In Rinne Groff’s newest work Fire in Dreamland, a woman struggles to make sense of her life choices in the face of an adventurous and daring new relationship. Set in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the play begins on the Coney Island Boardwalk and breaks the boundaries of time and space to tell a story about taking risks, falling in love, and our potential to create in the face of devastation.
Check out this exclusive video with playwright Groff as she wanders the iconic boardwalk and opens up about how the 1911 fire that burned down Coney Island’s Dreamland amusement park inspired the play.
The New York premiere of Fire in Dreamland will star Enver Gjokaj (As You Like It), Rebecca Naomi Jones (As You Like It, Significant Other), and Kyle Beltran (The Amateurs, Head of Passes). Marissa Wolf directs, with previews set to begin June 19.
Groff is a playwright, performer, and founding member of Elevator Repair Service. Her plays and musicals include The Ruby Sunrise and Compulsion, both at The Public, directed by Oskar Eustis; 77% at the San Francisco Playhouse, also directed by Wolf; as well as What Then, Inky, and Jimmy Carter Was a Democrat.
The production will run through August 5 in The Public’s Anspacher Theater, with an official opening July 16.