MEET THE CARTOZIANS Will Star Andrea Martin, Will Brill and More

Complete casting has been announced for Talene Monahon’s MEET THE CARTOZIANS, directed by Tony Award-winner David Cromer. The world premiere production kicks off Second Stage Theater’s  47th Season, the first under the leadership of Artistic Director Evan Cabnet and Executive Director Adam Siegel.

The MEET THE CARTOZIANS company will feature Raffi Barsoumian (Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Code), Tony  Award-winner Will Brill (Stereophonic, Fellow Travelers), Two-time Tony Award-winner Andrea Martin (Pippin,  McNeal), Nael Nacer (Prayer for the French Republic), Obie Award-winner Susan Pourfar (Mary Jane, 2ST’s Mary  Page Marlowe), and Tamara Sevunts (off-Broadway’s Daybreak and Your Alice). 

MEET THE CARTOZIANS will begin previews October 29th and officially open on November 17th at the Irene  Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). Tickets are available at 2ST.com.  Discounts are available for groups of ten or more. For more information on group booking, email  groups@2st.com. 

Part riveting historical drama, part scorching satire, Talene Monahon’s MEET THE CARTOZIANS pulls back the  curtain on a startling chapter of American history you may never have heard.  

This bold, witty new play follows two sets of Armenian Americans: one man fighting for legal recognition in the  1920s, while a century later, his descendant fights for followers and a competent glam team. A wildly  imaginative and deeply compelling story of culture and heritage, MEET THE CARTOZIANS asks who gets to  belong—and at what cost? 

MEET THE CARTOZIANS will feature scenic design by Tatiana Kahvegian, costume design by Enver Chakartash,  and lighting design Stacey Derosier. The Voice and Dialect Coach is Gigi Buffington. Casting is by Daniel Swee,  CSA. Additional members of the creative team to be announced at a later date. 

ABOUT THE CAST 

Raffi Barsoumian. Broadway: Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Off-Broadway: Translations (Irish Rep); Macbeth  (CSC); Privacy, Pericles (The Public Theater); King Lear, Arok of Java (Exit, Pursued By a Bear). Los Angeles:  Henry IV (Shakespeare Center of L.A.); Guards at the Taj (The Geffen Playhouse); Red Noses (The Actor’s  Gang). Regionally: 3 seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; American Shakespeare Center; Actor’s  Shakespeare Company; Stanford Summer Theater. Television: “Seal Team” (Paramount+); DC’s “Legends of  Tomorrow” (CW); “The Code” (CBS); “Shameless” (Showtime); “The Vampire Diaries” (CW). 

Will Brill won a Tony Award in 2024 for his role in Stereophonic. He’s known for standout performances  in Fellow Travelers, portraying Roy Cohn, and fan-favorite roles in The OA and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Film  work includes Test Pattern and Not Fade Away. A Broadway veteran, he’s starred in You Can’t Take It With  You, Oklahoma!, and Act One. Upcoming, Brill will star in Netflix’s The Whisper Man opposite Robert DeNiro and  Michelle Monaghan & Being Heumann for Apple Studios.

Andrea Martin is the recipient of two Tony Awards for her work on stage and two Emmy Awards for her work  on television. She has also been recognized by the Drama Desk, Outer Critics’ Circle, SAG-AFTRA, and Television  Critics’ Association for her performances, and has been honored with a star on the Canada Walk of Fame. She  received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2024. 

Nael Nacer is making his Second Stage Theater debut. Broadway: Prayer for the French Republic (MTC). Off Broadway: The Orchard (BAC/Arlekin). Regional: Leopoldstadt (STC); Triumph of Love, A Doll’s House, Bedroom  Farce, Our Town (The Huntington); Angels in America (Bedlam/CST); Winter's Tale, Macbeth, The Tempest (Comm Shakes); People, Places & Things, Small Mouth Sounds (SpeakEasy Stage); The Merchant of Venice (Actors' Shakespeare Project); The Ding Dongs (Kitchen Theatre); Tiny Beautiful Things, The Flick (Gloucester  Stage); Intimate Apparel (Lyric Stage). Awards: Elliot Norton, IRNE. @naelnacer 

Susan Pourfar most recently appeared on Broadway opposite Rachel McAdams in the Tony-nominated play  Mary Jane. Pourfar's performances Off-Broadway have garnered her an Obie Award, a Theater World Award  and the Clarence Derwent Award from Actors Equity. Susan has been in multiple acclaimed television series  including: “Black Mirror,” “The Staircase,” “The Sinner,” “Manifest,” “The Loudest Voice,” “Scandal,”  “Elementary,” “Ray Donovan,” and “House of Cards,” and will appear in the upcoming series “The Beast in Me.” Films include Manchester by the Sea directed by Kenny Lonergan, Journal for Jordan directed by Denzel  Washington, In the Heights, Emelie, Baby Ruby, Rosemead and the upcoming indie Last Hand. 

Tamara Sevunts will be humble bragging about sharing the stage with these geniuses forever. Off Broadway: Daybreak (Beckett Theatre), Your Alice (BAM), The Good Girl (59E59 Theatres) and Loose Canon (SoHo Playhouse). International: Your Alice (EdFringe), Black Garden (Théâtre de l’Opprimé, Paris). She is a  graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and speaks six languages — though doesn’t plan on singing  about it (yet). Most importantly: Tamara is oh-so grateful to Talene for writing this story. 

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