Kerry Warren & Harlan Work to Join Edward Gero in Arena Stage's THE ORIGINALIST

Four-time Helen Hayes Award winner and acclaimed D.C. actor Edward Gero stars as one of America's most brilliant and polarizing figures-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia-in the world-premiere political drama The Originalist, by Charles MacArthur Award winner and Arena Stage resident playwright John Strand. When a bright, liberal law school graduate embarks on a nerve-wracking clerkship with Justice Scalia, she discovers him to be both an infuriating sparring partner and unexpected mentor. How will their relationship affect one of the most incendiary cases ever to reach the nation's highest court? Artistic Director Molly Smith directs this daring new play, which offers a rare portrayal of a sitting Supreme Court justice, and for the first time the intimate Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle will be configured into a three-quarter thrust configuration. The Originalist runs March 6-April 26, 2015.

Joining Gero, who returns to Arena Stage following his portrayal of legendary artist Mark Rothko in Red in 2012, are Kerry Warren (Broadway's The River) as Cat, the young clerk who becomes a sparring partner for Justice Scalia, and Harlan Work (Taffety Punk's Charm) as Brad, an eager Scalia devotee and Cat's opposite in every way.

"There are few other places in the country where this play could have such impact," says Smith. "Washington is home to all national politics, and no more so than the debates that happen in the Supreme Court. This is a meaty play-it does not tackle its subject matter lightly. Happily though, John Strand and his subjects have a gift for humor, so prepare to be both challenged and entertained by this piece of historical fiction."

"We're taking a risk here and crossing a boundary," adds Strand. "We're creating a play about a sitting Supreme Court justice. We start with a living public figure, identify him by name and craft a fictional drama around him. We use material from his life and work, from this city, from our time. But The Originalist is not a bio play or a documentary or a law lecture. It is live theater. It has a story to tell. It has to engage, it has to invite you to feel and think, to laugh and shout and argue."

For the first time, the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle will be reconfigured into its alternatively-designed seating layout, featuring audience members seated on three sides of the stage. Guiding the transformation of the space, from Justice Scalia's private chambers, to a Virginia shooting range, to the U.S. Supreme Court, is set designer Misha Kachman, along with production designs by costume designer Joseph P. Salasovich, lighting designer Colin K. Bills and composer Eric Shimelonis.

For all 14 preview performances, March 6-18, Strand will participate in post-performance conversations to discuss and answer questions about the process and politics of creating this new American play.

John Strand (Playwright) is a resident playwright with Arena Stage through the American Voices New Play Institute. His previous work at Arena Stage includes The Miser, an adaptation of the Molière play set in Reagan-era America; Lovers and Executioners, winner of the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play; and Tom Walker, also commissioned by Arena Stage. His recent work includes the book and lyrics for Hat! A Vaudeville, a new musical with a score by composer Dennis McCarthy (South Coast Repertory); Lincolnesque, a dark comedy about politics and madness in D.C. (The Old Globe, dir. by Joe Calarco); and Lorenzaccio, his adaptation of Alfred de Musset's 1834 French classic (Shakespeare Theatre Company, dir. by Michael Kahn). Strand is the author of the book for the musical The Highest Yellow, with a score by Michael John LaChiusa (Signature Theatre, dir. by Eric Schaeffer). Additional plays are The Diaries (commissioned by Signature Theatre, MacArthur nomination); Otabenga, (Signature Theatre, dir. by Michael Kahn, MacArthur nomination); Three Nights in Tehran, a comedy about the Iran-Contra affair (Signature Theatre); and The Cockburn Rituals (Woolly Mammoth Theatre). Strand spent 10 years in Paris, where he worked as a journalist and drama critic, writing in English and French, and directed New York University's Experimental Theater Wing in Paris. His novel Commieland was published by Kiwai Media, Paris (2013).

Molly Smith (Director) has served as Artistic Director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. since 1998. Her directing credits include Fiddler on the Roof, Camp David, Mother Courage and Her Children, Oklahoma!, A Moon for the Misbegotten, My Fair Lady, The Great White Hope, The Music Man, Orpheus Descending, Legacy of Light, The Women of Brewster Place, Cabaret, An American Daughter, South Pacific, Agamemnon and His Daughters, Coyote Builds North America, All My Sons and How I Learned to Drive at Arena Stage. Her directorial work has also been seen at the Shaw Festival in Canada, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company, Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, Centaur Theatre in Montreal and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska, which she founded and ran from 1979-1998. Molly has been a leader in new play development for over 30 years. She is a great believer in first, second and third productions of new work and has championed projects like How I Learned to Drive; Passion Play, a cycle and Next to Normal. She has worked alongside playwrights Sarah Ruhl, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Lawrence Wright, Karen Zacarías, John Murrell, Eric Coble, Charles Randolph-Wright and many others. She led the re-invention of Arena Stage, focusing on the architecture and creation of the Mead Center for American Theater and by positioning Arena Stage as a national center for American artists. During her time with the company, Arena Stage has workshopped more than 100 productions, produced 29 world premieres, staged numerous second and third productions and been an important part of nurturing seven projects that went on to have a life on Broadway. Molly recently made her Broadway debut directing The Velocity of Autumn, following its critically acclaimed run at Arena Stage in fall 2013. She was awarded honorary doctorates from American University and Towson University.

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