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THE BIG BAD Will Receive Workshop Production at Abrons Arts Center

The new play by Ren Dara Santiago will run in the Underground Theater on the Lower East Side.

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THE BIG BAD Will Receive Workshop Production at Abrons Arts Center

A workshop production of THE BIG BAD by Ren Dara Santiago will run May 7 through May 16 at Abrons Arts Center’s Underground Theater in New York City. The production is presented by Divine Riot and Healing TREE and will be directed by Mack Brown.

The cast will include Mahalet Dejene, Felipe Jorge, Marissa Ghavami, Cassidy Layton, and Lauren Sowa, with Leo Delgado, Phoebe Dunn, and Lizzie Milanovich serving as understudies. Layton and Ghavami are also producing the project alongside Santiago, who is also co-producing, with assistant direction by Madalyn St. John. Janja Lalich, PhD, of the Lalich Center on Cults and Coercion is associate producing.

The play follows Ash, the youngest of three foster siblings, as they return home after a mental health crisis and confront family history through a mix of memory, myth, and digital storytelling. The work explores intergenerational trauma, deprogramming and the supernatural.

The creative team will include Liz Hetzel (stage manager), Josh Oberlander (set design), Hahnji Jang (costume design), Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor (projection design), Hunter Lustberg (lighting design) and Joyce Ciesil (sound design).

Performance Schedule

Performances will take place May 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, and 16 at 7:00 p.m., with additional 2:00 p.m. matinees on Saturdays.

Ticket Information

Tickets are available at bit.ly/thebigbadtix. Subsidized tickets will be offered for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC youth, as well as youth in the foster system and those experiencing mental health challenges.

The production will take place at Abrons Arts Center, located at 466 Grand Street in New York City.



Theater Fans' Choice Awards
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Best Lead Performer in a Musical - Top 3
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15.9% of votes
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