Naomi Wallace's THE LIQUID PLAIN Opens Tonight at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre presents the New York Premiere of The Liquid Plain by Naomi Wallace, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah. The production runs now through March 29, 2015, with its opening slated for tonight, March 8, in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

The cast includes Ito Aghayere (The Tempest at Classic Stage) as Dembi, LisaGay Hamilton (ABC's "The Practice") as Bristol, Robert Hogan (ABC's One Life to Live) as James De Wolfe, Michael Izquierdo (The Wolf of Wall Street) as Cranston, Kristolyn Lloyd (Heathers: The Musical) as Adjua, Karl Miller (Completeness at Playwrights Horizons) as Balthazar/William Blake, Tuck Milligan (The First Breeze of Summer at Signature) as Gifford, Tara A. Nicolas ("The Blacklist") as Guinea Worm, Johnny Ramey (Julius by Design at the Access Theater) as Liverpool Joe, Lance Roberts (This Is Where I Leave You) as Nesbitt.

On the docks of late 18th century Rhode Island, two runaway slaves, Adjua and Dembi, plan a desperate and daring run to freedom. When a chance encounter triggers an unexpected collision of worlds, painful truths are uncovered and the brutality of past crimes spills into the next generation. Winner of the 2012 Horton Foote Prize for Promising New American Play, The Liquid Plain brings to life a group of people whose stories have been erased from history.

The design team includes Riccardo Hernandez (Scenic Design), Paul Tazewell (Costume Design), Thom Weaver (Lighting Design), Shane Rettig (Sound Design), Alex Koch (Projection Design), UnkleDave's Fight-House (Fight Direction). Cole Bonenberger is the Production Stage Manager. Casting by Telsey + Company, William Cantler, CSA.

Supplemental programming has been set for The Liquid Plain. There will be post-show talkbacks on February 24, March 12, 19 and 24. Talkbacks brought to you by American Express. There will be a pre-show Page to Stage discussion with playwright Naomi Wallace and director Kwame Kwei-Armah on Tuesday, March 3 at 6pm. There will also be a Backstage Pass event with a member of the creative team on Tuesday, March 10 at 6pm. Patrons are also welcome to join the Book Club and delve into the context of The Liquid Plain by discussing Marcus Rediker's book The Slave Ship: A Human History with Signature's literary staff on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30pm. All events are free and open to the public.

To purchase tickets for all Signature productions, call Ticket Services at 212-244-7529 (Tues. - Sun., 11am - 6pm) or visit signaturetheatre.org.

Tickets to the initial runs of all Signature productions at The Pershing Square Signature Center are $25, part of the groundbreaking Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access, a program that guarantees affordable and accessible tickets to every Signature production through 2031. Serving as a model for theatres and performing arts organizations across the country, the Initiative was founded in 2005 and is made possible by lead partner The Pershing Square Foundation. Additional support provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Margot Adams and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

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