(NEW YORK, NY) -- Manhattan Theatre Club has announced full casting for the world premiere of Vladimir, written by Erika Sheffer (Russian Transport) and directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan (MTC: Proof, Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes). Vladimir runs from September 24 to November 10, 2024 at New York City Center Stage I (131 West 55th Street).
Erin Darke (“Good Girl Revolt,” “Dietland”, Kill Your Darlings), and David Rosenberg (Death of a Salesman, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Good Fight”) will join previously announced two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Catch Me If You Can, A Complete Unknown), Francesca Faridany (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Macbeth), Erik Jensen (MTC: The Collaboration, Corpus Christi, Y2K; Disgraced), Olivia Deren Nikkanen (MTC: Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes; “Supergirl,” “The Society”), and Jonathan Walker (MTC: The Assembled Parties; “Daredevil,” “Zero Hour”).
This haunting world premiere unfolds in Moscow, where an independent journalist covering Putin’s first term struggles to maintain sanity and hope in increasingly hostile circumstances. She finds herself on the brink of an explosive story – but as danger mounts for her and her sources, she questions whether her bravery will make any difference at all. Vladimir is about standing up to immorality no matter the cost, when you know your nation is headed for disaster.
The design team will include Mark Wendland (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein(Costume Design), Japhy Weideman (Lighting Design), Dan Moses Schreier (Original Music and Sound Design), Lucy Mackinnon (Projection Design), Tom Schall (Fight Direction), Charles G. LaPointe (Hair and Wig Design), Ashley Ryan (Makeup Design), and Charlotte Fleck (Dialect Coach).
Subscriptions for MTC’s 2024-25 season are available by visiting www.manhattantheatreclub.com/join, or by calling the MTC Clubline at 212-399-3050.
MTC’s 2024-25 Broadway season features the premieres of The Hills of California by Jez Butterworth, directed by Sam Mendes at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street); Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector, directed by Anna D. Shapiro at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street); and Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, starring Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, devised by Cameron Mackintosh, musical staging and direction by Matthew Bourne, also at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
In addition to Vladimir, MTC’s Off-Broadway season also includes the world premiere of Bad Kreyol by two-time Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene in a co-production with Signature Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street); the world premiere of Dakar 2000 by Rajiv Joseph, directed by May Adrales at New York City Center Stage I; and the world premiere of We Had a World by Tony Award nominee Joshua Harmon, directed by Trip Cullman at New York City Center.
BIOGRAPHIES
NORBERT LEO BUTZ (Sema) is a two-time Tony Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical and is one of only nine actors ever to have won the award twice as lead actor. He first won for his work in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and won again for his work in Catch Me If You Can. He was additionally nominated for Tonys for his work in Thou Shalt Not and My Fair Lady. The star of 11 Broadway shows, he is also a five-time Drama Desk nominee and two-time winner, amongst other stage accolades. On television, Butz most recently starred on FX’s “Justified” reboot and has previously starred on Hulu’s “The Girl from Plainville,” David Zabel and Ridley Scott’s “Mercy Street” on PBS, “Bloodline” on Netflix, as Paddy Chayefsky in “Fosse/Verdon” for F/X, and “Debris” for NBC. He will next be seen on Ryan Murphy’s “American Sports Story.” Films include the recent Exorcist: Believer for Universal; Sean Penn’s Flag Day; Peter Hedges’ Dan in Real Life; Sony’s Higher Groundopposite and directed by Vera Farmiga; Craig Zisk's The English Teacher; Better Living Through Chemistry opposite Sam Rockwell; 2020 Sundance pic Luce, directed by Julius Onah; and the recent indie comedy, Give or Take. He will next be seen in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown for Searchlight. He received a BFA and Honorary Doctorate from Webster University and an MFA from Alabama Shakespeare Theatre.
ERIN DARKE (Chovka) is known for her series regular role as Cindy Reston in the critically acclaimed Amazon series “Good Girl Revolt” opposite Anna Camp and Genevieve Angelson. Most recently she was seen as one of the female leads in Sheri Elwood's series “Moonshine” opposite Jennifer Finnigan. She can also be seen on season 3 of “Miracle Workers” opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Bucsemi. Erin is known for her lead role in AMC's “Dietland” opposite Juliana Margulies and Joy Nash. Erin was also previously cast in Theresa Rebeck's “It’s a Man’s World” as the female lead. She was also seen in Amazon's award-winning series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” On the feature side, she is known for her work on Summer ’03 with Joey King and Andrea Savage, Kill Your Darlings opposite Daniel Radcliffe, Love & Mercy opposite Paul Dano, Don’t Think Twice, and Thank You for Your Service.
