Ivories, Riley Elton McCarthy’s darkly comic horror play, has its New York premiere at the East Village Basement from November 6 to 22, and the first photos from the rehearsal room are out.
Previews start Friday, November 6, and the official opening is Monday, November 9. Evan Michael Woods directs. He staged the play once before, at the University of Texas at Arlington, and the script has traveled well beyond Texas: the production counts 27 stagings to date, among them the Yale School of Drama, the Edinburgh Fringe and an off-West End run at the Old Red Lion in London directed by Georgie Rankcom.
The setup is a homecoming that goes wrong. Sloane, a playwright who left and stayed gone, comes back to the house she grew up in to look after her grandmother, whose dementia has left the family estate in Sloane’s hands. Her husband Gwyn, a botanist, comes too. Then Beckham, Gwyn’s oldest friend, arrives to help clear the place out, and the three start turning up things the house has been hiding, along with memories Sloane would rather have left buried.
Christine Carmela plays Sloane, Noah Pyzik plays Gwyn and John Yi plays Beckham, with Aster Drewe as The Neighbor. Hope Johansen, who is also associate director, understudies Sloane and The Neighbor; Edson Montenegro covers Gwyn and Beckham.
The set is by Leah Mazur, costumes by Verity Johnson, lighting by Jociel Tambone and sound by Brandon Kiziloz, with props by Emmarose Campbell. Madie Winningham is the stage manager. Method in Madness Co. is executive producer, Spencer Sher is lead producer and Carolina Hurtado Castro produces.
The East Village Basement is at 321 East 9th Street. All four previews, November 6–8, are $35. Regular performances run through Sunday, November 22, and the Thursday, November 12 performance at 7:30pm is ASL signed. The company recommends the play for ages 14 and up, and warns of blood and gore, sexual content, distressing scenes, loud noises and sudden flashes of light. Tickets are on sale through the production’s website.
