KEN LUDWIG'S MORIARTY To Play Virginia Theatre Festival

The Virginia Theatre Festival has announced the cast and creative team for its production of Ken Ludwig's Moriarty: A New Sherlock Holmes Adventure.

Set to run June 20-28 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre at the University of Virginia, Ken Ludwig's Moriarty will be directed by noted theater, film, and television director Nicolas Minas, who returns to VTF following his acclaimed 2024 production of The 39 Steps.

The cast for MORIARTY will feature Xavier Markey-Smith as Sherlock Holmes, Samuel Taylor as Doctor Watson, Christopher Hainsworth as Moriarty, King Otto, and others, Rina Dutta as Irene Adler, Mrs. Hudson, and Cartwright, and Tovah Close as Daisy, Mrs. Barabas, Hilda Klebb, and others.

Markey-Smith’s New York and regional credits include Anne Frank in Mt. Vernon Ohio, Miss Julie, Business Ideas, Seminar, and Over the Pub. His film work includes All Good and 20 Minutes. He holds an MFA from New York University.

Taylor’s Chicago credits include productions with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Court Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Timeline, and Redmoon. Regional credits include work with American Players Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Syracuse Stage, and The New Victory. His television credits include BOARDWALK EMPIRE, Crisis, Mob Doctor, and CHICAGO FIRE. He earned a BFA through the Guthrie Theater/University of Minnesota program.

Hainsworth’s Chicago credits include The Seagull, Buddha’s Birthday, Evanston Salt Costs Climbing, Miss Holmes, Miss Holmes Returns, The Three Musketeers, Frankenstein, and Faith Healer. His screen credits include CHICAGO P.D. and CHICAGO FIRE. He trained at Illinois State University and completed the Steppenwolf Acting Fellowship.

Dutta’s New York credits include Plan C, Mia M.I.A., and The Leg. She is a company member of The Mercury Store Theater Lab and holds an MFA from NYU and a BA from Queens College.

Close’s regional credits include A Christmas Carol, Orestes 2.0, The Contrast, Lobby Hero, and The Bard of Avon. Local credits include What the Constitution Means to Me. She earned an MFA from the American Conservatory Theater and a BA from UC Santa Barbara.

The creative team includes director Nicolas Minas, movement director Jenny Lamb, scenic designer Se Hyun Oh, Costume Designer Jill Van Brussel, lighting designer Christina Watanabe, sound designer and original Music Composer Michael Rasbury, dialect and vocal coach Andrew Bryce, fight coordinator Colleen Kelly, wig and makeup designer Karman Boisset, production stage manager Emily McGregor, and assistant stage manager Leo Robinson. Casting is by Katja Zarolinski, CSA.

The Virginia Theatre Festival is a program of the University of Virginia, with support from the Office of the Provost, Vice Provost for the Arts, College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Drama, and The Caplin Foundation.

The Virginia Theatre Festival is supported by a generous grant from The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation. Ken Ludwig's Moriarty is presented by Charlottesville Media Group, The Parker Group at Morgan Stanley, and Virginia Cenedella.

The Virginia Theatre Festival 2026 Season will also include Disney's Newsies (July 9-19 at the Culbreth Theatre) and Frida…A Self Portrait (July 23-26 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre). Tickets for the 2026 season are currently on sale. Volunteer opportunities are also available this summer, and you can view more information on how to sign up here.

VTF donors provide essential support to the organization, while enjoying exclusive benefits like complimentary tickets, invitations to special events, behind-the-scenes access, and more. For more information on ways to support the upcoming season, visit virginiatheatrefestival.org/support.

To learn more about the Virginia Theatre Festival and the upcoming season, visit virginiatheatrefestival.org.