Anthony Rapp to Star in Staged Reading of ANDY WARHOL IN IRAN at Barrington Stage Company

Barrington Stage Company has announced that Obie Award winner Anthony Rapp (Rent, If/Then) will take on the title role in a staged reading of Andy Warhol in Iran on Sunday, August 22, 2021 at 8:00 pm on the Boyd-Quinson Stage (30 Union Street). Directed by Reginald L. Douglas (Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C.), the new play by Brent Askari (BSC: American Underground) was commissioned by BSC through the Sydelle Blatt New Works Commissioning Program. The production will also feature Afsheen Misaghi (Amazon Prime's "Normal for Now") as Farhad.

"We are so delighted to welcome Anthony Rapp to our theatre, and to present Brent Askari's newest work, after having produced the world premiere of his provocative American Underground a few seasons ago," Ms. Boyd said.

In 1976, the artist Andy Warhol, having re-invented himself as the portrait painter of the rich and famous, travelled to Tehran to meet the Shah of Iran's wife, the Empress Farah Pahlavi. In Andy Warhol in Iran, the iconic American painter visits the country to take Polaroids of the Empress, see the crown jewels, and eat cheap caviar - only to encounter a young revolutionary who throws his plans into turmoil.

With an extensive list of achievements, Rapp is best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in Jonathan Larson's Tony Award-winning rock opera, Rent, for which he shared an OBIE Award with the rest of the cast. He later reprised the role in Chris Columbus' film version. Rapp also starred in the Broadway production and national tour of If/Then from the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creators of Next to Normal. He made his Broadway debut in Precious Sons with Judith Ivey and Ed Harris, for which he received an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama Desk nomination.

Rapp can currently be seen playing the role of Lieutenant Stamets, a Starfleet Science Officer, on the third season of the hit CBS All Access show "Star Trek: Discovery." He was also recently seen as a recurring guest star on CBS's hit spin-off series "The Good Fight" and on Netflix's hit show "13 Reasons Why." Additional TV credits include Cinemax's "The Knick," "Psych" and "The X-Files." Rapp recently starred in three independent features: Do You Take This Man opposite Alyson Hannigan, Opening Night with fellow Broadway favorite Cheyenne Jackson, and the LGBT thriller BWOY, which he also produced. Other film credits include A Beautiful Mind, Six Degrees of Separation and the iconic Dazed and Confused.

BSC's 2021 Boyd-Quinson Stage Season also features Eleanor (running through August 7), by Mark St. Germain (BSC and Off Broadway: Freud's Last Session), starring Tony Award winner Harriet Harris (BSC: Sweeney Todd, Broadway: Thoroughly Modern Millie) and directed by Henry Stram; the world premiere of Sister Sorry (August 13-29) by Alec Wilkinson, starring Jennifer Van Dyck(Broadway: Hedda Gabler, Dancing at Lughnasa; TV: "The Good Wife," "Madam Secretary") and Christopher Sears (BSC: Lord of the Flies; Public Theatre: Gently Down the Stream), and directed by BSC Associate Artist Joe Calarco (BSC: Into the Woods, Breaking the Code, Ragtime), who has replaced the previously announced Richard Hamburger; and the world premiere of A Crossing (September 23-October 17), a timely new dance musical with book by Mark St. Germain, music and lyrics by award-winning songwriter Zoe Sarnak (Secret Soldiers, Empire Records), Co-Direction/Dramaturgy by Brisa Ariela Muñoz, created in association with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company and directed and choreographed by BSC Associate Artist Joshua Bergasse (BSC: The Royal Family of Broadway, On the Town; Broadway: On the Town).

The outdoor season at a tent at the BSC Production Center (34 Laurel Street) features the world premiere of Boca (July 30-August 29), an evening of short comedies about seniors in the Sunshine State by Jessica Provenz. The production, directed by Ms. Boyd, includes Gilbert Cruz (TV: "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," "Pose"), April Ortiz (Broadway: In the Heights; Film: Father of the Bride, The Majestic), Debra Jo Rupp (BSC: The Cake; Dr. Ruth, All the Way, TV: "That '70s Show"), Kenneth Tigar (BSC: 10x10 New Play Festival, Uncle Vanya; Broadway: Fish in the Dark), Peggy Pharr Wilson (BSC: America v2.1, 10x10 New Play Festival) and Robert Zukerman (BSC: If I Forget, 10x10 New Play Festival).

The outdoor season also features the following concerts:

Joshua Henry Live (August 16): Join three-time Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry (Carousel, The Scottsboro Boys, Violet) for a soulful evening of music from Broadway to Motown.
Andy Karl and Orfeh: Legally Bound (August 23): Broadway's Orfeh and Andy Karl (Broadway: Legally Blonde, Pretty Woman, Saturday Night Fever), have had an impressively long run as one of Broadway's best couples. The sexy, funny and enormously talented duo will tear through an eclectic mix of pop, rock, rhythm and blues, and showtunes that is sure to excite and delight.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for the staged reading of Andy Warhol in Iran are $15 each. Single tickets can be purchased by calling 413-236-8888 or visiting www.barringtonstageco.org.