Woodie King, Jr.Makes Directorial Debut In MR. HIRSCH DIED YESTERDAY At Castillo Theatre 1/21

The Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director, Diane Stiles, managing director) held the first full cast rehearsal today for Fred Newman's MR. HIRSCH DIED YESTERDAY, which runs Friday, January 21 to Sunday, February 20 with an official press preview on Thursday, January 20. Directed by Woodie King, Jr. (founder and producing director of the New Federal Theatre).

The cast for MR. HIRSCH DIED YESTERDAY will feature Lindsay Arber, Dana Berger, Debbie Buchsbaum, Zoë Geltman, Joseph Mallon, Reynaldo Piniella, Ben Prayz, Katya Pucci, Moshe Yassur with All Stars Project founder and community activist, Lenora Fulani, making her stage debut.

"I like what Fred Newman is doing with his plays - he covers a very wide canvas in a very few pages which gives a director a chance to explore and experiment," says Woodie King, Jr.

MR. HIRSCH DIED YESTERDAY is a semi-autobiographical play set in the Bronx of the 1940s, and was Fred Newman's first full-length play, originally produced in 1986. Playing with philosophy, theatrical forms and storytelling, MR. HIRSCH DIED YESTERDAY explores human identity and shared history when a Jewish writer named Fred meets an African American woman named Freda and find they share more than childhood memories. Can two people have the same history?

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Group rates are available. Tickets can be purchased through the Castillo Box Office at 212-941-1234 or go to www.castillo.org.