FRANKLIN'S KEY World Premiere to be Presented at Pig Iron Theatre Company

Pig Iron Theatre Company will present the world premiere of Franklin’s Key, written by Dan Rothenberg and Robert Quillen Camp. This magical, sci-fi theatrical adventure explores Benjamin Franklin's hidden discoveries in a parallel universe. Running from June 3 to 29 at Plays & Players Theatre, this electrifying new production transforms some of the city's most iconic landmarks into portals to adventure as two high school prodigies find themselves caught in a struggle between secret societies dedicated to safeguarding Franklin’s discoveries. Fans of The Goonies, Stranger Things, Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, and National Treasure will enjoy the artistry in this electrifying live stage production.

Pig Iron Theatre Company, founded in 1995 in Philadelphia, has long been recognized for its daring and highly physical approach to theater-making. Its genre-defying works have earned critical acclaim. Their upcoming production of Franklin's Key marks a significant shift from past experimental and genre-defying works, embracing a more fantastical, family-friendly approach to storytelling.

During the War of Independence, the British feared Benjamin Franklin could control the weather. Franklin’s Key asks: what if that were true? A mystery unfolds for audiences in an alternate reality where Franklin's undiscovered technology has been hidden underneath some of Philadelphia’s most treasured landmarks for centuries. Set in present-day Philadelphia, Franklin's Key follows two teenage prodigies: Temple, a self-taught scientist, and her brother Arturo, a gifted musician. The two uncover an ancient mystery, setting off a chain reaction that draws them into a secret battle between rival factions seeking to harness the incredible but volatile powers of Franklin's long-lost technology. Temple and Arturo, aided by a cast of quirky friends, traverse hidden tunnels under the city, leading them from abandoned subway platforms to the iconic statue of William Penn atop City Hall and the building-sized organ inside the old Wanamaker Department Store. With time running out, the team must navigate the labyrinth of Philadelphia's forgotten tunnels, evade powerful enemies, and unlock the secrets Franklin left behind before his discoveries fall into the wrong hands.

A love letter to Philadelphia's history, grit, and relentless ingenuity, this delightful and sharply choreographed performance incorporates object transformations and lighting illusions that bring the fantastical world to life. “Franklin’s Key is like a Marvel movie translated for the stage,” says Pig Iron’s Co-Artistic Director Dan Rothenberg. “We are working with an amazing team of scenic and effects designers to evoke building-sized automatons, Da Vinci Code puzzles, and teenagers with telekinetic powers. While the story is cinematic in scope, audiences can expect Pig Iron’s signature, elegant stagecraft – sometimes disarmingly simple, but always surprising.”

Obie Award-winning Special Effects Designer Skylar Fox – known for his work in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway and around the world – brings his unique approach to stage magic to this intriguing tale. A Brooklyn-based designer renowned for creating innovative and boundary-pushing theatrical experiences, Fox has crafted effects for productions including Fat Ham (The Public/National Black Theatre), Boop! (Broadway), and You Will Get Sick (Roundabout Theatre Company, 2022).

Franklin’s Key features an original score by the award-winning Rosie Langabeer, a New Zealand-born composer known for her inventive musical landscapes. Notable collaborations include Sunset, o639 Hours with BalletX, and Twelfth Night, previously with Pig Iron.

The brilliant design team also includes Set Designer Anna Kiraly (Pig Iron’s Chekhov Lizardbrain and Pay Up), who brings extensive experience in theater and opera design in New York and internationally; Tony-nominated Lighting Designer Amith Chandrashaker (Prayer for the French Republic and Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway), whose work has also been seen at major regional theaters and opera houses; Video Designer David Tennent, a creative technologist who previously worked with Pig Iron on A Period of Animate Existence; Sound Designer Chris Sannino, a Barrymore-nominated artist who has worked with numerous Philadelphia companies including The Wilma and Opera Philadelphia; Movement Director Yasmine Lee (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on Broadway); and Philadelphia-based Costume Designer Maiko Matsushima, who has designed several acclaimed Pig Iron (Yuba City, Twelfth Night) and Wilma productions (Fairview, Hilma), as well as the reimagined Madame Butterfly at Pittsburgh Opera.

Co-writer Robert Quillen Camp wrote the text for Pig Iron’s Pay Up and Chekhov Lizardbrain and is a regular collaborator with downtown New York provocateurs Hoi Polloi. Co-writer and Director Dan Rothenberg is one of the founders of Pig Iron Theatre Company, where he has been instrumental in creating over 30 original works that have toured to 15 countries.

Three actors from New York are leading the production as the teen heroes: actor and singer Taylor Rose Mickens, making her Philadelphia theater debut, plays Temple. Temple’s brother Arturo is played by Sam Gonzalez, a New York-based actor and dancer known for Invasive Species (The Tank, NYC), Bathhouse.PPTX (The Flea, NYC) and performances at the Bushwick Starr and Joe’s Pub. Jacob Orr (Montag, SoHo Rep) plays Temple’s hapless ex-boyfriend, Richard.

The supporting ensemble includes Chris Thorn (Death of a Salesman, Broadway, Hudson Theatre, 2022), as the enigmatic custodian of Ben Franklin’s grave, Bill Fordhook; Thorn’s additional performance credits include the Guthrie, A.R.T., and Lincoln Center. Alice Yorke, who portrays Diane Prentiss, a mysterious historian, is a Barrymore-nominated, Philadelphia-based actor, director, and producer. Actor Benjamin Bass (The Woodsman, 59E59 Theaters, NYC; We Own This City, HBO) plays Armantrout and Jimmy, and Izzy Sazak, a Philadelphia-based theatermaker, takes on the dual roles of scientists Persephone Poledoris and Bonnie Jenkins.

The movement ensemble includes Makoto Hirano, co-founder of Philadelphia-based Team Sunshine Performance Corporation; Ben Grinberg, co-artistic director of award-winning Philadelphia performing arts company Almanac Dance Circus Theater; and Devon Sinclair, an actor-dancer who has performed regularly at the Walnut Street Theatre, People’s Light, and Delaware Theater Company.

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