Sextant Productions to Stage U.S. Premiere of Kafka's THE TRIAL

Sextant Productions will present the American premiere of Kafka's THE TRIAL, adapted for the stage by Andrew Visnevski, at The Cherry Lane Studio Theatre from April 19th to May 6th.

Artistic Director Isabella Knight chose the play as the inaugural production, since it reflects Sextant's mission to produce theatre that helps audiences find their way through turbulent times. The original production won acclaim years ago during a long run in London at The Young Vic and on the Edinburgh Fringe.

"I feel like I'm stuck in a Kafka short story when I read newspaper headlines in 2018. I'm trying to figure out whether I'm supposed to laugh or be horrified by what's going on around me," notes Director Drigan Lee. "Kafka's comic genius helps us face the anxiety of our surreal historical moment."

Will Dagger plays Joseph K, the orderly bank clerk who is arrested by an unnamed authority for an unnamed crime. Dagger has recently performed at Ma-Yi (Among the Dead), Signature Center (Trees in Their Youth), and Ars Nova (Latter Days) and returns to Cherry Lane (The Convent of Pleasure). He has developed new work at EST, The Lark, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons, Lesser America, The New Group, and Clubbed Thumb. Dagger was featured in the short film, Napoleon in Exile, for which he won a 30under30 Best Actor award.

Isabella Knight, who recently won a Best Supporting Actress award at the Milan Film Festival for the comic short, Growing up Fat and Albanian, will play several authoritarian characters traditionally performed by men. (She played all of the women's roles in the original production.) Other members of the cast include Matt Kuyawa, Drigan Lee, and Desiree Staples. These four actors will play a total of twenty-one ensemble roles.

Performances of Kafka's THE TRIAL are scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM and Sunday matinees are scheduled for 2:00 PM on April 22 and 3:00 PM on April 29 and May 6. (There is no evening performance on May 6th.) The Cherry Lane Theatre is located at 38 Commerce Street in the West Village (www.cherrylanetheatre.org). Tickets are $30. For reservations and additional information, call OvationTix at 212-252-3191 or 1-866-811-4111.

Sextant Productions is a sponsored artist with The Performance Zone Inc. (dba The Field), a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization serving the performing arts community. Contributions to The Field earmarked Sextant Productions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information about The Field, contact: The Field, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 906 New York, NY 10038 www.thefield.org (212) 691-6969 or for our national charities registration, see details. A copy of our latest financial report may be obtained from The Field or from the Office of Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

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