Lupita Debuts

NEWS

"12 Years a Slave" Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong’o to Make New York Stage Debut

By Olivia Clement

30 Jul 2015 

The Public Theater has announced that Danai Gurira'sEclipsed will join the 2015-16 season, with a cast lead by Lupita Nyong’o, winner of the Academy Award for her role in Steve McQueen's "12 Years A Slave." 

Obie winner Liesl Tommy will direct the New York premiere, set to begin performances Sept. 29, with an official opening night on Oct. 14. The limited engagement will run through Nov. 8.

Lupita Nyong'o

Eclipsed, a story of survival and resilience set in post-colonial Africa, will mark Nyong’o's New York stage debut. "A feminist reading of the Liberian Civil War, a war that was ended by women, Eclipsedis both heart-breaking and profoundly life-affirming. We are delighted to welcome the extraordinary Lupita Nyong’o to The Public in this vitally important play," commented artistic director Oskar Eustis in a press statement.

"Amid the chaos of the Liberian Civil War, the captive wives of a rebel officer band together to form a fragile community – until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl," states the Public's description. "Drawing on reserves of wit and compassion, Eclipsed reveals distinct women who must discover their own means of survival in this deeply felt portrait of women finding and testing their own strength in a hostile world of horrors not of their own making."

Nyong'o will next appear in the anticipated "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens," the latest continuation in the cult George Lucas saga.

Gurira is an award-winning, Zimbabwean-American playwright; her earlier works include In the Continuum and The Convert. As an actress, she is currently featured as Michonne on AMC’s "The Walking Dead".

Tickets are available to Public Theater Members  by calling (212) 967-7555 or visiting PublicTheater.org.

http://m.playbill.com/news/article/12-years-a-slave-oscar-winner-lupita-nyongo-to-make-new-york-stage-debut-355309?r=n