The October 1962 days in which the world appeared to be on the brink of nuclear war will be revisited in a world premiere adaptation of Robert F. Kennedy's THIRTEEN DAYS: A MEMOIR OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. Brian Pastor, the Chicago writer-director-actor who serves as Artistic Director of Promethean Theatre Ensemble and Executive Director of Sideshow Theatre Company, has adapted Kennedy's account of the administration of President John F. Kennedy to the discovery that the Soviet Union was installing missile sites in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S.. As with City Lit's acclaimed 2017 production of Archibald MacLeish's J.B., which Pastor also directed, the powerful men of THIRTEEN DAYS will be played by a diverse ensemble of women. All the characters in the book are white males; none of the actors onstage will be. THIRTEEN DAYS will open to the press on March 15 at 3 pm, following previews from March 6, and will play through April 19.
Leading the cast at President Kennedy will be
Cameron Feagin, whose recent experiences in cross-gender casting include
Edward Carson in Promethean's GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF
Oscar Wilde and Kent in Redtwist's KING LEAR. She also played Miss Blake in Promethean's BLUE STOCKINGS. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy will be played by
Kat Evans, seen at City Lit last season in THE SAFE HOUSE and just before that, as Io in PROMETHEUS BOUND.
Secretary of Defense
Robert McNamara will be played by Sheila Willis (THE SUNDIAL and HAUPTMANN at City Lit), and the role of Secretary of State Dean Rusk will be taken by Julia Kessler (City Lit's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE). In the roles of Director of Central Intelligence John A. McCone and Soviet U.N. Ambassador Valerian Zorin will be
Maggie Cain (MAY THE ROAD RISE UP with The Factory Theater).
Adrienne Matzen (City Lit's THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION) will be Kennedy's National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maxwell D. Taylor will be played by
Delia Ford (THE GOOD FIGHT, Babes with Blades).
Imani Lyvette (Promethean's BLUE STOCKINGS) will play Kennedy's speechwriter Ted Sorensen and an aide. Kim Fukawa (OTHELLO, Babes with Blades) has been cast in the roles of Arthur C. Lundahl (the aerial photography expert who detected missile installations in Cuba) and Soviet Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Dobrynin.
Shawna Tucker (DEAD CHILDREN, the side project) will take the role of National Security Council member Llewellyn "Tommy" Thompson, the diplomat who was key in de-fusing the crisis. Completing the cast will be Anne Wrider (PRELUDE TO A KISS, The Comrades) as Adlai Stevenson, United State Ambassador to the United Nations. Production team will be announced shortly.
Single tickets priced at $28 for previews and $32 for regular performances will be on sale soon at
www.citylit.org . Senior prices are $23 for previews and $27 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.
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