Susan Lambert Hatem’s Confidence (and the Speech) opens Off-Broadway November 20 at Theatre Row, starring April Armstrong as U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
The play follows college professor Cynthia Cooper, who is approached by a young man to recall her time with the Carter Administration during the days before his Crisis of Confidence speech, also famously known as the “malaise” speech. If she is going to tell her story of that time, she is going to play the President. The play explores the confidence of a president, a nation in chaos, and women in politics.
The cast of the production, directed by Hannah Ryan, also features Ross Alden (Cymbeline, In the Bubble), Sarah Dacey Charles (Les Misérables, Wit), Mark Coffin (The Cake, Transport), Zach Fifer (Dominant Species, Dead Sound), Abigail Ludrof (The Weak Ones, Afterglow), James Penca (The Artist and The Scientist, Love in Hate Nation), Imran Sheikh (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Stephen Stout (Puffs, Twelfth Night).
Confidence (and the Speech) began previews Off-Broadway November 14 following a world premiere at the Duke Energy Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2018. Performances at Theatre Row are scheduled through December 7.
The creative team includes producer Anne Lambert, scenic designer Brittany Vasta, costume designer Vanessa Leuck, lighting designer Christina Watanabe, sound designer Emma Wilk, projection designer S. Katy Tucker, properties designer Deb Gaouette, and movement director Karla Garcia. Becky Abramowitz is the production stage manager, Ellie Handel is the assistant stage manager, and Diane Phelan is the associate director. Casting is by Cindi Rush Casting with general management by Visceral Entertainment.
Flip through photos of the production below:
