Casting has been announced for Off-Broadway's The Knight of the Burning Pestle at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Presented by Red Bull Theater and Fiasco Theater, the comedy by Elizabethan playwright Francis Beaumont will begin previews April 17. Opening night for the limited engagement, playing through May 13, is slated for April 27.
Starring in the play will be Broadway alums Jessie Austrian (The Importance of Being Earnest), Teresa Avia Lim (Junk), Ben Steinfeld (Cyrano de Bergerac), and Tatiana Wechsler (Mr. Saturday Night) joined by Royer Bockus, Tina Chilip, Paul L. Coffey, Devin E. Haqq, Darius Pierce, and Paco Tolson.
The Knight of the Burning Pestle was first performed in 1607 and follows a group of actors who have gathered to present a play about star-crossed lovers. But, their plans are interrupted when a grocer and his wife ask for a new play about an outrageous hero and a quest with the grocer's apprentice playing the lead. The actors must improvise as they go as their play is disrupted in humorous and surprising ways.
Fiasco Theater members Noah Brody and Emily Young will co-direct the production, which will feature scenic design by Christopher Swader and Justin Swader, costume design by Yvonne Miranda, and lighting design by Reza Behjat.
The production is explicitly working towards minimizing its environmental impact by exploring a model for sustainable theatre practices. The hope is for The Knight of the Burning Pestle to serve as a case study through strict parameters set on the production and each design department to reduce waste and impact.
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