Carolyn McCormick, Dan Lauria & Rupak Ginn

Dan Lauria will star in The Stone Witch at Westside Theatre

Shem Bitterman's new play will stage its off-Broadway premiere Upstairs at the Westside Theatre from March 12, 2018.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

Dan Lauria will lead the cast of the off-Broadway premiere of The Stone Witch, written by Shem Bitterman and directed by Steve Zuckerman, which begins performances Upstairs at the Westside Theatre on March 12, 2018. An official opening for the open-ended engagement is scheduled for March 25.

Mr. Lauria is perhaps best known for his TV role as Jack Arnold on "The Wonder Years," as well as his Broadway appearances as Jean Shepherd in A Christmas Story - The Musical in 2012 and as Vincent Lombardi in the 2010 Broadway premiere of Lombardi. He takes on the role of Simon Grindberg in the new play and is joined by fellow cast members Rupak Ginn (as Peter Chandler) and Carolyn McCormick (as Clair Forlorni).

Synopsis: "Extraordinary art must be tamed. Simon Grindberg is the world's most illustrious children's book writer and illustrator —but his next masterpiece is a decade overdue. Peter Chandler is a starving artist with unparalleled potential—but he doesn't yet know his own value. The two men are thrown together by Clair Forlorni, an ambitious editor who hopes Peter's youthful exuberance can unleash Simon's aging genius for one final story. But creativity comes at a cost. The Stone Witch is a wondrous, hopeful and heartbreaking new play where imagination runs wild."

The creative team features music composition by Roger Bellon of Bellchant Music, scenic & projection art content design by Yael Pardess, costume design by Mimi Maxmen, lighting design by Shawn Edward Boyle, sound design by Christopher Cronin, and projection design by Rasean Davonte Johnson. 

The world premiere production of The Stone Witch was staged in 2016 at The Berkshire Theatre Group, in association with Darlene Kaplan Entertainment and Brierpatch Productions. The off-Broadway premiere is produced by Darlene Kaplan, Laura Janik Cronin and Scott J. Newsome.

Originally published on

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