Photo Flash: Inside Rehearsal for Richard Nelson's ILLYRIA at The Public Theater

The Public Theater will begin previews on Sunday, October 22 for the world premiere of Illyria, written and directed by Richard Nelson, part of The Public's Astor Anniversary Season at their landmark downtown home on Lafayette Street, celebrating 50 years of new work at 425 Lafayette Street and the 50th Anniversary of HAIR. Illyria has been extended through Sunday, December 10 with an official press opening on Monday, October 30. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

The complete cast of Illyria features Rosie Benton (Colleen Dewhurst), Will Brill (Bernard Gersten), Kristen Connolly (Peggy Papp), Blake DeLong (David Amram), Emma Duncan(Gladys Vaughan), Naian González Norvind (Mary Bennett), Fran Kranz (Merle Debuskey), John Magaro (Joseph Papp), John Sanders (Stuart Vaughan), and Max Woertendyke (John Robertson).

This season, Richard Nelson, the writer-director of the acclaimed Apple Family Plays and The Gabriels, returns to The Public following a successful world tour to reveal a forgotten chapter in The Public Theater's celebrated history. It is 1958, and New York City is in the midst of a major building boom; a four-lane highway is planned for the heart of Washington Square; Carnegie Hall is designated for demolition; entire neighborhoods on the West Side are leveled to make room for a new "palace of art." And a young Joe Papp and his colleagues face betrayals, self-inflicted wounds and anger from the city's powerful elite as they continue their free Shakespeare productions in Central Park. From the creator of the most celebrated family plays of the last decade, comes a drama about a different kind of family - one held together by the simple and incredibly complicated belief that the theater, and the city, belongs to all of us.

ILLYRIA features scenic design by Susan Hilferty and Jason Ardizzone-West; costume design by Susan Hilferty; lighting design by Jennifer Tipton; and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

The company of Illyria in rehearsal at The Public Theater

Fran Kranz, John Sanders, Will Brill, and Kristen Connolly

Fran Kranz and John Sanders

The company of Illyria in rehearsal at The Public Theater

Emma Duncan, Richard Nelson, Blake DeLong, and Naian González Norvind

John Magaro