Cast Announced for “The Inheritance” West Coast Premiere at Geffen Playhouse

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR “THE INHERITANCE” WEST COAST PREMIERE AT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE

WRITTEN BY MATTHEW LÓPEZ AND DIRECTED BY MIKE DONAHUE

FEATURING NIC ASHE, BILL BROCHTRUP, TANTOO CARDINAL, JUAN CASTANO, JAY DONNELL, ISRAEL ERRON FORD, AUGUST GRAY GALL, ADAM KANTOR, EDDIE LOPEZ, KASEY MAHAFFY, MIGUEL PINZON, AVI ROQUE AND TUC WATKINS

PREVIEWS BEGIN SEPTEMBER 13 - OPENING NIGHT IS OCTOBER 1

LOS ANGELES (July 26, 2022) – Geffen Playhouse today announced the full cast for its West Coast premiere of the Stephen Daldry production of four-time Tony Award winner The Inheritance (Best Play, Best Direction of a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play), written by Matthew López (The Whipping Man, The Legend of Georgia McBride) and directed by Mike Donahue (The Legend of Georgia McBride, Little Shop of Horrors).

The cast includes Nic Ashe (Choir Boy, Queen Sugar) as Adam/Leo; Bill Brochtrup (Secrets of the Trade, The Legend of Georgia McBride) as Morgan/Walter Poole; Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown) as Margaret Avery; Juan Castano (Encanto, Oedipus El Rey) as Toby Darling; Jay Donnell (The Color Purple, Once on This Island) as Young Man 6/Tristan; Eric Flores (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Corpus Christi) as Young Man; Israel Erron Ford (Twelfth Night, Choir Boy) as Young Man 2/Jason #1/Doorman #1/Toby’s Other Agent; August Gray Gall (David, My Goliath; xXPonyBoyDerekXx) as Young Man 3/Young Henry/Tucker; Adam Kantor (The Band’s Visit, Rent) as Eric Glass; Eddie Lopez (Madam Secretary, The Unfortunates) as Young Man 5/Charles Wilcox/Toby’s Agent/Toby’s Dealer; Kasey Mahaffy (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Modern Family) as Young Man 7/Jasper/Paul Wilcox/Doorman #2; Miguel Pinzon (Woke, Amy’s Brother) as Young Man 4/Young Walter; Avi Roque (The Owl House, Tiny Beautiful Things) as Young Man 8/Jason #2/Clinic Worker; Tuc Watkins (The Boys in The Band, Desperate Housewives) as Henry Wilcox.

Previews for The Inheritance begin Tuesday, September 13 in the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse. Opening night is Saturday, October 1.

In contemporary Manhattan, Eric and Toby are 30-somethings who seem to be very much in love and thriving. But on the cusp of their engagement, they meet an older man haunted by the past, and a younger man hungry for a future. Chance meetings lead to surprising choices as the lives of three generations interlink and collide—with explosive results.

The Inheritance reunites Geffen Playhouse alums Matthew López and Mike Donahue for an extended run of the celebrated Stephen Daldry production after its Olivier Award–sweeping London and Tony Award–winning Broadway runs.

Audience Engagement initiatives for The Inheritance are supported by the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.

Geffen Playhouse presents the Stephen Daldry Production of
THE INHERITANCE (PART 1 & PART 2)

Written by Matthew López
Inspired by the Novel Howards End by E. M. Forster
Directed by Mike Donahue

Previews: Tuesday, September 13 – Friday, September 30, 2022
Opening Night: Saturday, October 1, 2022
Closing Night: Sunday, November 27, 2022

CAST
Nic Ashe as Adam/Leo
Bill Brochtrup as Morgan/Walter Poole
Tantoo Cardinal as Margaret Avery
Juan Castano as Toby Darling
Jay Donnell as Young Man 6/Tristan
Eric Flores as Young Man
Israel Erron Ford as Young Man 2/Jason #1/Doorman #1/Toby’s Other Agent
August Gray Gall as Young Man 3/Young Henry/Tucker
Adam Kantor as Eric Glass
Eddie Lopez as Young Man 5/Charles Wilcox/Toby’s Agent/Toby’s Dealer
Kasey Mahaffy as Young Man 7/Jasper/Paul Wilcox/Doorman #2
Miguel Pinzon as Young Man 4/Young Walter
Avi Roque as Young Man 8/Jason #2/Clinic Worker
Tuc Watkins as Henry Wilcox

PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic Designer Jaimie Todd
Original Scenic Design by Bob Crowley
Costume Designer Sara Ryung Clement
Lighting Designer Josh Epstein
Sound Designer Veronika Vorel
Composer Paul Englishby
Associate Director Colm Summers
Fight Director Julie Ouellette
Intimacy Choreographer Amanda Rose Villarreal
Dramaturg Olivia O'Connor
Production Supervisor J. Jason Daunter
Production Stage Manager Marie Jahelka
Assistant Stage Managers Lucy Houlihan & Shahzad Khan
Casting Director Phyllis Schuringa, CSA

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Monday No performance
Tuesday – Friday 7:30 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday 1:00 and 7:00 p.m.

LOCATION
Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets currently priced at $30 - $129.00. Available by phone at 310.208.2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Fees may apply.

This production contains profanity, depicted sexual situations, nudity, haze and smoke effects, strobe lighting effects, the smoking of herbal cigarettes, and discussions of difficult subject matter including addiction, sex work, abuse, and the AIDS epidemic. Not recommended to those under the age of 16. Children under 6 years of age will not be admitted.

Proof of vaccination and masks are required – additional policy details can be found at https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/plan/reopening/.

Rush tickets for each day’s performance are made available to the general public two hours before showtime at the box office. $35.00 General/$15.00 Student.

COLLEGE AUDIENCES
Through a variety of events and other opportunities, Geffen Playhouse welcomes college students to experience the live storytelling presented on our stages. We are proud of our association with UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, and open our doors to all college students throughout Los Angeles. More information is available at www.geffenplayhouse.org/college.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Matthew López (Playwright)
Matthew López is an American playwright and screenwriter. His play The Inheritance, directed by Stephen Daldry, is the most honored American play in a generation, sweeping the “Best Play” awards in both London and New York, including the Tony Award, Olivier Award, Drama Desk Award, Evening Standard Award, London Critics Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Honors, Drama League Award, and GLAAD Media Award. He is the first Latine writer to win the Tony Award for Best Play. In New York, Matthew’s work has been seen off-Broadway with The Whipping Man and The Legend of Georgia McBride. Other works include Somewhere, Reverberation, The Sentinels, and Zoey’s Perfect Wedding. Matthew is currently co-writing the musical adaptation of the classic film Some Like It Hot. Matthew is also working on a reimagining of the iconic 1992 Whitney Houston box office hit, The Bodyguard for Warner Bros, as well as a feature film adaptation of the novel Leading Men for Searchlight Pictures, which centers on Tennessee Williams and his longtime partner Frank Merlo. Matthew will be making his directorial feature debut with the LGBTQ+ romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue for Amazon Studios. In addition to directing the film, Matthew has adapted the script, based on Casey McQuiston’s bestselling novel. In October 2020, he signed an overall television development deal with Amazon Studios.

Mike Donahue (Director)
NYC credits include: world premieres of Ana Nogueira’s Which Way to the Stage (MCC Theater); Matthew López’s The Legend of Georgia McBride (MCC Theater, Geffen Playhouse, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts); Jen Silverman’s Collective Rage (MCC Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company) and Phoebe in Winter (Clubbed Thumb); Jordan Seavey’s Homos, Or Everyone In America (Labyrinth Theater Company); and Ethan Lipton’s Red-Handed Otter (The Playwrights Realm). Regionally: Little Shop of Horrors with Mj Rodriguez, George Salazar, and Amber Riley (Pasadena Playhouse), and world premieres of Matt Schatz’s A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill (Geffen Playhouse), Jen Silverman’s The Roommate (Humana Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Long Wharf Theatre); Rachel Bonds’ Curve of Departure (South Coast Repertory, Studio Theatre); Kate Cortesi’s Love (Marin Theatre Company); Matthew López’s Zoey’s Perfect Wedding and Lauren Feldman’s Grace, or The Art of Climbing (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); and the U.S. Premiere of Anne Carson’s adaptation of Euripides’ Bakkhai with music by Diana Oh (Baltimore Center Stage); and Shostakovich’s Moscow, Cheryomushki with a new libretto by Meg Miroshnik (Chicago Opera Theatre). Mike’s first short film, Troy, premiered this past June at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be screening here in L.A. as an Official Selection of both Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival and HollyShorts Film Festival.

