Father Comes Home From The Wars (parts 1, 8 & 9) The Public announces complete cast



The Public Theater have announced the complete casting and creative team for Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 8 & 9), the final play of the 2008-2009 Public LAB season.

The cast for Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 8 & 9) features Nicole Beharie, Seth Gilliam, Patrice Johnson, James McDaniel, Joan MacIntosh, Lucas Papaelias, Suzan-Lori Parks and Frederick Weller.

The production will feature scenic design by Neil Patel, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Lap Chi Chu, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, and video design by Shawn Sagady.

Written by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Jo Bonney, Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 8 & 9) will run from 5 - 28 Jun 2009 at the Public's Shiva Theater.

Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 8 & 9), Suzan-Lori Parks takes the stage to play the role of our guide leading through a multimedia epic tale about slavery, war, freedom, and the difficulty of family ties. Part I tells the story of Penny, a slave, awaiting her husband�s return from the Civil War while resisting her own desire to flee with a band of runaway slaves. Parts 8 & 9, set in present day, follow a Poet-General struggling with the reality of his impending death while he plans his annual celebration for the army troops.

�Suzan-Lori Parks� tenure as the Master Writer Chair at The Public is bearing fruit sooner than we could possibly have hoped,� said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. �Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 8 & 9) is both a beginning and a continuation: the beginning of an ambitious 9 part cycle of plays and it is also the continuation of themes and characters that stretch back to 'Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom' and '365 Days/365 Plays.' We are honored to be offering a home for Suzan-Lori Parks at the Public.�

Public LAB is an annual series of new plays that lets New Yorkers see more of the work they love from The Public and LAByrinth Theater Company in stripped-down productions. Public LAB allows The Public Theater to support more artists, and gives audiences immediate access to new plays. Suzan-lori Parks (Playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist whose plays include '365 Days/365 Plays' (produced simultaneously in over 700 theatres worldwide, creating one of the largest collaborations in theatre history), 'Topdog/Underdog' (2002 Pulitzer Prize; Public Theater), 'Fucking A' (Public Theater), 'Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom '(1990 Obie Award for Best New American Play), 'The America Play' (Public Theater), 'Venus' (Public Theater, 1996 Obie Award), 'The Death Of The Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World,' and 'In The Blood' (Public Theater, 2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist), among others. Her work is the subject of the PBS Film �The Topdog/Underdog Diaries.�

Jo Bonney (Director) returns to Public LAB after directing Naomi Wallace�s 'The Fever Chart' last spring. Her other recent New York theater credits include Michael Weller�s 'Beast' and Alan Ball�s 'All That I Will Ever Be' (New York Theater Workshop); Eric Bogosian�s 'subUrbia' (Second Stage); Neil LaBute�s 'Some Girl(s)' (MCC); Charles Fuller�s 'A Soldier�s Play' (Second Stage); and 'The Seven' (New York Theater Workshop), which she conceived and directed. At The Public, she has directed Jose Rivera�s 'References To Salvador Dali Make Me Hot,' Diana Son�s 'Stop Kiss,' Anna Deveare Smith�s 'House Arrest,' and Danny Hoch�s 'Some People.' Also in New York, she won a Lucille Lortel award for the Signature Theatre Company�s revival of 'Fifth of July.'

Originally published on

Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock exclusive New York theatre updates!

Special offers, reviews and release dates for the best shows in town.

You can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy