Frank Wood, Kristen Connolly, & Bill Irwin Join Kelli O'Hara et al. in Public's KING LEAR; Cast Complete

The Public Theater announced complete casting today for KING LEAR, directed by James MacDonald, beginning preview performances on Tuesday, October 18. Kristen Connolly (Cordelia), Bill Irwin (The Fool), and Frank Wood (Cornwall) will join the company that includes the previously announced Che Ayende (Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant), Craig Bockhorn (Doctor), Michael Crane (Oswald), Herb Foster (Old Man/Knight), Seth Gilliam (Edmund), Enid Graham (Goneril), Michael Izquierdo (King of France), Michael McKean (Gloucester), Arian Moayed (Edgar), Kelli O'Hara (Regan), John Douglas Thompson (Kent), Richard Topol (Albany), and Sam Waterston (Lear).

Single tickets and Member tickets are on sale now at (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at The Public Theater box office. KING LEAR will run thru Sunday, November 20 in the Newman Theater with an official press opening on Tuesday, November 8.

KING LEAR, Shakespeare's masterpiece, is one of the towering works of world literature. In no other play is Shakespeare's tragic vision more terrifyingly clear - and nowhere in his canon does he create a richer or more complex set of characters. When King Lear divides his kingdom among his three daughters, he sets in motion a cascade of violence that sweeps the civilized world to the brink of chaos, and Lear to The Edge of madness.

KING LEAR will feature scenic design by Miriam Buether; costume design by Gabriel Berry; lighting design by Christopher Akerlind; and sound design by Darron L West.

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James MacDonald (Director). In New York, Macdonald has directed The Book of Grace (The Public), Top Girls (MTC/Broadway), Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? (The Public), Dying City (Lincoln Center), A Number (New York Theater Workshop) and 4.48 Psychosis (St. Ann's Warehouse). From 1992 to 2006, Macdonald was associate director of the Royal Court, where he directed world premieres of work by writers including Caryl Churchill, Sarah Kane, Martin Crimp, and most recently Mike Bartlett's Cock.

Che Ayende (Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant) recently appeared in The Public Theater's Public Lab production of Timon of Athens. His other Off-Broadway credits include The Day The Bronx Died, Inked Baby, Oroonoko, and All's Well That Ends Well. His regional credits include King Lear, The Cure (Yale Rep); Romeo and Juliet (A.R.T.); and Resurrection (Arena Stage, Helen Hayes nom).

Craig Bockhorn (Doctor) appeared at The Public Theater in The Seagull and Kit Marlowe. His Broadway credits include On Golden Pond and Prelude to a Kiss. His additional Off-Broadway credits include The Hope Zone and The Truth-Teller. He appeared in the film Transamerica and on television in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Ed."

Kristen Connolly (Cordelia) was most recently seen in All's Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure in last summer's Shakespeare in the Park. She has been seen Off-Broadway in Seven Minutes In Heaven, Fireman, and The Lacy Project. Her film and television credits include Revolutionary Road, Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Happening, "Georgetown," and "Nurse Jackie."

Michael Crane (Oswald) last appeared at The Public in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. He also appeared Off-Broadway in Doris to Darlene, A Cautionary Valentine. His regional credits include Hamlet, The Threepenny Opera, and Italian American Reconciliation.

Herb Foster (Old Man/Knight) has appeared in several Public Theater Productions, including The Merchant of Venice (Broadway), Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, As You Like It and The Controversy of Valladolid. His Broadway credits include Cymbeline, The Rivals, Kiss Me, Kate, Amy's View, and Me and My Girl. His television credits include "Spin City."

Seth Gilliam (Edmund) appeared in The Public's production of The Tragedy of Richard III. His other theater credits include Iphigenia and Other Daughters, Girl Gone, and The Maids. Film and television credits include "Teen Wolf," "The Good Wife," "Skins," "Law & Order," "Nurse Jackie," and Did You Hear About The Morgans?, with recurring roles on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "The Wire," and "Oz."

Enid Graham (Goneril) appeared on Broadway in Honour, The Constant Wife, Dinner at Eight, and Fortune's Fool. She has appeared Off-Broadway in Some Americans Abroad, The Long Christmas Ride Home, and Crimes of the Heart. Her television and film credits include Rose Van Alden on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," "The Good Wife," and Blue Valentine.

Bill Irwin (The Fool) has appeared at The Public in The Tempest and Texts for Nothing (OBIE Award). His Broadway credits include Bye Bye Birdie; Waiting for Godot; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2005 Tony Award); and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Off-Broadway he appeared in Mr. Fox: A Rumination, The Regard Evening, The Harlequin Studies, and Trumbo: REd White and Blacklisted. His film and television credits include Rachel Getting Married, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and "The Cosby Show."

Michael Izquierdo (King of France) appeared at the Delacorte Theater in Mother Courage and Her Children. He appeared on Broadway in The Miracle Worker and his Off-Broadway credits include Go Back To Where You Are and New Jerusalem. His film and television credits include Taking Woodstock, The Last Day of August, "Blue Bloods," and "As The World Turns."

Michael McKean (Gloucester) recently appeared on Broadway in Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts, Hairspray, and The Homecoming. McKean originated the role of Lenny Kosnowski on television's "Laverne and Shirley." He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1994 to 1995. His select film credits include This is Spinal Tap, Clue, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration.

Arian Moayed (Edgar) appeared in The Public Theater's Public Lab production of The Fever Chart. On Broadway he received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. His other Off-Broadway credits include Masked, Queens Boulevard, American Pilot, Homebody/Kabul and Extra Key to Heaven. His film and television credits include Roadie, The Christians, Arranged, and "MONY."

Kelli O'Hara (Regan) has appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center, The Pajama Game, The Light in the Piazza, Dracula, Sweet Smell of Success, Follies, and Jekyll and Hyde. Her film credits include Sex and the City 2, The Key to Reserva, and The Dying Gaul. She has recently released her second solo album "Always."

John Douglas Thompson (Kent). His Broadway credits include Julius Caesar and Cyrano de Bergerac. He won an Obie, a Callaway, and a Lortel Award for his portrayal of the title role in Othello at Theatre for a New Audience. His other Off-Broadway credits include The Emperor Jones, The Forest, Antony and Cleopatra, and King Lear.

Richard Topol (Albany) recently appeared on Broadway in The Normal Heart and The Merchant of Venice. His other Broadway credits include Awake and Sing! (Drama Desk Award); Cymbeline; The Country Girl; Julius Caesar; and School for Scandal. His Off-Broadway credits include When The Rain Stops Falling, Hamlet, Mouth to Mouth, and Opus. His film and television credits include Mickey Blue Eyes, Party Girl, "Damages," "Nurse Jackie," and "Rescue Me."

Sam Waterston (King Lear) has appeared in The Public Theater's productions of Hamlet (Hamlet, Polonius), Much Ado About Nothing (Leonato, Benedick), Measure for Measure (Duke), Cymbeline (Cloten), Henry VI Part 1 and Part 2 (Prince Hal), Ergo (AsIan) and As You Like It (Silvius). His film and television credits include The Great Gatsby, Serial Mom, The Glass Menagerie, four Woody Allen films and "I'll Fly Away." Waterston is an Academy Award nominee for his work in The Killing Fields, and he received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe Award for his work as Jack McCoy on "Law & Order."

Frank Wood (Cornwall) has appeared on Broadway in Born Yesterday; August: Osage County, Hollywood Arms, and he earned a Tony Award for his role in Side Man. He has been seen Off-Broadway in Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Clybourne Park, and Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell. His film and television credits include Synecdoche, New York; Changeling; Michael Clayton; "Lights Out;" and "The Flight of the Conchords."

The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Joey Parnes, Interim Executive Director) was founded by Joseph Papp in 1954 and is now one of the nation's preeminent cultural institutions, producing new plays, musicals and productions of classics at its downtown home and at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Public Theater's mandate to create a theater for all New Yorkers continues to this day on stage and through extensive outreach programs. Each year, more than 250,000 people attend Public Theater-related productions and events at six downtown stages, including Joe's Pub, and Shakespeare in the Park. The Public Theater's productions have won 42 Tony Awards, 158 Obies, 42 Drama Desk Awards and four Pulitzer Prizes. Fifty-four Public Theater Productions have moved to Broadway, including Sticks and Bones; That Championship Season; A Chorus Line; For Colored Girls...; The Pirates of Penzance; The Tempest; Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk; The Ride Down Mt. Morgan; Topdog/Underdog; Take Me Out; Caroline, or Change; Passing Strange; the revival of HAIR; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and The Merchant of Venice. www.publictheater.org.

 

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos