ACT to Stage World Premiere of Political Thriller DAISY

With a Presidential election looming, a group of advertisers working for Lyndon B. Johnson unleash the most infamous political commercial ever conceived, the "Daisy ad". The ad played once, but it carved a scar into the American psyche. Based on actual persons and events, ACT presents the world premiere of political thriller Daisy by Sean Devine. This explosive play explores the power of manipulation in advertising and the clear moment in television history that launched the age of negative attack ads, and forever changed how we elect our leaders.

"The story behind the creation of this single devilishly political ad reads like a morality tale, the consequence of which continues to haunt our civic discourse," says ACT Artistic Director John Langs.

Daisy features the talents of Bradford Farwell as Aaron Ehrlich, Michael Gotch as Tony Schwartz, as well as ACT Core Company Members Kirsten Potter as Louise Brown, Connor Toms as Sid Myers, and R. Hamilton Wright as Bill Bernbach. The creative team includes Artistic Director John Langs (Director), Shawn Ketchum Johnson (Scenic Designer), Kimberley Newton (Costume Designer), Robert Aguilar (Lighting Designer), Robertson Witmer (Sound Designer), and Tristan Roberson (Video/Projections Designer).

Tonight at 7:00pm at the Icicle Creek New Play Festival, ACT will present a reading of select scenes from Daisy along with a panel discussion with playwright Sean Devine, Artistic Director John Langs, and the creative team. Details here

Play Development

Playwright Sean Devine received the Sloan Commission from NYC's Ensemble Studio Theatre for Daisy in 2014. Watch the original Daisy ad here.

Photo by Hayley Young Photography

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