FRANCESCA FARIDANY (Raya). Broadway: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Macbeth, Man and Boy, The 39 Steps, The Homecoming. London/Stratford: The Empress (RSC). Off-Broadway: The Miser (MIP), The Half-life of Marie Curie, This Day Forward, The NY Idea, Orlando, The Stronger. Regional highlights: Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Carmel Bach Festival), Helen Hayes Best Actress Award for Strange Interlude (Shakespeare Theatre, DC), Julia in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance(McCarter), title role in her own adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s Fräulein Else (Sundance Theater Lab, Berkeley Rep., La Jolla, Long Wharf, McCarter Theaters), Narrator in the Sitwell/Walton Façade (Caramoor Music Festival), Cassandra in Agamemnon (Getty Villa), As You Like It (Shakespeare Theatre), and many productions with director Stephen Wadsworth, including As You Like It, The Oresteia, Don Juan, Design for Living, An Ideal Husband, Changes of Heart, The Game of Love and Chance. Film: She Came To Me, False Positive, Black Panther, Love After Love, The Audition, Closing Night, Conceiving Ada. TV: “Girls on the Bus,” “The Blacklist,” “Hunters,” “Bull,” “Manifest,” “FBI,” “Homeland,” “Law & Order,” “True Crime: The Menendez Murders,” “Falling Water,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “E.R.,” “Deadline.” Training: The Drama Centre, London.
ERIK JENSEN (Andrei) is an actor, writer, and director. TV acting credits include ABC's “For Life” and over 100 other film/TV shows including his role as NY Yankee Thurman Munson in “The Bronx is Burning” opposite John Turturro. Theater: The Collaboration (Broadway, MTC) Disgraced (Lincoln Center), The Good Negro (Public Theater), Corpus Christi and Y2K (MTC), and as Lester Bangs in the critically acclaimed How To Be A Rock Critic (CTG, Steppenwolf, The Public), which he wrote with wife Jessica Blank. With Jess, Erik also wrote The Exonerated (Outer Critics Circle, Lortel, Drama Desk Awards), Aftermath (NYTW, two Drama League nominations), The Line (The Public) and Coal Country (The Public, Cherry Lane/Audible, Lortel nomination for Outstanding Play, two Drama Desk nominations) with music by Steve Earle. The duo has written TV for Fox, 20th TV, Gaumont, Levinson/Fontana, David Simon/Blown Deadline and Ed Burns. Their first feature as writer/directors, Almost Home, was released by Vertical. Their second, Brooklyn, Minnesota (starring Amy Madigan) will have its major festival premiere this fall.
OLIVIA DEREN NIKKANEN (Galina) is thrilled to be back with MTC. A born and raised New Yorker, she is most known for her role as Gwen in Netflix’s hit show, “The Society,” as well as Young Alex on The CW’s “Supergirl.” She was last with MTC in the Broadway company of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes. Her most recent short, Tea, was an official selection in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. She can next be seen in Max’s upcoming movie, Sweethearts, slated for later this year.
DAVID ROSENBERG (Yevgeny) is an actor and playwright. His television appearances include “The Good Fight” (CBS), “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC) and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime). He played a series regular in the mini-series, “Tuck & Art,” which he also co-wrote. Rosenberg’s feature film credits include leading roles in The Toast for director Tom Meyers, the comedy shorts, In Defense of Civil Society and It’s a Dog, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. In theater, he appeared in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman with André De Shields. His Off-Broadway credits include the American premiere of Lies My Father Told Me, a musical based on the Oscar-nominated film and Bad Jews, a Lucille Lortel nominee for Outstanding New Play. Rosenberg’s regional theater credits include June Moon and Mad Forest at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Joe Tracz's Song for a Future Generation, and the world premiere of the musical, The Dixon Family. His plays include What Else Is True, which premiered at ART/NY, produced by Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective, and Wicked Child, which premiered at Zoetic Stage. His post-Soviet musical extravaganza Absolutely! had its concert premiere at Caveat. His other plays include Revelation, Undecidable Propositions, and Every Other Weekend. Rosenberg trained and performed with UCB. He holds a BFA from NYU and an MFA from Juilliard.
