National Tour of RED Premieres at Thalian Hall

Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts has announced a production and technical residency of RED, John Logan’s Tony Award-winning play, directed by Shane Fernando and co-produced with KMP Artists.

RED will run October 2–5, 2025, in Thalian Hall’s Stein Theatre before touring the nation.

“Thalian Hall is excited to collaborate with colleagues from NYC on this project as a co-producer and hosting this technical residency, which will employ local technicians, creative team members, and talent. We look forward to sending this work out on tour around the United States after the development process,” says Shane Fernando.  

Local actor Justin Smith, known for his roles in film and television (Saturday Night, Tammy, Revolution), joins the cast to play abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko approaching his final body of work. NYC-based Brazilian actor Glauco Araujo (Netflix’s Manifest, Russian Doll) joins the cast as Rothko’s new assistant Ken, a mentorship that reveals the artist’s true state as he approaches what could be his crowning achievement or his undoing.

Long known as Hollywood East, Wilmington's live entertainment industry pre-dates the “talkies” and “Moving Pictures” with a robust theatrical engine that is alive and well; one that often serves the film industry, but is an economic and creative generator in its own right. 

Earlier this year, Thalian Hall launched a capital campaign and transformation that will include a center for education and entrepreneurship, as well as workforce development initiatives for technical crew and artists. Creating a national tour of “RED” with local resources (designers, crew, actors, etc) is a glimpse of what’s to come.