George Street Playhouse Opens Season With World Premiere

George Street Playhouse will launch its 2018-19 season with the world premiere of The Trial of Donna Caine, a gripping courtroom drama by Walter Anderson, who served as the editor-in-chief of Parade magazine for 20 years prior to being named Chairman and CEO of Parade Publications.

The production will star Margarita Levieva (ABC's Revenge and HBO's The Deuce), alongside Flor De Liz Perez (Two River Theater's Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England) making her Playhouse debut in the titular role of Staff Sgt. Donna Caine. They are joined by Playhouse alums two-time Tony Award nominee Peter Frechette (Broadway's Our Country's Good and Eastern Standard), Kally Duling (Broadway's Fun Home), Julia Brothers (Broadway's Relatively Speaking), and John Bolger (George Street Playhouse's American Hero in 2018 and American Son in 2017). The cast is completed by Michael Cullen, Melissa Maxwell, and Ryan George. Performances run Oct. 16-Nov. 11, 2018 at George Street's current venue, 103 College Farm Road in New Brunswick, NJ, with Opening Night set for Friday, October 19.

When Marine Staff Sergeant Donna Caine (Perez) is accused of a serious crime, highly respected attorney Emily Zola Ginsberg (Levieva) is convinced to take the case. Fighting for her client's future, Ginsberg finds herself taking on the military establishment in order to expose the truth.

"The piece reads like a true page-turner," director David Saint said as he prepares to kickstart his record-breaking 22nd season as George Street's Artistic Director. "The Trial of Donna Caine is an incredibly tense and suspenseful courtroom drama that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats, but it is also has a number of strong women at its core. It will remind audiences of stories like A Few Good Men, but I call it A Few Good Women because it's so female-centric."

The Trial of Donna Caine is inspired by the real-life events surrounding the so-called "Ribbon Creek Incident," a 1956 training mishap that resulted in the drowning deaths of six US Marine Corps recruits.

In Anderson's modern reimagining of these events, three of those recruits have been conceived of as women, in addition to the titular Staff Sergeant Donna Caine, who finds herself on trial for their deaths.

"By adapting these events to the present day, the play puts a spotlight on the national discussion about the recent decision to open military combat positions to women. There are many twists, turns, and surprises along the way, but the backdrop of the play also makes it both relevant and timely " Saint said. "I'm very excited about it."

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the George Street Playhouse website at www.GeorgeStreetPlayhouse.org, or call the box office at 732-246-7717.

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