Adam Chanler-Berat and More Will Lead HOW TO LOAD A MUSKET at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters welcomes the world premiere of HOW TO LOAD A MUSKET, written by Talene Monahon and directed by Jaki Bradley. Produced by Less Than Rent Theatre, HOW TO LOAD A MUSKET begins performances on Saturday, January 11 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 26. Press Opening is Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 pm. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Friday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm; Sunday at 2:30 pm. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison). Single tickets are $25 ($20 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling the 59E59 Box Office at 646-892-7999 or by visiting www.59e59.org.

Every year, across the country, thousands of historical reenactors stage the bloodiest, most divisive battles fought on American soil. Pursuing total authenticity, they fire muskets, chew hard-tack, and wear handmade period clothing in brutal weather.

Playwright Talene Monahon, a self-described history buff who studied at Dartmouth, began infiltrating the reenactment community in 2015, spending time with Revolutionary War units in Massachusetts and New York before making her way down South to speak to the reenactors of the Civil War. Woven from these verbatim conversations, HOW TO LOAD A MUSKET explores this unique and all-consuming hobby and the people who practice it as they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a national battle over how history is told.

At its heart, HOW TO LOAD A MUSKET is a microcosm of our country. Through the very candid responses of these ultra-method actors, Monahon exposes the radically contrasting opinions of what this country is and who it should be for through the lively conversations held among present-day Americans.

The cast features Carolyn Braver (The Iceman Cometh with Denzel Washington on Broadway); Adam Chanler-Berat (Saint Joan on Broadway); David J. Cork (Showtime's City on a Hill); Ryan Spahn (Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow at MCC); Andy Taylor (Sunset Boulevard on Broadway); Lucy Taylor (Dance Nation at Playwrights Horizons); Richard Topol (Indecent on Broadway); and Nicole Villamil (Network on Broadway).

Jonathan Larson Award-winner Zoe Sarnak (Broadway-bound musical Empire Records) is writing original songs for the production.

The design team includes Lawrence Moten (set design): Stacey Derosier (lighting design); Jim Petty (sound design); Caitlyn Murphy (prop design); and Heather McDevitt Barton (costume design). The Production Stage Manager is Haley Gordon.

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