The Black Monk

Undermain Theatre is pleased to announce its next show, The Black Monk by David Rabe, based on an Anton Chekhov story, will be performed at Undermain’s Dallas location in historic Deep Ellum. Katherine Owens will direct. Designed by John Arnone, Steve Woods and Bryan Wofford.David Rabe brings Anton Chekov’s spiritual mystery to vivid life.  Tony and Obie award winning writer David Rabe is the author of such classic American contemporary plays as Stick and Bones, Hurlyburly, Streamers, In the Boom Boom Room and more. He’s also written screenplays for films such as I’m Dancing as fast as I can, The Firm and Casualties of War. Undermain returns to Rabe’s work after the acclaimed productions of Rabe’s play Goose and Tom Tom, which Rabe attended in 1991.

Kovrin, a young scholar exhausted to the point of madness by his studies decides to visit his childhood friend Tanya on her father’s garden estate. The two fall in love and plan to marry. Kovrin tells Tanya the legend of the black monk whose image has been reflected in mirages for a thousand years and who will soon return in the flesh. One day in the garden, the black monk appears to the young man and holds the key to either enlightenment or total devastation.

The cast for The Black Monk is: Garrett Schenck as Yegor Semyonitch Pesotsky; Jonathan Brooks as Andrei Vasilich Kovrin; Shannon Kearns-Simmons as Tanya; Newton Pittman as The Black Monk; Stefanie Tovar as Nadia; Richard Rollin as Orlov; Maryam Baig-Lush as Varvara Nikolaevna; Ian Sinclair as Mikhail; Parker Hornsby as Yakov; Ryan Lescalleet as ensemble. Musicians will be Ariana Cook and Reynaldo Patiño.