New York Theatre Workshop celebrates the official opening of Celine Song's Endlings March 9. Directed by Sammi Cannold, the new play about a trio of Korean female sea divers arrives Off-Broadway following an acclaimed world premiere at American Repertory Theater last year.
In Endlings, three elderly haenyeos—sea women—spend their dying days diving into the ocean to harvest seafood on the Korean island of Man-Jae. Across the globe on the island of Manhattan, a Korean-Canadian playwright, twice an immigrant, spends her days wrestling with the expectation that she write “authentic” stories about her identity.
Returning to the play from the A.R.T. production (also directed by Cannold) are Wai Ching Ho (Daredevil), Emily Kuroda (Gilmore Girls), Jiehae Park (Sleep), and Jo Yang (Comfort Women). They are joined by Matt DaSilva (Ragtime on Ellis Island) as White Stage Manager, Miles G. Jackson (The Last O.G.) as White Husband, Mark Mauriello (OSCAR at The Crown) as White Stage Manager/Turtle, Keith Pinault (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as White Stage Manager, and Andy Talen (Sleep No More) as White Stage Manager.
READ: How Director Sammi Cannold Put Her Actors in a 4,100-Gallon Aquarium Onstage for Endlings
The NYTW production, which began February 19, features scenic design by Emmy Award winner Jason Sherwood (Sojourners/Her Portmanteau), costume design by Tony Award winner Linda Cho (The Great Society), lighting design by Tony Award winner Bradley King (Hadestown), and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop (An Ordinary Muslim) and Ien DeNio (Rinse, Repeat). Alfredo Macias (The Play That Goes Wrong) is the stage manager.