Cast Announced For THE AGITATORS At Playhouse On Park

THE AGITATORS: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass by Mat Smart will run at Playhouse on Park from May 25 - June 12, 2022. This production is part of Playhouse on Park's 13th Main Stage Season, and it will be directed by Kelly O'Donnell.

The Agitators tells of the enduring but tempestuous friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Great allies? Yes. And at times, great adversaries. Young abolitionists when they met in Rochester in the 1840s, they were full of hopes, dreams, and a common purpose. As they grew to become the cultural icons we know today, their movements collided and their friendship was severely tested. This is the story of that forty-five-year friendship - from its beginning in Rochester, through a civil war, and to the highest halls of government. They agitated the nation, they agitated each other, and, in doing so, they helped shape the Constitution and the course of American history.

Kelly O'Donnell (Director) is a theatre and film director based in New York City who believes that theatre can be a powerful tool for fostering peace. She is an active participant in the collaborative process and a facilitator of genre-busting theatrical forms. She's passionate about women's stories, re-imagined classics, mischievous satires, and stories that examine the nuances of gender dynamics and class struggles. A co-founder of the critically acclaimed and nationally recognized Flux Theatre Ensemble, she has directed throughout New York City in downtown venues such as The New Ohio, The Sheen Center, The 4th Street Theatre, ART NY Gural, The Dramatist Guild, The Clemente, Judson Memorial Church, The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, The Tank, The Flea, Access Theatre, The Secret Theatre, LaGuardia College, and Columbia University. She has assisted Tina Landau, Anne Bogart, and John Rando. She received her MFA in Directing from Columbia University.

The cast includes Gabriel Lawrence (Frederick Douglass) Theatre for a New Audience FAIRVIEW; The Acting Company title roles in both MACBETH and JULIUS CAESAR; Arc Stages THE MOUNTAINTOP and Sam Rosentrater (Susan B. Anthony) Theatre Horizon GRAND CONCOURSE (Barrymore Nomination); Shadowland Stages ELEMENO PEA; and Portland Stage Co. ALMOST, MAINE. TV: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK.

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