Susannah Flood received a Tony nomination this season for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, for her work starring in Liberation on Broadway. She reprised the role she originated Off-Broadway, where she received Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics Circle Awards as well as a Lortel Award nomination.
Adina Verson Shares Backstage Secrets From LIBERATION
Liberation is now playing on Broadway following its Outer Critics Circle Award-winning world premiere at Roundabout Theatre Company.
By: Stephi Wild
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We all know how much hard work goes into the performances that audiences see eight times a week on Broadway. When they're not giving it their all onstage, most performers are backstage doing what it takes to stay happy, healthy, and ready to go between scenes. In Words From The Wings, BroadwayWorld is taking fans behind the curtain to shine a spotlight on the everyday routines that keep Broadway stars moving.
In this edition, we catch up with Adina Verson who plays Susan in Liberation on Broadway. Below, they take us backstage at the James Earl Jones Theatre (with photos by Jennifer Broski) to share some of their favorite backstage moments, must-haves, and more!
Adina Verson (they/she)'s TV credits include Poppy White on “Only Murders in the Building”; “New Amsterdam”; “And Just Like That”; “Mozart in the Jungle”; “The Strain.” Theatre credits include the original casts of Indecent (Broadway, Ahmanson); A Transparent Musical (Mark Taper Forum); Wives (Playwrights Horizons); Collective Rage (MCC); Eddie and Dave (ATC); and The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova). Adina holds a BFA from The Boston Conservatory and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
What’s the first thing you do when you arrive to the theatre?
Dim the lights in my dressing room and turn on the essential oil diffuser-- vibes come first!
What’s the last thing you do before you go on stage?
Mentally connect with my castmates. See them with my eyeballs. It's very important to me to, above everything, be with my team out there.
What’s your must-have backstage snack?
Hard boiled eggs.
Pre-show ritual that others may think is weird?
I go through a mental list of people in Susie's (my character) life who have screwed her over and curse expletives at them.
What are five must-haves in your dressing room?
Apple cider vinegar, at least one picture of my daughter, a reusable makeup removing cloth, cold brew concentrate and oat milk, and a cozy nap situation (currently three extra large dog beds).
What’s your favorite moment from the show to watch from the wings?
I love watching Susannah's opening monologue to the audience-- she's brilliant! And it gives us a glimpse into the audience we're about to face. Like, "we've got a talker!" or "big laughs!" or "oh no, _____".
What has been your favorite backstage moment in your time with this show so far?
There are so many mamas in the cast and before the show we generally all have a goodnight FaceTime, and we're getting to know each other's kids this way! Now we all pop over to say hi to each kiddo. y daughter always wants me to pass the phone around, and it's so special to commune these two parts of my life that often feel very separate.
About Liberation
Liberation, the new play by Tony Award nominee Bess Wohl, and directed by Tony Award nominee Whitney White, officially opened on October 28, 2025 at the James Earl Jones Theatre. The production comes to Broadway following its world premiere earlier this year at Roundabout Theatre Company, where it won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play.
Liberation stars the original Off-Broadway company, who were honored by both the Drama Desk and the NY Drama Critic’s Circle for Best Ensemble Performance. The cast features Tony Award nominee Betsy Aidem (Broadway: Prayer for the French Republic, Leopoldstadt) as Margie, Audrey Corsa (TV: “Poker Face,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) as Dora, Kayla Davion (Broadway: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Waitress) as Joanne, Susannah Flood (Broadway: Birthday Candles, The Cherry Orchard) as Lizzie, Kristolyn Lloyd (Broadway: 1776, Dear Evan Hansen) as Celeste, Irene Sofia Lucio (Broadway/West End: Slave Play, Wit) as Isidora, Charlie Thurston (Off-Broadway: Here There Are Blueberries, Wedge Horse) as Bill, and Adina Verson (Broadway: Indecent; TV: “Only Murders in the Building”) as Susan. Understudies are Britt Faulkner, Leeanne Hutchison, Matt E. Russell, and Kedren Spencer.
1970s, Ohio. Lizzie gathers a group of women to talk about changing their lives, and the world. What follows is a necessary, messy, and bitingly funny exploration of what it means to be free, and to be a woman. In Liberation, Lizzie’s daughter steps into her mother’s memory—into the unfinished revolution she once helped ignite—and searches the past to find the answer for herself.
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