Photo Flash: Sam Waterston, Kelli O'Hara, et al. in Rehearsal for Public Theater's KING LEAR

The Public Theater's KING LEAR, directed by James MacDonald, begins preview performances on Tuesday, October 18. Kristen Connolly (Cordelia), Bill Irwin (The Fool), and Frank Wood (Cornwall), 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) will star in the production. 

Check out photos of the cast in rehearsal below!

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.

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: Nella Vera