World Premiere of Julie Benko's DOWN THE LINE Will Receive Private Industry Presentations

Down the Line, the new play with music written by Julie Benko and directed by Brandon J. Dirden, will receive two private industry presentations on Thursday March 27 and Friday March 28, 2025, at Open Jar Studios.

Down the Line is a new play with music written by Julie Benko and directed by Brandon J. Dirden.  Set in the vibrant, controversial world of New Orleans' legal red-light district known as Storyville, Down the Line follows a formidable madame with aspirations to secure her daughter's future as Queen of Carnival – and the mayor's mistress – while her daughter harbors dreams of her own. Exploring themes of legacy, female empowerment, and the complex bond between mothers and daughters, Down the Line is a provocative tale of ambition, defiance, and self-determination, featuring Julie Benko, Crystal Dickinson (Clybourne Park), Emma Duncan (The Sandman), J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like it Hot), Florencia Lozano (“One Life to Live”), Michael Mastro (Funny Girl), and Lily Santiago (Mary Jane).

Jazz pianist Jason Yeager will provide musical direction, leading an exuberant three-piece ensemble featuring classics of the New Orleans repertoire. James Montaño is the Dramaturg, and casting is by Geoff Josselson Casting. The presentation is being produced by Michael Patrick Productions. Mix and Match Productions will serve as General Manager.

Biographies

Julie Benko (Playwright) joined the annals of theatrical legend and lore for her sensational understudy-to-star trajectory as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, for which she received Theatre World's Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre, was named the 2022 “Breakout Star for Theater” by The New York Times and one of “10 Broadway Stars to Watch for 2023” by Variety, honored as one of “40 Under 40” for Crain's New York Business, among other accolades. Other Broadway credits include Harmony (Ruth), Fiddler on the Roof, and Les Misérables. She has starred in numerous off-Broadway and regional productions, including Jane Eyre, Once (Wilde Award), The Fantasticks, Our Town, Rags, and more. She will make her screen acting debut in the upcoming feature film Caravan. Benko has released 3 albums with her pianist-composer spouse, Jason Yeager, and enjoys a vibrant concert career, having headlined sold-out solo shows at major venues around the country -- including an upcoming residency at New York's Café Carlyle this April 1st to 5th. Her first full-length play, Down the Line, was named a semifinalist at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. For more, visit www.JulieBenko.com

Brandon J. Dirden (Director) appeared on Broadway starring in the Tony Award-winning production of Take Me Out and Skeleton Crew for which he received a Drama Desk nomination. He also appeared on Broadway as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Tony Award-winning production of All the Way, with Bryan Cranston, as Booster in the Tony Award-winning revival of August Wilson's Jitney; Clybourne Park; Enron; and Prelude to a Kiss. Off-Broadway, he has appeared in The Piano Lesson, for which he won Obie, Theatre World and AUDELCO awards; The First Breeze of Summer and Day of Absence all at Signature Theatre; Detroit '67 at The Public Theater and Classical Theatre of Harlem; Peter and the Starcatcher at New York Theatre Workshop; and as ‘Brutus' in TFANA's production of Julius Caesar. On screen he has appeared in “The Good Wife,” “For Life,” “Evil,” “The Big C,” “Public Morals,” “Manifest,” “The Get Down,” “The Accidental Wolf,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Quad,” “P-Valley,” the FX miniseries “Mrs. America” and four seasons of FX's “The Americans” as Agent Dennis Aderholt. He has directed numerous plays by Dominique Morisseau and August Wilson and most recently, a revival of Steven Carter's EDEN at Yale Rep.  Brandon is an Associate Arts Professor on the faculty of Tisch Grad Acting at NYU; a frequent volunteer at the 52nd Street Project; and a proud member of both Actor's Equity Association and SDC.