Ars Nova's UNDERGROUND RAILROAD GAME Returns to New York for 18 Performances Only

Ars Nova announces a return engagement of the universally-acclaimed Underground Railroad Game. The provocative Ars Nova production, which The New York Times named "one of the 25 best new American plays in the past 25 years," is created by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard with Philadelphia-based theater company Lightning Rod Special and directed by Taibi Magar. The strictly limited return engagement will run for 18 performances only at Ars Nova at Greenwich House (27 Barrow Street) from May 30-June 15 with an opening night set for June 1.

Since opening in New York on September 26, 2016, Ars Nova has toured Underground Railroad Game to eight cities on three continents in over 200 performances. The production was declared the "Best of 2016" by The New York Times and Time Out New York, won the 2017 OBIE for Best New American Play, a 2018 Scotsman Fringe First Award, and has sold-out theaters across the globe. The return engagement marks the first opportunity for New York audiences to experience this celebrated work since its sold-out, thrice-extended world premiere at Ars Nova.

The production has received universal acclaim from international critics and sparked conversations around the painful history of slavery in America, the long-lasting effects of British colonialism across the globe and, recently, the devastating impact of European invasion on Australia's Indigenous population.

Underground Railroad Game welcomes audiences to Hanover Middle School, where a pair of teachers - Kidwell and Sheppard - are keen to introduce you to today's lesson. The nimble duo goes round after round on the mat of our nation's history, tackling race, sex and power in this R-rated, kaleidoscopic and fearless comedy.

On the return of the production, Ars Nova Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan said, "Having experienced the response to Jenn and Scott's masterfully triumphant play over the course of the initial Ars Nova run, it's been wonderful to see the overwhelming response to it around the world for the past two years. It was always our hope that we'd find a way to bring Underground Railroad Game back to New York audiences and it feels perfect to have the tour come home, as part of the first year of Ars Nova at Greenwich House."

Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard will reprise their roles in the return engagement.

The creative team for Underground Railroad Game includes Tilly Grimes (production design), Steven Dufala (scenic design), Oona Curley (lighting design) Mikaal Sulaiman (sound design), Ryan Borque (fight choreography), David Neumann (Movement Consultant) Lisa McGinn (Production Stage Manager), and Natalie Hratko (Assistant Stage Manager).

Tickets: $45-$90; On Sale April 22 at Noon

Discount tickets & advance access available at arsnovanyc.com

Photo Credit: Cade Martin

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