Photos: Lloyd Suh's FRANKLINLAND In Rehearsals At Ensemble Studio Theatre

Ensemble Studio Theatre will open its 56th Season with the New York premiere of FRANKLINLAND, a comedy by Lloyd Suh, Pulitzer Finalist, EST Member Artist, and alumni of EST’s Youngblood Playwrights Program. See photos from inside the rehearsal room.

FRANKLINLAND was commissioned and developed through the EST/Sloan Project, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the partnership between EST and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

Directed by Chika Ike, the cast features Noah Keyishian, Mason Reeves, and Thomas Jay Ryan. It is a story of growing up as the only son of Benjamin Franklin: the greatest scientific mind in the world, inventor of the lightning rod and the urinary catheter and the glass harmonica and bifocal glasses and, oh yeah, in his spare time the United States of America. FRANKLINLAND will run October 9 to November 3, with opening night on Thursday, October 17 at EST’s long-time home on West 52nd Street.

“Franklinland is in many ways a play about growing up and growing older, so what a treat it is to bring it to Ensemble Studio Theatre, where I had my professional debut over 20 years ago,” said Playwright Lloyd Suh. “The play is also about America, in all its complexities and contradictions, so I'm excited too about revisiting it right now, in this pivotal season of the American experiment.” Suh is featured in the second episode of the podcast EST Re:Members and can be heard discussing more about his history with EST as a playwright. 

Tickets for FRANKLINLAND are now on sale and are $30 for general admission, $40 for reserved seating, and $25 for students and seniors. $20 early bird pricing is available through October 8. Performances are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays at 7:00 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 pm, and Sundays at 5:00 pm. Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) is located at 545 West 52nd Street. For more information, visit www.estnyc.org.

Photo Credit: JMA Photography