Photo Flash: Northern Stage Presents DISGRACED

Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced runs live on stage at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction, VT, February 28 - March 18. For tickets and information, call (802) 296-7000 or visit www.northernstage.org. Tickets start at $15 for students and $34 for adults.

Disgraced confronts issues of race and identity and how we relate to one another in a contentious political climate. Amir Kapoor, a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots, is caught up in a case against a local Imam. The perception of Amir's involvement in the defense of the Imam ripples through his work, his marriage to his white wife Emily, and ultimately explodes at a dinner party with his African American business partner and her Jewish art dealer husband. The couples' discussion turns to questions of religious faith, and what begins as simple dinner conversation escalates into something far more damaging. Disgraced ultimately reveals the prejudices and racial biases often simmering just below the surface.

Northern Stage is thrilled to welcome back Olivia Gilliatt (Nora in this season's A Doll's House) as Emily and to introduce Amar Srivastava (New York theaters include Full Spectrum, Paradise Factory Theatre, Metropolitan Playhouse, Airmid Theatre Company, Take Wing and Soar Prods, Pulse Ensemble Theatre, Moose Hall Theatre Co, and Judith Shakespeare) as Amir, Dan'yelle Williamson (seen on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning Memphis, also Scandalous and Rocky) as Jory, Sid Solomon (Off-Broadway: Julius Caesar, The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and As You Like It) as Isaac, and Kanwar Singh (NBC's The Blacklist) as Abe. Northern Stage's Producing Artistic Director Carol Dunne directs, and the creative team includes Bill Clarke (Set Designer), Barbara A. Bell (Costume Designer), Dan Kotlowitz (Lighting Designer), Robert Cueva (Asst. Lighting Designer), Jane Shaw (Sound Designer), Paul West (Fight Director), and Brian R. Sekinger (Production Stage Manager).

"This is a heartbreaking play that exposes the biases we hold against one another and so rarely come to terms with. Every character is hurt in this play by simmering prejudice. I am thrilled to bring Disgraced to Northern Stage because I know our audiences are hungry for the cultural change that the play demands," says Dunne. Lake Sunapee Bank, a division of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, sponsors performances. A complimentary post-show reception with the cast follows the opening night performance on Saturday, March 3. A free "Spot On" moderated conversation will contextualize the production, Sunday March 4 from 3:00-4:00 PM. RSVPS are requested to the Northern Stage box office for the Spot On event. An optional post-show conversation with the company follows evening performances March 8, 9, 10, 11, and 15. $15 Anytime Student Tickets and $5 Access for All tickets (for EBT card holders) are available for any performance. Adult ticket prices range from $34-$59.