Robert Askins' HAND TO GOD Will Open on Broadway in 2015; Steven Boyer, Marc Kudisch & More to Reprise Roles

Producer Kevin McCollum announced today that the new American play, Hand to God, will open on Broadway on April 7, 2015 at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street), marking the Broadway debut of playwright Robert Askins. McCollum's three years of development on this play include its previous acclaimed productions at the Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) in 2011 and its more recent Off-Broadway debut at MCC Theater in 2014. Hand to God will again be directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel in his Broadway debut with previews beginning at the Booth Theatre on March 14, 2015 ahead of the April 7th opening. For more info, visit www.HandToGodBroadway.com.

The hilarious and provocative Hand to God centers on shy, inquisitive student Jason, who finds an outlet for his burgeoning creativity at the Christian Puppet Ministry in the devoutly religious, relatively quiet small town of Cypress, Texas. Jason's complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door and-most especially-his mother are thrown into further upheaval when Jason's hand puppet Tyrone-once soft-spoken-takes on a shocking and dangerously irreverent personality all its own. As Tyrone's influence over Jason steadily grows, Hand to God explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us.

Hand to God will feature the complete cast of the hit 2014 MCC Theater production: Steven Boyer as Jason/Tyrone; Geneva Carr, in her Broadway debut, as Margery; Tony Award nominee Marc Kudisch as Pastor Greg; Sarah Stiles as Jessica; and Michael Oberholtzer, in his Broadway debut, as Timmy. Boyer reprises the role for which he has been honored with an Obie Award, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play, the Actors' Equity Association Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Newcomer, and a citation from the Drama League for Distinguished Performance, among other awards.

The design team for Hand to God includes scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Sydney Maresca, lighting by Jason Lyons, sound by Jill BC Du Boff, puppet design by Marte Johanne Ekhougen, and fight direction by Robert Westley.

Steven Boyer was recently seen in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street and Shakespeare in the Park's King Lear opposite John Lithgow and Annette Bening. Geneva Carr, reprising her acclaimed work from both the MCC Theater and Ensemble Studio Theatre productions of Hand to God, has appeared in Trevor at Lesser America and Betty's Summer Vacation at Playwrights Horizons. Broadway veteran Marc Kudisch, who received Tony Award nominations for 9 to 5: The Musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Thoroughly Modern Millie, has also been seen on "Sex and the City," "All My Children," and "Smash". Sarah Stiles has appeared in The Public's Shakespeare in the Park production of Into the Woods as well as the Tony Award winners Avenue Q and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway, among others. Michael Oberholtzer has appeared in The Talls at Second Stage and was recently seen in the major motion picture Delivery Man starring Vince Vaughn.

Playwright Robert Askins was born in Cypress, Texas in 1980. He moved to New York in 2005. In 2009 his play Princes of Waco was produced by EST/Youngblood. His one act play Matthew and the Pastor's Wife was a part of Marathon 2010 at EST and The Love Song of the Albanian Sous Chef won a Dallas Outer Circle Critics award in 2011. Most recently Rob's Obie Award-winning play Hand to God enjoyed three sold out runs at EST in 2011-12 followed by a 2014 engagement of the play at MCC Theater. Mr. Askins is proud to be an alumnus of I-73, Youngblood, and a member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre. He has received two E.S.T./Sloan grants, an Arch and Bruce Davis Award and is one of the 2012 recipients of the Helen Merrill Award for emerging playwrights. His next play, Permission, will premiere Off-Broadway at MCC Theater in Spring 2015.

Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel previously directed the EST and MCC productions of Hand to God. He is the Artistic Director of Studio 42. New York directing credits include Ensemble Studio Theatre, Ars Nova, Rising Phoenix Rep, poortom, Red Fern, FringeNYC, Vital, Drama League, Culture Project, Chashama, HERE, and others. Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center, Millbrook Playhouse, American Stage Festival, Red Barn, Allentown Shakespeare, and Boston Playwrights. Moritz has also helped develop new plays at the Lark, NYTW, Playwrights Horizons, Vineyard Theatre, Dramatists Guild, Ma-Yi, the Kennedy Center, New River Dramatists, Partial Comfort, 2G, TBTB, Williamstown, Astoria Performing Arts Center and Young Playwrights. He is a frequent collaborator with the Youngblood writers' collective at EST. He was the associate director for Broadway's Tony-nominated Cry-Baby. He has been a Resident Director at Playwrights Horizons, The Acting Company, and the Huntington Theatre Company.

Hand to God is produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, whose credits include Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights-each the winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical; as well as The Drowsy Chaperone and Motown the Musical, among many others.