Lucy Kirkwood's newest dark comedy, The Welkin, will premiere Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company later this year. Directed by Sarah Benson, the piece will begin performances May 16, with opening night set for June 12. The production is expected to play through June 30.

Set in rural England in 1759, the piece centers on a young woman who has sentenced to death. When she tries to escape the noose by claiming she is pregnant, twelve ordinary women are gathered to decide whether she is telling the truth as the country awaits the return of Halley’s comet.

The Welkin will star b (Toros, American (Tele)visions), Tilly Botsford, Paige Gilbert (A Raisin In The Sun, Skin of Our Teeth), Ann Harada (Into the Woods, Avenue Q), Jenn Kidwell (Underground Railroad Game), Mary McCann (Harper Regan), Emily Cass McDonnell (I’m Revolting, The Thin Place), MacKenzie Mercer (Frozen), Sandra Oh (The Sympathizer, Quiz Lady), Dale Soules (Orange Is The New Black, Hair), Danny Wolohan (Camelot, To Kill a Mockingbird), and Haley Wong (Mary Gets Hers). 

Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The Welkin will feature sets by dots, costumes by Kaye Voyce, lights by Stacey Derosier, sound by Palmer Hefferan, special effects by Jeremy Chernick, hair and wigs by Cookie Jordan, makeup by Gabrielle Vincent, movement by David Neumann, intimacy direction by Crista Marie Jackson, and casting by The Telsey Office. Amanda Spooner will serve as the production stage manager.

The production is made possible by a generous grant from The Roy Cockrum Foundation. Additional support has been provided by FourthWall Theatrical and The Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater.

For more information, visit AtlanticTheater.org.