WHORL INSIDE A LOOP announces complete casting

From the creators of EVERYDAY RAPTURE…

COMPLETE CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR SECOND STAGE THEATRE’S PRODUCTION OF

WHORL INSIDE A LOOP

By DICK SCANLAN and SHERIE RENE SCOTT

Directed by MICHAEL MAYER and DICK SCANLAN

Additional material by Andre Kelley, Marvin Lewis, Felix Machado, Richard Norat & Jeffrey Rivera

Starring SHERIE RENE SCOTT

With DERRICK BASKIN, NICHOLAS CHRISTOPHER,

CHRIS MYERS, RYAN QUINN, DANIEL J. WATTS, and DONALD WEBBER, JR.

Performances begin August 4, 2015

May 6, 2015 – Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Casey Reitz Executive Director) has announced complete casting for its upcoming world premiere production of WHORL INSIDE A LOOP, a new play by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott, co-directed by Michael Mayer and Mr. Scanlan, the creative team behind the Tony-nominated, critically acclaimed hit, Everyday Rapture, which had its world premiere at Second Stage Theatre in 2009.

Previously announced star Sherie Rene Scott will be joined by Derrick Baskin (…Spelling Bee), Nicholas Christopher (Motown), Chris Myers (An Octoroon), Ryan Quinn (King Lear), Daniel J. Watts (In the Heights), and Donald Webber, Jr. (Motown).

WHORL INSIDE A LOOP will begin performances August 4, 2015 at Second Stage Theatre’s Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd street). Season subscriptions are currently available through 2ST.com or by calling the box office at 212-246-4422.

A well-regarded actress agrees to teach six inmates how to tell their stories behind the bars of a men’s maximum security prison. Sharing intimate and sometimes hilarious details of their former lives, this unlikely group forms a bond -- even as the actress’ life outside spins out of control. And when what happens in prison doesn't stay there, no one is sure who to trust. From the team that brought you Everyday Rapture, this new play features Sherie Rene Scott and six men playing two dozen characters in a constant shifting of scenes, ages, genders and races. WHORL INSIDE A LOOP explores the fine line between convicted felons and the criminal inside each of us, the viability of forgiveness and the unreliability of redemption.

Second Stage Theatre is currently presenting the world premiere of Neil LaBute’s THE WAY WE GET BY, starring Thomas Sadoski and Amanda Seyfried, directed by Leigh Silverman, which is currently in previews and opens on May 19th. Second Stage Uptown will present the world premiere of THE OTHER THING, written by Emily Schwend and directed by Lucie Tiberghien, beginning previews May 12th and opening on May 21st.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

SHERIE RENE SCOTT returns to Second Stage Theatre where she co-wrote (with Dick Scanlan) and starred in Everyday Rapture in 2009. She received Tony nominations for Best Actress and Best Book of a Musical when the show transferred to Broadway, as well as Drama Desk nominations for Best Musical, Actress and Book, and Lortel nominations for Leading Actress and Outstanding Musical. Her other credits include John Guare’s Landscape of the Body (Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Outer Critics Circle nomination), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Drama Desk Nomination), Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida (Derwent Award), The Last Five Years (Drama Desk nomination), Debbie Does Dallas, Randy Newman’s Faust, and Kander & Ebb’s Over and Over (Helen Hayes nomination). Ms. Scott is the co-founder and proprietor of Grammy Award-winning Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records, and is a producer of the film, The Last Five Years.

DERRICK BASKIN (Sunnyside), an award winning stage, film and television actor, is returning to Second Stage after his performance as Mitch Mahoney in the Off-Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee led to his 2005 Drama Desk award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. His most recent NYC stage credit won him the 2014 Audelco Award for Outstanding Musical Performance for his characterization of Hoagy in the Off-Broadway production of Piece of My Heart. Broadway credits include Memphis, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and …Spelling Bee. Film credits include Annie (starring Jamie Foxx) and Anesthesia (2015). Television credits include “Difficult People” (Hulu), and “Law and Order SVU” (NBC).

NICHOLAS CHRISTOPHER (Rick) is fresh off Broadway's blockbuster hit Motown 1st National tour, where he was featured as Smokey Robinson. Broadway and New York theatre credits include Motown (Original Broadway Cast), Rent (1st revival), and Hurt Village (Signature Theatre Co.). National Tour and Regional credits include In the Heights (1st National tour) and Fortress of Solitude (Dallas Theater Center). On television, Nick has been seen on The Tony Awards and “Good Morning America.” He has made numerous appearances at Joe's Pub, 54 Below, Le Poisson Rouge, etc. He studied at The Boston Conservatory and The Juilliard School.

CHRIS MYERS (Jeffrey) is an Obie Award winning actor for his work in Soho Rep's An Octoroon. Other credits include Little Children Dream of God (Roundabout Theatre Company); Brownsville Song (Lincoln Center/LCT3); Honky (UrbanStages); Phoebe In Winter (Clubbed Thumb); and Alondra Was Here (Wild Project). Regional credits include Fences (McCarter/Long Wharf) directed by Phylicia Rashad; A Midsummer's Night Dream (Shakespeare Theater); and The Golden Dragon (Studio Theater). Film credits include Post-Emma and the upcoming EVOL. Chris received training at Juilliard.

