Cleveland Play House's 102nd Season Continues with THE INVISIBLE HAND

The 102nd Season at Cleveland Play House (CPH) continues with The Invisible Hand by Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Ayad Akhtar. The Invisible Hand tells the story of American investment banker Nick Bright as he risks everything to return to his family. Held hostage in Pakistan by Islamic revolutionaries, his last chance for freedom depends on his ability to play the stock market to benefit his captors. This sharp geo-political thriller from Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar takes us to the treacherous intersection of terrorism and capitalism, where greed and deceit prevail and no one escapes without blood on their hands. Directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh, The Invisible Hand runs February 17th through March 11, 2018 in the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square.

Playwright Ayad Akhtar states, "CPH is one of the great regional theaters in America and I am so grateful to Laura and everyone at CPH. I'm excited to see Pirronne and her hothouse of a cast bring this play to life for Cleveland audiences."

"Pulitzer Prize-winning Ayad Akhtar is one of the smartest, most compelling writers for the American stage right now," says CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley. "He writes seductive, passionate and intriguing characters who are at war with themselves and the world around them. Akhtar's plays are thrillingly theatrical as we watch the characters wrestle with the most pressing concerns of our modern world. The Invisible Hand is a deeply human geo-political thriller that makes the audience feel invested and engaged. As we experience these flawed but sympathetic characters, we see issues from new and surprising points of view that will have us talking and debating long after the show ends."

J. Paul Nicholas (Imam Saleem) is excited to reprise one of his favorite roles, which he first performed at Theater Exile in Philadelphia in 2016. Since then he was on a national tour with the Broadway phenomenon, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time. Some of his other recent credits include The Butcher (Gulfshore Playhouse), Ciphers (Inis Nua Theater), and The English Bride (Theater Exile). Paul has also performed regionally at The Shakespeare Theater, The Wilma, The Olney, Interact Theater, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Geva Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Woolly Mammoth, The Alliance, and Everyman Theater. He has also performed Off-Broadway at the Lincoln Center and at 59E59. He can be seen on several TV series; and for 10 seasons, he was Attorney Linden Delroy on Law & Order: SVU. Paul earned an MFA from the Academy for Classical Acting at GWU. Please visit JPaulNicholas.com.

NIK SADHNANI (Dar) is thrilled to be making his Cleveland Play House debut. He last appeared in Syracuse Stage's production of Disgraced playing Abe. Off-Broadway: The Trial of The American President (Lion Theatre). Regional: Disgraced (Asolo Rep), Two Minute Kenneth (Manhattan Rep), and She Eats Apples (Boston Playwrights). Film credits include the upcoming Netflix comedy The Week Of (with Adam Sandler) and We Are Unsatisfied (with Billy Crystal). TV credits include Law & Order: SVU, Big Dogs, Alternatino, and a recurring role on Hulu's The Path. Nik holds his BFA in Acting from Boston University. Twitter/Instagram: @niksadhnani.

Louis Sallan (Bashir) making his Cleveland Play House debut, Louis has a BA from Western Michigan University and an MFA from NYU Graduate Acting 2013. Some of his more recent theatre credits are: The Mecca Tales (The Sheen Center); Refuge/Malja (Portland Stage); The Strangest (New York Theatre Workshop); Oklahoma! (Arrow Rock Lyceum); May Violets Spring (The Workshop Theatre); and Hamlet. TV/Film Credits: Blue Bloods, The Blacklist: Redemption, Madam Secretary, and Crossing The Line.

Max Woertendyke (Nick Bright) was most recently seen in the world premiere of Richard Nelson's Illyria at The Public Theater. Broadway credits include Ivo van Hove's A View From the Bridge. Other credits include The Public Theater's Mobile Unit production of Romeo and Juliet, Nick Dear's Frankenstein (The Denver Center for Performing Arts), and The Philadelphia Story and As You Like It (CTC). School credits include Rabbit Hole, This is Our Youth, The Ruby Sunrise, Dancing at Lughnasa, and Obama-ology. Recent television and film credits include Longmire (Netflix), The Airport Run (upcoming), and Adherence. Max is a graduate of McGill University and The Juilliard School of Drama. He was the recipient of the 2015-2017 Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship as well as the Jonathan Madrigano Entrepreneurship Grant for his film project 18 Actors.

Pirronne Yousefzadeh (Director) Pirronne Yousefzadeh is a Brooklyn based director, writer, and educator. She has directed and developed new work at The Public/Joe's Pub, New York Theatre Workshop, Atlantic Theater Company, Ars Nova, Soho Rep, New Georges, Partial Comfort Productions, Noor Theatre, Ma-Yi Theater Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, La Jolla Playhouse, Huntington Theatre Company, Cleveland Play House, Geva Theatre Center, InterAct Theatre Company, and Hangar Theatre, among others. She is a Usual Suspect at NYTW, New Georges Affiliated Artist, member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, Resident Director at Colt Coeur, a recipient of SDC's Denham Fellowship and Williamstown's Sagal Fellowship, and an alumna of the 2050 Fellowship at NYTW, Drama League Directors Project, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab. She currently serves on the NYU faculty, and is a frequent guest director there; as well as Columbia, Juilliard, Fordham, and Yale School of Drama. Pirronne is a founding member of Maia Directors, a consulting group for artists and organizations engaging with Middle Eastern stories. MFA, Columbia University. Member, SDC. pirronne.com maiadirectors.com

The Design Team for The Invisible Hand includes: Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams (Scenic Designer), VALÉRIE THÉRÈSE BART (Costume Designer), MICHAEL BOLL (Lighting Designer), Daniel Perelstein (Sound Designer), Dave Bova & J. Jared Janas (Hair & Make-up Design), CHRISTINA TRAISTER (Fight Director), Thom Jones (Voice, Speech and Text Coach), and HARMAN NARANG (Punjabi Consultant). The Stage Manager for this production is JOHN GODBOUT.

The Invisible Hand will be performed in the Outcalt Theatre at Playhouse Square February 17-March 11, 2018. Tickets range in price from $25-$110 each, $15 rush tickets for currently enrolled students under age 25 with valid student ID, and Young Professional discounts available with YP-CPH Membership. To order single tickets please call 216-241-6000 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com. Groups of 10+ save up to 50% off single ticket prices; call 216-400-7027.

Subscriptions: Subscribers save up to 17%. Flexible season packages available. To purchase subscriptions or get more information, call 216-400-7096 or visit clevelandplayhouse.com

Cleveland Play House, founded in 1915 and recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, CPH has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate, and entertain diverse audiences across Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. CPH has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over its long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,600 productions. Today, Cleveland Play House celebrates the beginning of its second century of service while performing in three state-of-the art venues at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland. clevelandplayhouse.com

Cleveland Play House is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.

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