La Jolla Playhouse Will Present the World Premiere of Ayad Akhtar's THE WHO & THE WHAT

La Jolla Playhouse announces its final production for its 2013/14 season: the world premiere of The Who & The What, by Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced), directed by Kimberly Senior (The North Plan), running February 11 - March 9, 2014 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre.

Raised in a conservative Muslim family in Atlanta, the outspoken and brilliant Zarina routinely clashes with her traditional father and sister. Zarina's one outlet - her recently completed book about women and Islam - threatens to tear her family apart for good. With humor and ferocity, Ayad Akhtar's The Who & The What examines the giant chasm between our traditions and our contemporary lives.

The play had its first developmental reading this past February during The Playhouse's inaugural DNA New Work Series, which entailed a six-week period of workshop productions and readings of new plays and musicals. Following the reading of The Who & The What, Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley immediately wanted this provocative new play as part of the 2013/2014 season.

"I was so moved - not just by the piece itself, but also by the passionate and invigorating discussions it prompted with our audience after the reading," said Ashley. "The play tackles many hot-button issues surrounding religion and family traditions, but with tremendous wit, warmth and wisdom. We welcome the opportunity to work with Ayad on his latest piece and witness the emergence of a major new voice in American theatre."

The Playhouse will continue the development of The Who & The What with two additional steps: a reading in June and a workshop in September, both of which will incorporate discussions and post-show talk-backs with audiences and community leaders.

The DNA New Work Series is designed to give playwrights the opportunity to develop a script by providing rehearsal time, space and resources, culminating in a workshop production or public reading. In its highly-successful first year, the series featured a concert reading of Chasing the Song, by Memphis creators Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, workshop productions of Meg Miroshnik's The Tall Girls and Aditi Brennan Kapil's Brahman/i, plus six 1-day readings, giving The Playhouse the opportunity to cultivate relationships with numerous emerging and established artists. The series joins The Playhouse's roster of exciting new work development initiatives, including commissions, artist residencies and the signature Page To Stage Play Development Program.

As previously announced, La Jolla Playhouse's 2013/2014 season includes His Girl Friday (Mandell Weiss Theatre: May 28 - June 30), adapted by John Guare from the Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur play The Front Page and the Howard Hawks film His Girl Friday, with screenplay by Charles Lederer, produced by Columbia Pictures, directed by Christopher Ashley; Tribes (Mandell Weiss Forum: June 25 - July 21), by Nina Raine, directed by David Cromer; Sideways (Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre: July 16 - August 18), by Rex Pickett, directed by Des McAnuff; the world premiere of The Tallest Tree in the Forest (Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre: October 9 - November 3); written and performed by Daniel Beaty, directed by Moisés Kaufman and a re-imagined production of the Tony Award-nominated musical Side Show (Mandell Weiss Theatre: November 5 - December 15), music by Henry Krieger, book and lyrics by Bill Russell and directed by Academy Award-winner Bill Condon, produced in association with The Kennedy Center. Tickets to the 2013/2014 season are only available through a subscription purchase by calling the Patron Services Office at (858) 550-1010 or at LaJollaPlayhouse.org.

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