Audible Inc. and Audible Theater have announced the New York premiere of the critically acclaimed Goodman Theatre production of Pulitzer Prize Finalist Rebecca Gilman‘s compelling new play, SWING STATE, directed by Tony Award winner Robert Falls (Death of a Salesman).
SWING STATE will begin a seven-week limited engagement on Friday 8 September 2023, with opening night set for Sunday 17 September at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre, Audible’s creative home for live performances in New York.
The original cast of Chicago powerhouses – Mary Beth Fisher (Peg), Kirsten Fitzgerald (Sheriff Kris), Anne E. Thompson (Dani) and Bubba Weiler (Ryan) – will reprise their roles in Gilman’s contemporary portrait of America’s heartland in a time when it feels like everyone’s way of life is in danger of disappearing.
The show will also be recorded and released on Audible at a later date, extending its reach to millions of listeners around the world.
Evenings on the prairie are relatively quiet for Peg, a recently widowed woman in rural Wisconsin who still cooks for two. Which doesn’t go to waste whenever Ryan, a dear friend with a troubled past, pays her a visit. However, after noticing her husband’s toolbox is missing, she places a call to the local authorities—unwittingly setting off a series of events that will forever reverberate through the small community.
The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (scenic design), Evelyn M. Danner (costume design), Eric Southern (lighting design), Richard Woodbury (original music and sound design), Nick Sandys (fight and intimacy director), Alice Maguire (properties), Patrick Fries (production stage manager), and Lauren Port CSA & Rachael Jimenez CSA & (casting). Technical supervision is by Hudson Theatrical Associates’ Sean Gorski with general management by Baseline Theatrical’s Jonathan Whitton.
Understudies include Laura T. Fisher (u/s Peg), Jessica Ervin (u/s Dani), and Jack Lancaster (u/s Ryan).
Rebecca Gilman is the most-produced contemporary playwright in Goodman Theatre history. SWING STATE marks Gilman’s sixth play with Robert Falls; their collaborations span more than 35 years.