JONATHAN WALKER (Jim). Jonathan Walker’s Broadway credits include The Assembled Parties (MTC, Dir. Lynne Meadow), Twentieth Century (Dir. Walter Bobbie), After the Fall (Dir. Michael Mayer), Rocky (Dir. Alex Timbers). Numerous Off-Broadway credits include world premieres of plays by Richard Greenberg, Donald Margulies, Lorena Gale, Doug Wright, Wendy McCloud, James Lapine, Thulani Davis, Martin Sherman, Peter Parnell, and Charles Busch. Theaters include MCC, The Public Theater, Shakespeare in the Park, Playwrights Horizons, Primary Stages, Roundabout, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Cherry Lane, Soho Playhouse, The New Group. Regional theaters include The Guthrie, Berkeley Repertory, Yale Repertory, Dorset Playhouse, Westport Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, The Sharon Playhouse, Geva Theater. TV credits include “Bull,” “The Blacklist,” “The Endgame,” “Bluebloods,” “Madam Secretary,” “Quantico,” “Daredevil” (recurring), “Person of Interest,” “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” “Zero Hour” (recurring), “The Carrie Diaries” (recurring), “The Big C,” “Sex and the City,” “Chapelle’s Show,” lots of “Law And Order” and the upcoming Ryan Murphy mini-series, “Gladiator.” Films include The Chaperone, Bridge of Spies, It Had to be You, Man on a Ledge, Michael Clayton, People I Know, Heights, Far From Heaven.
ERIKA SHEFFER (Playwright). Erika’s plays include Russian Transport (The New Group, Steppenwolf, subsequent regional and international productions), The Fundamentals (Steppenwolf commission and world premiere) and Vladimir. Honors include the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, TCG’s Edgerton Grant, and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. Her plays have been developed by MTC, South Coast Rep, The Geffen, The New Group, Steppenwolf, Ars Nova, SPACE on Ryder Farm and The Atlantic. She has held commissions from Steppenwolf, The Geffen Theater and Manhattan Theatre Club. Television and Film credits include Apple TV’s “Little America,” an upcoming feature co-written with Siân Heder, as well as an original series in development with Gaumont. She is published by Dramatists Play Service and received her BFA from Syracuse University.
DANIEL SULLIVAN (Director). Manhattan Theatre Club credits include Summer, 1976; The Nap; Saint Joan; Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes; The Country House; The Snow Geese; The Columnist; Lost Lake; Accent on Youth; Good People; Time Stands Still; Rabbit Hole; After the Night and the Music; Brooklyn Boy; Sight Unseen; Psycopathia Sexualis; and Proof. Among other Broadway credits are Stories By Heart; Orphans; Glengarry Glen Ross; The Homecoming; Prelude to a Kiss; Julius Caesar; I’m Not Rappaport; Morning’s at Seven; A Moon for the Misbegotten; Ah, Wilderness!; The Sisters Rosensweig; Conversations with my Father; and The Heidi Chronicles. For the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, he has directed Coriolanus, Troilus and Cressida, Cymbeline, King Lear, The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Among his Off-Broadway credits are If I Forget, The Night Watcher, Intimate Apparel, Far East, Spinning Into Butter, Stuff Happens, Dinner with Friends, and The Substance of Fire. From 1981 to 1997, he served as artistic director of Seattle Repertory Theatre. Sullivan served as Swanlund Professor in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Illinois, Urbana for 25 years.
Manhattan Theatre Club is a not-for-profit theatre that has been under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow since 1972. In 2023, Chris Jennings became her partner, joining MTC as Executive Director. Meadow, Jennings, and their first-rate staff produce seasons of innovative, entertaining and thought-provoking new plays and musicals at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway and off-Broadway stages at New York City Center. In the 2023-24 season, all three of MTC’s Broadway shows were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play, representing three of the five nominees in the category. For over 50 years, MTC has served as a nurturing home for artists and theatre professionals at all stages of their careers. In that time, MTC has produced more than 600 premieres, which include nearly 20% of all of the new plays on Broadway since they opened the Friedman opened in 2003. To date, MTC productions have garnered 30 Tony Awards; 51 Drama Desk Awards; 49 Obie Awards; and seven Pulitzer Prizes for Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living, Lynn Nottage’s Ruined, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, David Auburn’s Proof, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and Beth Henley’s Crimes Of The Heart. MTC has been acclaimed for identifying, fostering, and supporting talented artists in the creation of new work, and the hallmark of Meadow’s long tenure has been the quality, range and originality of the theatre’s repertoire. Artistic Development at MTC includes readings, workshops, fellowships, dramaturgical support and other resources for playwrights and other artists. MTC’s playwriting commission program is one of the largest in the country, awarding approximately 10 new commissions each year. MTC is committed to ticket access initiatives to make its productions broadly accessible, engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds. MTC strives to help them build deep connections with its work through Beyond the Stage programming and its Learning and Community Engagement program, which serves over 2,500 students of all ages annually throughout the NYC area, nationwide and abroad. MTC is an anti-racist organization that respects and honors all voices and upholds the values of community and equity.
