NJRep to Present the World Premiere of "Our Shrinking, Shrinking World"

Published by New Jersey Stage
04/18/2023

(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- New Jersey Repertory Company will present the World Premiere of Our Shrinking, Shrinking World by Richard Dresser from May 4-27, 2023. The production is directed by Joe Cacaci and stars Molly Carden, Kaileela Hobby, Kevin O’Rourke and Jeff Rubino.

Dr. Lyman Hidalgo-Nyquist is a psychotherapist with a climate-induced apocalyptic complex, a loose grasp of therapeutic technique, and a looser grasp of professional ethics. When his long-suffering clients decide to see a new, young therapist who's just moved to town, Lyman's professional jealousy spikes—along with his fear of losing income.

The production team includes Jessica Parks (Scenic Design), Patricia E. Doherty (Costume Design), Jill Nagle (Lighting Design), Nick Simone (Sound Design) and Kristin Pfeifer (Production Stage Manager).

Performances run May 4-27, Thursdays & Fridays 8:00pm; Saturdays 3:00pm & 8:00pm; and Sundays at 2:00pm. A special added matinee is on Friday, May 26 at 3:00pm. Patrons can purchase tickets by visiting www.njrep.org or by calling 732-229-3166.

New Jersey Repertory Company is located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, New Jersey.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

RICHARD DRESSER (Playwright) has had his plays been produced in New York, regional theater, and Europe. They include ROUNDING THIRD, BELOW THE BELT, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS, and CLOSURE which premiered at NJ Rep. His novel It Happened Here was released before the 2020 election and predicted everything that happened up until Tuesday. He produced the documentary DEVOUT AND DANGEROUS about anti-war priests Daniel and Philip Berrigan. He teaches screenwriting in the Columbia University film school and is President of the Writers Guild Initiative, which does writing workshops with a mission of giving a voice to populations not being heard.

JOE CACACI (Director) co-created the CBS prime time series THE TRIALS OF ROSIE O’NEILL, starring Sharon Gless and has been the Executive Producer of two prime time series, SHOWTIME’s THE HOOP LIFE, starring Dan Lauria, Mykelti Williamson and Gregory Hines and CBS’s THE EDUCATION OF MAX BICKFORD, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia Gay Harden. He wrote and directed the final episode of THE HOOP LIFE, which starred Charles Durning and Edward Asner. He wrote the episodes of MAX BICKFORD that brought Eli Wallach and Peter O’Toole to the show. Joe was an Executive Producer with David Black and Mr. Dreyfuss of Mr. Black’s PBS series COPSHOP, and directed the pilot episode, which starred Mr. Dreyfuss, Blair Brown and Jay Thomas. He has written and produced numerous movies for all three major networks, starring actors like Helen Hunt, Brian Dennehy, Meredith Baxter, Joanna Kerns and Adam Arkin to name just a few. Joe has directed two indie features, STRANGER IN MY HOUSE, starring Lindsay Crouse, and NATIONAL LAMPOON’S, SNATCHED, starring Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Jay Thomas and Ernest Borginine. He wrote, directed and co-produced, with Black Ice Entertainment, the short film, FOOD FOR THOUGHT, for Joe Mantegna’s Quickbites series, which aired on KCET in August of 2012, featuring Tony Shalhoub and Minnie Driver and which was selected to open the 2013 Berkshire International Film Festival. He directed and executive produced, with Black Ice, the short film, HALFTIME, written by Richard Dresser and featuring Treat Williams. The film was also selected for BIFF, 2013, was awarded the second runner up prize at the Williamstown Film Festival and is part of a new venture that Joe started with Black Ice, to produce original short films for distribution on the internet, TV and theatrical release. Along with Odyssey Networks, Joe is currently putting together financing for INVISIBLE MEN, a feature film he wrote about baseball’s Negro Leagues. In the theater, Joe produced the award winning Boston premiere of David Mamet's AMERICAN BUFFALO and was Producing Director of NY's Provincetown Playhouse where he co-produced Mr. Mamet's OBIE winning play EDMOND. He was the founding Artistic Director of East Coast Arts where he produced twenty world premiere plays over seven seasons, including work by Shel Silverstein, which Joe directed. He was Producing Director of The Playwrights Kitchen Ensemble in Los Angeles (with founding Artistic Director Dan Lauria), where over 500 new plays were given staged readings in the Monday Night Reading Series. Joe has directed plays for The NY Shakespeare Festival at The Public Theater (for the late Joseph Papp), The Westport Playhouse, Coconut Grove Theatre and commercially in New York and in Los Angeles, where he directed the world premiere of Victor Bumbalo's QUESTA, featuring Wendie Malick, Dorian Harwood and Dan Lauria, produced by David Milch. At Queens Theater in the Park, he directed the world premiere of AGAINST THE RISING SEA, by Kelly Masterson. It starred Elizabeth Franz. Most recently, he directed the world premiere workshop of Carol Schneider's MOVEMENTS OF THE SOUL, which was performed in English and American Sign Language (ASL). It was produced in association with the late Jeffrey Ash and NY Theater Workshop. He directed the world premiere of Richard Dresser's new play, CLOSURE, to star Wendie Malick and Gary Cole, at New Jersey Rep. Joe's own plays have been produced at The Public, The Long Wharf and at the Alley Theatre in Houston. He is a founding co-Artistic Director of Berkshire Playwrights Lab in Great Barrington, MA, with Jim Frangione and Matthew Penn. Joe teaches television writing in the graduate programs of the Film School at Columbia University and at the Tisch School at NYU and in the undergraduate film department at Wesleyan University.

