Photo Flash: First Look at Hartford Stage's THE WHIPPING MAN

Hartford Stage, under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Mike Stotts, presents the Connecticut premiere of Matthew Lopez's acclaimed drama, THE WHIPPING MAN, from February 23 through March 18, 2012.

Check out the photos below!

The post-Civil War-set play about a Jewish Confederate soldier and his former slaves, who share his faith, will feature Josh Landay in his Hartford Stage debut, Che Ayende (Fences, The Cook, Resurrection) and Leon Addison Brown (The Orphans' Home Cycle). Hartford Stage Associate Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif directs the Hartford Stage production with a press opening night on February 29 at 7:30pm.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, three men are at a crossroads-Caleb DeLeon (Landay), a Jewish Confederate soldier who has returned from battle, and Simon (Brown) and John (Ayende), two former slaves who were raised as Jews in his household. As the men reunite to celebrate Passover, they uncover a tangle of secrets that might cost each his freedom.

Matthew Lopez's play THE WHIPPING MAN has, in recent years, become one of the more regularly-produced new American plays. Most recently, it was seen in New York in an acclaimed, sold-out run at Manhattan Theatre Club in a production directed by Doug Hughes and starring Andre Braugher. For that production, Matthew won the John Gassner Playwrighting Award by the Outer Critics Circle. The play premiered in 2006 at Luna Stage in Montclair, NJ and was subsequently produced at Penumbra Theatre Company, Barrington Stage and The Old Globe prior to arriving in New York in 2011. The Old Globe recently presented the world premiere production of Somewhere, directed by Giovanna Sardelli. It had previously been seen in a workshop production at Summer Play Festival in 2008 under the title Tio Pepe. Matthew holds new play commissions from Roundabout Theatre Company and The Old Globe, where he is also Artist-in-Residence. Other plays include Reverberation and Zoey's Perfect Wedding. He is currently adapting a musical version of the film Mad Hot Ballroom, to be directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.

The creative team for THE WHIPPING MAN includes Andromache Chalfant (scenic design), Linda Cho (costume design), Marcus Doshi (lighting design), Broken Chord Collective (original music and sound design), and Amber Dickerson (stage manager).

All photos by T. Charles Erickson