Simon Van Booy Debuts First Play, HINDSIGHT, Opens 3/10

In old age we get the chance to view our lives as works of art that will soon be complete--a chance to reflect on whether we made the right choices.  Imagine if we had the ability to go back and change what we felt went wrong.  Imagine if hindsight was more than just helpless acceptance.

Simon Van Booy, winner of The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and author of the novel, Everything Beautiful Began After, joins The Drilling Company with the world premiere of his first play, "Hindsight" (previews beginning March 8 and opening on March 10, 2012).

Set in 1950s Paris, 25-year-old Barbara meets 85-year-old Barbie on a bench in the Jardin du Luxembourg--seemingly by accident. As the two women strike up conversation, their lives appear seamless, and we are soon entirely absorbed by their journey of choices, loss, fear, identity, sex, marriage, and ultimately forgiveness.

Simon Van Booy is also the author of The Secret Lives of People in Love, Love Begins in Winter, the editor of three philosophy books, and his essays have appeared in newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, and ELLE Men (China). He has written for NPR, the BBC, and his work has been translated into thirteen languages.

Hindsight features veteran actress Rebecca Darke, first seen on Broadway in 1951 in Peer Gynt with Karl Malden.  Darke has appeared memorably as Al Pacino's mother in The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and most recently in Darren Arnofsky's The Wrestler.

Newcomer Anwen Darcy joins her fresh from an appearance in Alan Ayckbourne's House and Garden at The Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theatre.

The play is to be directed by Hamilton Clancy (actor: American Gangster, Burn After Reading, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), founder and producing artistic director of The Drilling Company, now in its 14th year of premiering new plays and home of the Lower East Side's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (www.drillingcompany.org). This will be their ninth world premiere. The design team is led by Clancy's long-time collaborator, scenic designer Rebecca Lord Suratt (MFA NYU Tisch, EST). This will be their 12th production together. 

The Drilling Company has been recognized by The New York Times, the Pulitzer Prize Committee, The Heidemann Award, and NYIT Awards, among others.