MOLLY CARDEN  NY: EMOTIONAL CREATURE (Signature Theatre), PLEASE CONTINUE (Ensemble Studio Theater), HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH (Colt Coeur), CHERRY SMOKE (Working Theater), DOWNTOWN RACE RIOT (NYSF/Powerhouse Theater). Regional: MIDWIVES (George Street Playhouse), INDECENT (Weston Playhouse), THE CARPENTER (Alley Theatre), TRANSLATIONS (Studio Theatre), FRANKENSTEIN (Denver Center), ON CLOVER ROAD (CATF), EMOTIONAL CREATURE (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), THE GREAT IMMENSITY, (The Civilians at Kansas City Repertory Theatre). Molly is currently developing her solo show I CAME BACK FOR MOLLY, which she has performed at NYSAF, the TANK and United Solo Festival. Proud member of Colt Coeur, EST, and the 52nd St. Project. B.F.A. from UNCSA.

KAILEELA HOBBY is an NYC-based actor and singer. Last spring she received her MFA from the NYU Grad Acting Program. Some favorite credits include Off Broadway: VANITY FAIR (The Pearl) Other NYC theatre: BACHELORETTE (Good Bad Group) Regional: MACBETH, TWELFTH NIGHT (Shakespeare & Company) ROMEO & JULIET, JULIUS CAESAR (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) MOTHER OF THE MAID, SCREENPLAY BY STALIN (Berkshire Playwright’s Lab) NORTH STAR (Williamstown Theatre Festival). She is also a volunteer with the 52nd Street Project where she most recently got to play an Evil Cobra. Big thanks to her incredibly supportive partner and family, and her management team at Red Letter.

KEVIN O’ROURKE has performed on Broadway in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, SPOILS OF WAR, and ALONE TOGETHER, as well as THE CITY OF CONVERSATION at Lincoln Center, OUTSIDE MULLINGAR at The White Heron, THE NIGHT ALIVE at John Drew, productions at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, Arena Stage, Roundabout, Long Wharf, Primary Stages, Barrington Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival and Baltimore’s Centerstage. His roles on television include MADAM SERETARY, LAW AND ORDER, THE SOPRANOS, OUTSIDERS, ELEMENTARY and VEEP. He also won a SAG Award for his role as Edward Bader on BOARDWALK EMPIRE and was nominated for his role on AMC’s REMEMBER WENN. His film credits include THE IRISHMAN with Robert DiNiro and Al Pacino, AMERICAN PICKLE, VICE VERSA, THE AVIATOR, TATOO and FREEHELD. As a director, Kevin staged the NY premiere of Abi Morgan's TENDER, Jonathon Draxton’s SOLDIER at HERE Arts Center, and THE PHYSICISTS at Williamstown Theatre Festival. In 2005 he founded the WILLIAMS COLLEGE SUMMER THEATRE LAB and for 10 years served as its Artistic Director.

JEFF RUBINO Theater credits include DON’T LOOK BACK (Voyage Theater Co.), LOBBY HERO (Pacific Stages), WAITING FOR LEFTY (Circle in the Square), WORLD OF SINATRAS (Arclight Theatre), IN SEARCH OF RED RIVER DOG (New Jersey Rep), THE TEMPTATION OF ST. ANTHONY (NY Fringe Festival), AS YOU LIKE IT (Circle in the Square), THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHUAN (Irvine Barclay Theatre), MACBETH (The Little Theatre), THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY (The Little Theatre), PARTY TALK (Expanded Arts). TV credits include GREY’S ANATOMY, BULL, BLUE BLOODS, HEAD CASES, THE WITCH’S REDE, ALL MY CHILDREN, AS THE WORLD TURNS. Training: MFA UC Irvine.

New Jersey Repertory Company (NJRep) was founded in 1997 by SuzAnne and Gabor Barabas. Its current central headquarters is the Lumia Theater located on lower Broadway in Long Branch. The theater’s mission is to develop and produce new plays and to make a lasting contribution to the American Stage. Over two decades NJ Rep has produced 150 plays of which 125 have been world premieres. The theater has the additional distinction of having had many of its plays produced by other theaters around the country totaling over 200 subsequent productions in the U.S. and overseas. In 2012 and 2018 NJ Rep was the recipient of a National Theater Company Grant from the American Theater Wing that sponsors the annual Tony Awards for Broadway in recognition of its contribution to the repertoire of the American Stage. Only seven theaters have had this distinction. In addition, the theater has presented over 400 developmental readings as well as introduced 136 new works through its Theatre Brut Short-Play Festivals that focus on visionary and avant-garde works. In May 2016, NJ Rep acquired a new property, a 28,000 square foot school situated on 2 ½ acres and located just five minutes from its Main Stage Lumia Theater and two blocks from the Jersey Shore. The theater plans on gradually transforming the school in stages into a cultural center that will house additional performance spaces, an art cinema, an art museum, a rooftop café, an arts education wing, and residences for out-of-town actors and playwrights. When completed, the center will present a wide array of programs in acting, playwriting, art, sculpture, poetry, music, and photography and will serve as a catalyst for economic development and as the foundation for the cultural renaissance of the community.

NJRep thanks the following for their support: The Shubert Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, SBA Shuttered Venues Program, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, New Jersey CRF, NJEDA, JENNJOE Fund, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, OceanFirst Foundation, Princeton Area Community Foundation, Manasquan Bank, Community Foundation of New Jersey, Monmouth County CARES, Investors Bank Foundation, Jewish Communal Fund, Darien Family Fund, Vasi Laurence, Caroline Huber, Caryl Sills and Linda Mitchell.