Arena Stage has announced that it will partner with L.A. Theatre Works to record and distribute John Strand’s political drama The Originalist, based on the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The performance will reunite the original cast of the 2015 world premiere at Arena Stage.
The cast features Edward Gero as Scalia, Kerry Warren as Cat and Harlan Work as Brad, under the direction of Arena artistic director Molly Smith. The recording will take place June 24-25 and will be followed by interviews hosted by Nina Totenberg, NPR’s legal affairs correspondent. As part of the recording, Totenberg will interview former law clerks.
L.A. Theatre Works will distribute the recording and associated educational materials, free of charge, to public high school teachers throughout the U.S. and broadcast the play nationwide on public broadcasting stations.
In The Originalist, a liberal law school graduate embarks on a clerkship with Scalia, who turns out to be both infuriating, and a terrific mentor.
“This is a thoughtful play that challenges how we view ‘conservatives’ and ‘liberals’ and works to find a political middle between them,” commented Smith in a statement. “We are excited to partner with the excellent L.A. Theatre Works to record the play for listening audiences to experience around the country.”
