Geva Theatre Center to Stage Molly Smith Metzler's THE MAY QUEEN

A new comedy by Molly Smith Metzler closes the 2015-2016 ESL Wilson Stage Series as Geva Theatre Center presents The May Queen. Directed by Amanda Charlton, The May Queen runs in the Elaine P. Wilson Stage from May 3 through May 29.

Everyone who graduated from the Kingston NY High School Class of '97 wonders what happened to their revered May Queen. Some say she became one of Spitzer's hookers; others say she married a sheik in Dubai - but when she suddenly resurfaces in town and starts temping at a small insurance agency, things are a far cry from what they expected. Gossip kicks into high gear among these classmates, turned co-workers, in this fun, fresh and savvy new office comedy with a gigantic heart.

Playwright Molly Smith Metzler grew up in Kingston, New York. Her plays - including Elemeno Pea, The May Queen, Close Up Space, Carve, and Training Wisteria - have been produced across the country and Off-Broadway at such theatres as Manhattan Theatre Club, The Kennedy Center, The Humana Festival of New American Plays, South Coast Rep, Chautauqua Theatre Company, and more. Molly is a proud alum of SUNY Geneseo, where she took her first playwriting class with Terry Browne in 1999. She also studied at Boston University, NYU Tisch, and The Juilliard School, where she was a two-time recipient of the Lecomte du Nouy prize from Lincoln Center. Currently, she is under commission at South Coast Rep, Actors' Theatre of Louisville, and Manhattan Theatre Club. She lives in LA, where she writes for "Orange is the New Black" (Netflix) and "Casual" (Hulu). The May Queen premiered to great acclaim in 2014 in a production by the Chautauqua Theatre Company.

Making their Geva Theatre Center debuts in The May Queen are Julian Leong (Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," NBC's "Shades of Blue") as David Lund; Kathryn Meisle (Broadway's The Elephant Man (also the West End); Outside Mullingar and Tartuffe, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress), as Gail Gillespie; Peter O'Connor (Starz's "Flesh & Bone," NBC's "Mercy," "Ed" and "Book of Daniel") as Michael Petracca; Natasha Warner (feature films Farah Goes Bang and Odyssea) as Nicole Chen and Ariel Woodiwiss (Significant Other at Roundabout Theatre and The Convent of Pleasure at Cherry Lane Theatre) as Jennifer Nash.

The May Queen is directed by Amanda Charlton and the design team includes Timothy Mackabee (scenic design), Amy Clark (costume design), Ann G. Wrightson (lighting design) and Bart Fasbender (sound design).

The 2015-2016 Wilson Stage Series is sponsored by ESL Federal Credit Union. The May Queen is produced with support from Lead Co-Producer Flaum Management and Media Sponsor 100.5 The Drive.