New Play GRAY MUD by Brie Leftwich to Premiere at Theater for the New City
Directed by Damayanti Wallace, the coming-of-age drama set in the New Jersey Pine Barrens launches Frayed Knot Collective’s Original Development Series.
The world premiere of GRAY MUD, a new play by Brie Leftwich, will open at Theater for the New City for a limited engagement from November 7–23.
The production is directed by Damayanti Wallace and produced by Nadel Henville, Ian Ryan, and Frayed Knot Collective, with co-producers Joshua Blount, Jamiel Burkhart, Kayla Stewart, and MilkyWay Theatre Company.
Set deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Gray Mud unfolds at Camp Orangewood, a summer camp filled with mosquitoes, midnight whispers, and the restless energy of adolescence. The story follows two best friends during their final summer before high school as shifting dynamics of popularity and attention begin to test their friendship. As admiration turns into pressure and trust begins to fray, Gray Mud explores the fragile boundary between innocence and experience.
The cast features Tara Halpern (Theresa), Nadel Henville (Camper 2), Connor Riordan (Philip), Celeste Samson (Rachel), Anja Vasa (Camper 1), Braden Andrews (Philip U/S), Alex Wanebo (Camper 1/Theresa Swing), and Morgan Williams (Camper 2/Rachel Swing).
The creative team includes Serena Alexander (Stage Manager), Lani Boschulte (Sound Designer), Isabelle Chirls (Intimacy Director), Mollie Leckrone (Props Designer), Lauren Lee (Lighting Designer), Pan Moncada (Scenic Designer), Olivia Shacklett (Wardrobe Supervisor), and Haley Tynes (Costume Designer).
Playwright Brie Leftwich is a New York–based writer, content creator, and dresser, and an alumna of NYU Tisch and the 2023 Cohort of 24-Hour Plays Nationals. Her previous works include The Last Time Stop Ever Made (The Tank’s In Our Utopia Festival), s m u t (NYU Festival of Short Works), and Apartments (Sacred Heart University National High School Playwriting Competition).
Gray Mud is part of Frayed Knot Collective’s Original Development Series, which champions accessible, boundary-pushing performance art and supports original storytelling from diverse creative voices.
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