Video: Emmy Rossum, Zoë Winters Discuss Playing Sisters In the Sci-Fi Play Walden

The new play Walden may be set on Earth, but it has an out-of-this world concept. The play by Amy Berryman, currently running at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater Off-Broadway, follows two sisters. Their father had trained them to be astronauts but when one sister decides to leave NASA, a conversation ensues—is it better to stay on Earth to revitalize the planet or colonize the stars? "I read it right after I had my daughter, in the midst of COVID, which felt very heightened," star Emmy Rossum told Playbill. "And [it felt] somewhat like the end of the world and the beginning of the another. I so connected to the theme and the story of these two sisters." Above, see Rossum, her costars, and the show's creators discuss the new play.

Rossum (whose credits include the Showtime series Shameless) plays Stella, who left NASA. Succession's Zoë Winters plays Cassie, who continued with outer space research group. As Winters teases, "There's going to be some sci-fi elements that's going to be really fun."

But beyond the sci-fi themes, the play is also about people, says director Whitney White: "The play is about three people who are trying to make big decisions on how to save the future, how to save the world, how to dream into the future for themselves....It's a beautiful dance between the profound and the mundane."

Walden runs until November 24. It also stars Motell Foster. The Off-Broadway production features scenic design by Matt Saunders, costume design by Qween Jean, lighting design by Adam Honoré, and sound design by Lee Kinney. Casting is by Taylor Williams.

For more information, visit 2ST.com.