Photos
Get a Sneak Peek at Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) From the Rehearsal Room
The world-premiere play by Anna Ziegler will run at the Public Theater Off-Broadway.
February 12, 2026 By Meg Masseron, Logan Culwell-Block
Get a sneak peek at the Public Theater's world premiere of Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) with first-look rehearsal photos in the gallery below. The production is set to play the Off-Broadway company's Anspacher Theater February 26–March 22, officially opening March 11. Tyne Rafaeli will be at the helm.
Tony winners Celia Keenan-Bolger and Tony Shalhoub will star as Chorus and Creon (respectively), opposite co-stars Ethan Dubin as Copy 3/Achilles, Katie Kreisler as Cop 1/Proprieter, Susannah Perkins as Antigone, Dave Quay as Cop 2/Palace Guard, Calvin Leon Smith as Haemon, and Haley Wong as Ismene.
The work reimagines the Sophocles tragedy through a modern lens, following an independent young woman determined to have control of her own body even in a world governed by archaic and misogynist laws.
“I wrote this Antigone adaptation hoping to capture how absurd, painful, and deeply human it feels to navigate the moral minefields of our moment,” says Ziegler in a statement. “I’m so excited to bring it to The Public, a theatre that has shaped my imagination for decades and welcomes nuance and conversation. My hope is that audiences leave with a renewed appreciation for Antigone’s bravery—and also a sense, however begrudging, of how hard it is to lead other human beings, even as so many of our own leaders fall short.”
“Anna's adaptation ofAntigone pulls this ancient text into our modern moment without gimmick or reduction,” adds Rafaeli. “By channeling what made the original so radical, she has created a singular theatrical world that straddles ancient Thebes and modern America and asks the most important question of our time: what is a citizen to do in the face of an unjust law? She does so with wild imagination, humor, sophistication, and visceral force. For the Greeks, theatre was a democratic imperative, a space for the public to collectively process their world. Today, there is no better home for this play than The Public—one of the last true civic gathering places we have. I am thrilled to be working with The Public on this astonishing play that has survived millennia for a reason.”
The production will feature scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Enver Chakartash, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design and music by Daniel Kluger, and prop management by Claire M. Kavanah.
Tickets are at PublicTheater.org.
More latest news
-
-
ASL-English Comedy Trash Finds Full Casting for Off-Broadway Bow
Off-Broadway News -
Schedule of Upcoming Off-Broadway Shows
Off-Broadway News -
Melanie Smith Named CEO of ATG Entertainment
Industry News -
Postponed National Tour of The Who's Tommy Will Launch This Fall
National Tour News -
