: How much live ping pong can one play have?”

Making their Arena Stage debuts with Data, the star-studded cast of this fast-paced drama includes Karan Brar (Disney's Jessie) in his theatrical debut as Maneesh, Stephen Cefalu, Jr. (Broadway's To Kill A Mockingbird) as Jonah, Isabel Van Natta (The Huntington's John Proctor Is The Villain) as Riley, and Rob Yang (HBO's Succession) as Wang Tao (Alex).

Joining Bordelon, the creative team for Data includes set designer Marsha Ginsberg (Shakespeare Theatre Company's Lehman Trilogy), Costume Designer Beth Goldenberg (New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Juilliard's The Mother of Us All), lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker (Broadway's Prayer for the French Republic), sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman (Broadway's Fat Ham), composer Dan Kluger (Broadway's Oklahoma!), stage manager Elisa Guthertz (Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Mother Road, Arena's Sanctuary City), and assistant stage manager Lauren Pekel (Studio Theatre's Fun Home). New York casting is by Taylor Williams Casting. DC casting is by Raiyon Hunter.

Tickets are available at arenastage.org. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at 202-488-3300, or in person through the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C., Tuesday-Sunday, 12-8 p.m.

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