Inception Star Makes NY Stage Debut in THE AWESOME DANCE 9/2-26

Speranza Theatre Company invites you to World Premiere of THE AWESOME DANCE by Nick Starr. The production, directed by Malinda Sorci, marks the NY stage debut of Dileep Rao (Inception, Avatar, Drag Me To Hell). Performances run September 2 - 26 at The Cherry Pit is located at 155
Bank Street between West & Washington Streets.

THE AWESOME DANCE is a dark comedy that follows four souls through multiple lifetimes. In the first scene, three women seeking a Guru's grace are caught in a fanatic's quest for glory. Later, a man's wife and sister accidentally force him into the path of a distracted driver on the day of his father's funeral. Next, two women waiting for their adoptive child to be born discover a disturbing truth about the birth mother. And finally, a man pursuing the love of a woman he barely knows must first fulfill a terrifying demand. Can four souls bound by lifetimes of mutually inflicted pain find peace?

You are invited to attend one of the following performances of THE
AWESOME DANCE:
- Friday, September 3 at 8pm
- Saturday, September 4 at 8pm
- Sunday, September 5 at 5pm
- Wednesday, September 8 at 8pm (opening)
- Thursday, September 9 at 8pm
- Friday, September 10 at 8pm

In addition to Dileep Rao, THE AWESOME DANCE also stars Julie Cavaliere, Rachel Cornish. and Caitlin Talbot. The production features costumes by Jessa-Raye Court, lighting by Al Roundtree, set by Sylviane Jacobsen, sound by Matthew Sherwin and production stage management by Julie Wilson.

THE AWESOME DANCE was written under the advisorship of Christopher Shinn at The New School for Drama where it received its initial workshop production. The play also received readings at The Blank Theatre in Los Angeles (Artistic Dir. Noah Wyle), and at The Barrow Street Theatre as part of the 2009 Fortnight Festival.

Dileep Rao can currently be see in Christopher Nolan's Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio, James Cameron's Avatar as Dr. Max Patel opposite Sigourney Weaver and in Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell. His theater credits include Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink (American Premiere, American Conservatory Theater), Making it (World Premiere, South Coast Repertory Theater), Charles Mee's A Perfect Wedding (World Premiere, Kirk Douglas Theater) and Fetes de la Nuit (World Premiere, Berkeley
Repertory Theatre), and the national tour of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. A native of Los Angeles, Rao is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego and holds an MFA from A.C.T.

Nick Starr's play The Songs of Forgettance won a 2004 LA Weekly Award. He received his MFA in playwriting from the New School for Drama and teaches screenwriting at SUNY New Paltz. He was an artist in residence at The Center Theatre Group. His play 1000 Blinks A Minute will also be produced by theNest in New York City this Fall.

Speranza Theatre Company was founded in 2008 by Francesca Bove, Rachel Cornish and Heather Wahl. It is a collective group of alumni from the MFA Acting Program at The New School for Drama. Speranza subscribes to an actor-director-playwright collaborative approach to story-telling.
Through risk-taking projects that respond to societal issues, Speranza will work to spark audience curiosity and cultivate emerging artists. For more info visit www.speranzatheatrecompany.com.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Off-Broadway Play - Top 3

1. A Christmas Carol (Thorne Adaptation) - PAC NYC

6.9% of votes

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3. Kenrex - Lucille Lortel Theatre

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