Theater News

Kristine Nielsen and Shannon Tyo to Star in Julia Izumi's Regretfully, So the Birds Are

WP Theater and Playwrights Horizons co-produce the world premiere of this globe-spanning family drama.

Kristine Nielsen and Shannon Tyo will appear in Julia Izumi's Regretfully, So the Birds Are, directed by Jenny Koons, at Playwrights Horizons.
Kristine Nielsen and Shannon Tyo will appear in Julia Izumi's Regretfully, So the Birds Are, directed by Jenny Koons, at Playwrights Horizons.
(© Tricia Baron / Sasha Diamond)

WP Theater and Playwrights Horizons have announced casting for their co-production of the world premiere of Julia Izumi's Regretfully, So the Birds Are, which will begin previews at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons on March 22 ahead of an official opening night on April 11. Performances are slated through April 30.

The story of three adopted Asian American siblings, Regretfully, So the Birds Are is described this way: "Arson, affairs, incest, and murder are only the beginning of problems for the Whistler siblings. Mora's got to find her birth mother, Neel's got to find himself, and Illy's got to keep her piece of the sky—but the birds have other plans. Regretfully, So the Birds Are is a wild, farcical tragedy that gleefully flips the human quest for self-discovery on its head."

The cast features Sasha Diamond (Illy), Gibson Frazier (Cam the Snowman), Kristine Nielsen (Elinore), Sky Smith (Neel), Pearl Sun (Srey), and Shannon Tyo (Mora). Jenny Koons directs.

The creative team includes You-Shin Chen (scenic designer), Alicia J. Austin (costume designer), Stacey Derosier (lighting designer), and Megumi Katayama (sound designer). Jenny Kennedy is the Production stage manager, and Jessie Moore is the assistant stage manager.