RYAN QUINN (Source) has been seen Off-Broadway in The Killer, King Lear, Hamlet, and Antony and Cleopatra (Theatre for a New Audience). Regional credits include Yellowman (Milwaukee Repertory Theater); Hamlet, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (The Old Globe); The King Stag (Yale Repertory Theatre); and eight seasons with The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. New York theatre credits include Binibon with The Kitchen, Frag and The Strangest with HERE Arts. Ryan is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

DANIEL J. WATTS (Flex) has been in seven Broadway shows including After Midnight; In The Heights; Memphis; and Motown. Television credits include “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO), “Person of Interest” (CBS), “Broad City” (Comedy Central), “Crime” (HBO), and “Smash” (NBC). Film credits include Breakup at a Wedding; Among Brothers; and Freedom. He received his BFA in Music Theatre from Elon University and was the 2011 Young Alumnus Award Recipient.

DONALD WEBBER, JR. (Bey) has been seen on Broadway in Motown (Original Broadway Cast) and Holler If Ya Hear Me. Other theatre credits include Jersey Boys, Venice, and Witness Uganda. He holds a B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Southern California.

DICK SCANLAN returns to Second Stage Theatre where he co-wrote Everyday Rapture with Sherie Rene Scott, which transferred to Broadway and earned them a Tony nomination. Dick co-wrote the book and wrote the lyrics for the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and served as script consultant to the legendary Berry Gordy for the Broadway hit, Motown the Musical. Most recently, his extensively revised version of Meredith Willson's The Unsinkable Molly Brown premiered at Denver Center Theatre Company. Along with composer Jeanine Tesori, Scanlan composed the song, “The Girl in 14G,” for Kristin Chenoweth. Scanlan began his writing career as a fiction writer. His novel, Does Freddy Dance, was published in 1995 and was reissued in paperback in 1997, both by Alyson Publications. His short fiction has been seen in numerous literary journals and commercial magazines and is included in the inaugural edition of Best American Gay Fiction (Little, Brown). A former actor, he originated the role of Miss Great Plains in the hit Off-Broadway musical Pageant.

MICHAEL MAYER returns to Second Stage Theatre where he staged Everyday Rapture. His Broadway directing credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch; On a Clear Day…; Everyday Rapture; American Idiot (Drama Desk Award); Spring Awakening (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards); Side Man (Drama Desk Award, Tony Award/Best Play); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Drama Desk Award, Tony Award/Best Musical); A View From the Bridge (Drama Desk Award, Tony Award/Best Revival); Uncle Vanya; ‘night, Mother; After the Fall; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Drama Desk Award); and Triumph of Love. He directed the feature films, A Home at the End of the World and Flicka, and his television credits include “Smash” for NBC and “Alpha House” for Amazon.com. He serves on the Board of New York Stage and Film.

ABOUT SECOND STAGE THEATRE

Founded in 1979 under the leadership of Artistic Director Carole Rothman, SECOND STAGE THEATRE produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America’s best contemporary theatre, including Peter and Jerry by Edward Albee; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown; The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety by Kristoffer Diaz; Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis; Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; Water by the Spoonful and The Happiest Song lays Last by Quiara Alegria Hudes; Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants by Ricky Jay; Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan; Some Men by Terrence McNally; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage; eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; Everyday Rapture by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Crowns by Regina Taylor; Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein; Trust by Paul Weitz; Spoils of War by Michael Weller; Jar the Floor by Cheryl L. West; Jitney by August Wilson; Serenading Louie by Lanford Wilson; and Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman.

The company has produced three Pulitzer Prize winning plays – Between Riverside and Crazy (2015), Water by the Spoonful (2012), and Next to Normal (2010) – and its productions have received over 130 awards, including the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) for Next to Normal, the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed), 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee), 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 27 Obie Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, 12 Drama Desk Awards, nine Theatre World Awards, 14 Lucille Lortel Awards, two NY Drama Critics Circle Awards and 15 AUDELCO Awards.

In 1999, Second Stage Theatre opened The Tony Kiser Theatre, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theatre, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched “Second Stage Theatre Uptown” series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. The Theatre supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.

SECOND STAGE THEATRE AT THE HELEN HAYES

In 2015 Second Stage Theatre purchased the historic Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th Street. With this new home, Second Stage will be the only theatre company on Broadway dedicated exclusively to the development and presentation of contemporary American theatrical productions. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theatres on the city’s Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan. Second Stage Theatre has enlisted David Rockwell and The Rockwell Group to make renovations and updates to the 103 year old landmark building. They will begin renovations on the theatre in 2016 and plans for its first Broadway production to be staged in the Hayes during the 2017-18 season.

For more information, please visit www.2ST.com

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