ACROSS A WICKED WEED to Make World Premiere at AMT Theater

The new play Across a Wicked Weed has found its cast ahead of its world premiere at AMT Theater in New York City as part of the 2026 Circle Theater Festival.

Written by actor and playwright Adir Lev Mann, the production will star Orli Gottesman (Yellowstone, Leave the World Behind) as Leia, Mann (Power: Origins) as Idan, and Andrew R. Cooksey Jr. (The Ritz, Law & Order, Blue Bloods) as Mr. Charles, with Noa Tesler as the voice of Nora. Directed by Maya Mills, with assistant director and stage manager Shira Gazit.

Set over the course of one winter night in Asheville, North Carolina, Across a Wicked Weed follows two young people confronting what may be the final night of their five year relationship. Raw, funny, and heartbreaking, the play explores first love, growing up, memory, and the people who help shape who we become.

Mann plays Idan, a sensitive and deeply nostalgic 20 year old who has been with Leia since he was fifteen. Gottesman plays Leia, an independent and emotionally guarded 19 year old who has been with Idan since she was fourteen. Cooksey plays Mr. Charles, their 70 year old building superintendent and former local music legend whose presence becomes unexpectedly intertwined with their night. Tesler voices Nora, the ever present in home smart assistant whose interruptions punctuate the increasingly intimate evening.

Inspired by true events but ultimately a work of fiction, Across a Wicked Weed began as Mann's attempt to make sense of a first love he had carried with him for years. The story has already begun connecting with audiences before reaching the stage. A promotional film for the production has received more than 170,000 views across social media, prompting viewers to share stories of their own first loves, heartbreaks, and the people they still carry with them.

The creative team includes Tara A. Meged as the Set Designer and Photographer, Ray Maxwell as the Intimacy Coordinator, Jonathan Almog as the Graphic Designer, and Anthony Tisi as the production's Videographer, in addition to Noa Tesler and Batel Mann as social media coordinators.