The cast and creative team of Atlantic Theater Company’s Dying For It. Photo Credit: Ahron Foster
C.J. Wilson (Photo by Lia Chang)
Atlantic Theater Company is presenting the American premiere of Dying For It, by Moira Buffini, freely adapted from Nikolai Erdman’s The Suicide, directed by Neil Pepe and featuring Mia Barron, Ben Beckley, Nathan Dame, Patch Darragh, Clea Lewis, Peter Maloney, Andrew Mayer, Mary Beth Peil, Jeanine Serralles, Joey Slotnick, Robert Stanton and C.J. Wilson.
Dying For It began previews on December 11 and officially opens on Thursday, January 8, 2015 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 18 Off Broadway at Atlantic Theater Company at The Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street). Click here to purchase tickets.
Dying For It is the story of Semyon (Slotnick), a man down on his luck, married to a nag (Serralles), and out of options. When he decides to throw in the towel and kill himself, a deluge of sympathetic visitors descends upon him, determined to make him a martyr for their many causes. Swept up in the firestorm of attention, Semyon does take matters into his own hands, but not quite in the fashion that everyone expects. An outrageous satire on the hypocrisy and illogic of Soviet life, this play was banned by Stalin before it ever saw the light of day, and is now regarded as an under-known 20th century classic comedy.
Atlantic Theater Company artistic director Neil Pepe recently staged the acclaimed world premiere production of John Guare’s 3 Kinds of Exile at Atlantic and the Broadway production of the new musical Hands on a Hardbody. He also directed the hit revival of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow and Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre. Off-Broadway highlights include Jez Butterworth’s Parlour Song, Mojo and The Night Heron; Ethan Coen’s Happy Hour, Offices and Almost an Evening; Harold Pinter’s Celebration and The Room and Adam Rapp’s Dreams of Flying, Dreams of Falling.
Moira Buffini returns to Atlantic following the American premiere production of her award winning play Gabriel. Her play Dinner, commissioned by the National Theatre, was nominated for an Olivier Award® for Best New Comedy and was presented stateside at The Bay Street Theatre in a production starring Mercedes Ruehl. She is currently filming Sutton Hoo, directed by Susanne Bier starring Cate Blanchett.
Mia Barron was recently featured in the Bruce Norris play Domesticated Off Broadway and has appeared on Broadway in The Coast of Utopia and QED. Ben Beckley makes his Off Broadway debut after recently returning from the first national tour of Peter and the Starcatcher. Nathan Dame appeared in the recent acclaimed Off Broadway revival of Our Town. Patch Darragh returns to Atlantic after starring in Rolin Jones world premiere of The Jammer. Clea Lewis returns to Atlantic where she first appeared in the world premiere of Woody Allen’s Writer’s Block. Andrew Mayer recently appeared Off Broadway in The 12 – A New Rock Musical. Atlantic company member Peter Maloney has appeared in twenty-one plays at Atlantic including 3 Kinds of Exile, The New York Idea, Bottom of the World, Trumpery and The Voysey Inheritance. Atlantic company member Mary Beth Peil returns to Atlantic following recent appearances in The Threepenny Opera and Harper Regan. Jeanine Serralles returns to Atlantic after starring in Rolin Jones world premiere of The Jammer. Joey Slotnick has starred in three world premiere plays by Ethan Coen at Atlantic – Happy Hour, Offices and Almost an Evening. Robert Stanton’s Broadway credits include Mary Stuart and The Coast of Utopia, he returns to Atlantic where he appeared in The Bald Soprano. C.J. Wilson’s recent Broadway credits include Bronx Bombers, The Big Knife and Glengarry Glen Ross and returns to Atlantic following appearances in Our New Girl, Offices and The Voysey Inheritance.
Dying For It features scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Suttirat Larlarb and Moria Clinton, lighting design byDavid Weiner and sound design by Ben Truppin-Brown, original musical composed by Josh Schmidt and fight direction by J. David Brimmer.
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Lia Chang Photo by GK
Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia starred as Carole Barbara in Lorey Hayes’ Power Play at the 2013 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, and made her jazz vocalist debut in Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz “LADY” at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York. She is profiled in Jade Magazine.
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