Casts Announced for FALL RIVER FISHING and THE GOOD JOHN PROCTOR World Premieres at BEDLAM

BEDLAM has announced casting for its 2023 season at the Connelly Theater in Manhattan (220 East 4th Street, New York NY 10007), which will feature two world premieres: Zuzanna Szadkowski & Deborah Knox's FALL RIVER FISHING and Talene Monahon's THE GOOD John Proctor. Tickets for BEDLAM's 2023 season are now on sale at bedlam.org.

BEDLAM's world premiere of FALL RIVER FISHING, by Zuzanna Szadkowski & Deborah Knox, is directed by Eric Tucker and will run from February 17 to March 9. The official opening date is Sunday, February 26th at 2pm. Its cast features Zuzanna Szadkowski, Deborah Knox, Susannah Millonzi, Tony Torn, and Jamie Smithson. The production features Stage Management by Diane Healy, Assistant Stage Management by Lacey Jo Stoat, Lighting Design by Les Dickert, Set Design by Cate McCrea, Properties Design by Buffy Cardoza, and Costume Design by Charlotte Palmer-Lane.

BEDLAM's world premiere of THE GOOD John Proctor, by Talene Monahon, is directed by Caitlin Sullivan and will run from March 11 to April 1. The official opening date is Sunday, March 19th at 2pm. Its cast features Tavi Gevinson, Brittany K. Allen, Sharlene Cruz, and Susannah Perkins. The production features Stage Management by Esti Bernstein and Assistant Stage Management by Kelly Merritt, Lighting Design by Isabella Byrd, Set Design by Cate McCrea, and Properties Design by Buffy Cardoza.

FALL RIVER FISHING

is a riotous and kaleidoscopic tour through the story of Lizzie Borden, who "took an axe" and was acquitted of the hatchet murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892. Zuzanna Szadkowski & Deborah Knox's darkly absurd comedy about what happened that day Lizzie did or didn't murder her parents is a story about broken Hollywood dreams, unrequited love, self-loathing, generosity, vanity and the mean things that stepmoms say. The play's irreverent, anarchic humor ultimately grows to encompass Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE, contemporary Brooklyn, Sharon Tate, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing the people we're closest to, in a contemporary meditation on/war against a disappointing life.

THE GOOD John Proctor

is a new look at the lead-up to the Salem Witch Trials, imagining the inner lives of the real girls at the center of the trials as they hurtle toward the events dramatized in Arthur Miller's THE CRUCIBLE. Abigail Warren, age eleven, and Betty Parris, age nine and a half, are best friends. There's also Mercy Lewis, the child alcoholic, and Mary Warren, who shakes for no reason. The girls churn butter, play with poppets, and listen to The Woods at night. But their world is turned upside-down when Abigail starts to work for a farmer named John Proctor. Playwright Talene Monahon brings these familiar names to new life as the young women of Salem navigate the nature of Satan and the bloody trials of adolescence. THE GOOD John Proctor marks the first BEDLAM production directed by someone other than Artistic Director Eric Tucker.

In producing two new plays by living writers, BEDLAM continues its commitment to the next generation of classics. Both plays were previously workshopped by the company under its DO MORE: NEW PLAYS developmental programming, which will return later in 2023.

Tickets for FALL RIVER FISHING and THE GOOD John Proctor range from $45 To $85. In addition to providing free and reduced-price tickets to underserved communities and educational programs, BEDLAM's ongoing Access Ticket Initiative will also include two designated "Pay What You Can" performances on February 19 and March 12. At these Sunday matinee performances, patrons may secure a ticket at any price they wish at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. This continues BEDLAM's existing ticket accessibility efforts, which also include $10 Rush Tickets available to all students, Veterans, and current service members starting thirty minutes prior to every performance. For tickets and the full schedule, visit bedlam.org.

In 2022, BEDLAM celebrated its tenth anniversary. What has remained consistent in all their work - be it Shakespeare, Shaw, or Austen; in a theatre, a classroom, or online - is the belief that the classics are for everyone, and that exploring these traditional forms yields unique insights into our humanity and inspires empathy in us all. BEDLAM looks forward to celebrating this belief in practice over the course of its eleventh season.