Theater News

Raúl Esparza, Michael Esper, and More Join 2019 Powerhouse Season

Initial casting has been announced for the annual summer readings festival.

Raúl Esparza joins the cast of Galileo, a new musical being presented as part of the 2019 Powerhouse Season.
Raúl Esparza joins the cast of Galileo, a new musical being presented as part of the 2019 Powerhouse Season.
(© David Gordon)

Initial casting has been announced for the first mainstage production of Vassar & New York Stage and Film's 35th Powerhouse Season.

Harrison David Rivers's The Bandaged Place (June 27-July 7) will star Caroline Clay (The Little Foxes), Sam Encarnacion (Jessica Jones), Milan Marsh (Law & Order: SVU), Phillip Johnson Richardson (Hamilton), and Michael Hsu Rosen (Torch Song). The creative team includes Wilson Chin (scenic design), Ásta Bennie Hostetter (costume design), Stacey Derosier (lighting design), Mauricio Escamilla (original music and sound design), Rocio Mendez (fight and intimacy direction), and movement by Jeremy McQueen. David Mendizábal directs.

Joining the annual summer readings festival is the new musical Galileo, featuring a book by two-time Emmy Award winner Danny Strong, music and lyrics by Michael Weiner and Zoe Sarnak, and direction by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer. The Galileo cast will include four-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza (Company), Michael Esper (Lazarus), Solea Pfeiffer (Hamilton), and Colton Ryan (Alice by Heart). The reading will be presented on Saturday, June 29 at 4pm at the Susan Stein Shiva Theater.

Also added to the lineup is Sarah Ruhl's new play Becky Nurse of Salem, about an ordinary but strong-willed grandmother just trying to get by in post-Obama America. The play will be presented on Friday, July 19 at 8pm in the Martel Theater.

Additional casting of the 2019 Powerhouse Season will be announced shortly.