Max Casella, Peter Jacobson & Micaela Diamond

Atlantic Theater Company announces initial casting for A Play is a Poem

The world premiere of A Play Is A Poem is now set to begin performances at Atlantic Stage 2 on May 14, 2020.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

Initial casting has now been confirmed for Atlantic Theater Company's upcoming world premiere production of Academy Award winner Ethan Coen's A Play is A Poem, a collection of one-acts under the helm of Atlantic's Artistic Director Neil Pepe.

The cast will include Ro Boddie, Max Casella, Micaela Diamond, Peter Jacobson, Nellie McKay, Saul Rubinek, Miriam Silverman, Joey Slotnick, Sam Vartholomeos and CJ Wilson, with additional casting to be announced shortly.

Previews are now set to begin at Atlantic Stage 2 on May 14, 2020 (instead of the previously announced date of May 20), ahead of an official opening on June 1 and a limited run through June 21, 2020.

Synopsis: "If the audience laughs, it's a comedy. If they nod with new understanding, it's a drama. If they laugh and nod but can't say why it's funny or what they've understood, it might be A Play is A Poem, the new collection of one-acts by Academy Award winner Ethan Coen. The hillbilly hollows of Appalachia, the executive suites of Hollywood, a New York tenement apartment, a magnolia-scented gazebo in Natchez, Mississippi—an eccentric look at life across America."

The creative team behind A Play is a Poem features original music by Nellie McKay, scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez, costume design by Sarah Laux, lighting design by Tyler Micoleau, and sound design by Leon Rothenberg.

A Play is A Poem is presented in association with Center Theatre Group.

(Photos courtesy of Boneau/Bryan-Brown)

Originally published on

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