Roundabout Theatre Company has announced that Jamie Brewer (American Horror Story) will play the role of Amy—a woman with Down syndrome who helps her family deal with their father’s death—in the upcoming production of Amy and the Orphans by Lindsey Ferrentino. The world-premiere production will be helmed by seven-time Tony Award nominee Scott Ellis.
Amy and the Orphans is Ferrentino’s Roundabout Underground commission, and marks the playwright’s return to the theatre following the acclaimed production of her play Ugly Lies the Bone. Performances will begin February 1, 2018, ahead of an official opening March 1 at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, located at 111 West 46th Street, New York. This will be a limited engagement through April 22.
Brewer, who discovered her love for acting at an early age, was able to get an audition for American Horror Story: Murder House through her affiliation with the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, and landed the role of Adelaide Langdon. She continued with the series in American Horror Story: Coven as Nan. Brewer is the ambassador for Changing the Face of Beauty and in 2015 became the first woman with Down syndrome to walk at New York Fashion Week.
The casting announcement marks an important moment for differently abled actors of the screen and stage. “She plans to work in this exciting industry for a very long time, while continuing to be an advocate and role model for people with disabilities in all aspects of her life,“ reads a press statement from RTC.
Read more about Roundabout’s newly announced 2017–18 Off-Broadway season here.