Nic Ashe (Adam/Leo)
Nic Ashe is thrilled to return to the Geffen Playhouse after performing in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy in 2014. In 2019, the production went to Broadway where it was Tony-nominated for Best Play, and earlier this year Nic directed the show for Le Petit Theater in New Orleans. He is best known as “Micah” on Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed television series Queen Sugar (Oprah Winfrey Network)—which just completed their seventh and final season! Film: Custody (dir. James Lapine), Bricked (BET), Last Looks (Urbanworld Film Festival), and The Spirit God Gave Us (Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival).

Bill Brochtrup (Morgan/Walter Poole)
Theatre credits include the off-Broadway production of Jonathan Tolins’ Secrets of the Trade (Primary Stages) directed by Matt Shakman, Matthew López’s The Legend of Georgia McBride at Ensemble Theatre Company in Santa Barbara, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, L.A. Theatre Works, Boston Court, Fountain Theatre, Rogue Machine Theatre, Black Dahlia Theatre, and Antaeus Theatre Company, where he serves as Artistic Director. Film: Life as We Know It, He’s Just Not That Into You, Ravenous, and Hypnotized. He is best known for his 10-year run as cheerful police administrative aide John Irvin on ABC’s Emmy Award–winning NYPD Blue (SAG Award Nomination) and five season recurring role as savvy police psychologist Dr. Joe on TNT’s Major Crimes. Other television credits include series regular roles on ABC’s Total Security and CBS’s Public Morals and recurring roles on Showtime’s Shameless and web series Kendra and After Forever. www.billbrochtrup.com

Tantoo Cardinal (Margaret Avery)
Tantoo Cardinal is an award-winning actress of Indigenous descent who recently worked with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio on Martin Scorsese’s newest feature, Killers of the Flower Moon. Previous to the feature she played Sue Lynn Blackbird on ABC’s Stumptown. She has appeared in over 120 film and television projects over the course of her 50-year career. Features include: Legends of the Fall, Dances With Wolves, Black Robe, Falls Around Her, Wind River, The Grizzlies, Where the Rivers Flow North, Maïna, Chasing Shakespeare, and Eden. Television credits include: See, Westworld, Longmire, Mohawk Girls, Frontier, Blackstone, Lonesome Dove, Outlander, Godless, and Penny Dreadful, among others. Theatre work includes playing “Gertrude” in Hamlet, “Regan” in King Lear, and the role of “Pelajia” in a production of The Rez Sisters. She recently wrapped the series Three Pines opposite Alfred Molina, produced by the same producers of The Crown and is currently filming the new Marvel series, Echo.

Juan Castano (Toby Darling)
Theatre: Romeo y Julieta (The Public Theater), Transfers (MCC Theater, Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play), A Parallelogram (Second Stage Theatre), Oedipus El Rey (The Public Theater, Drama League nomination), Film/TV: Encanto (Disney), What/If (Netflix), Tales of the City (Netflix), The OA (Netflix). Juan received the Drama Desk’s highly coveted Sam Norkin Award for Excellence in Off-Broadway Theatre.

Jay Donnell (Young Man 6/Tristan)
Geffen Playhouse debut! Tours: The Color Purple (Harpo), Once on This Island (Storyteller, u/s Tonton, Agwe), Miss Saigon (u/s John). Regional: Bruce (Bill Butler, Seattle Rep); The Color Purple (Harpo, Paper Mill Playhouse); My Very Own British Invasion (Paper Mill Playhouse); Ragtime (Coalhouse, SDMT); Clybourne Park (Laguna Playhouse); Lythgoe Family Panto’s Aladdin and His Winter Wish (Genie, Laguna Playhouse); Mamma Mia! and South Pacific (Hollywood Bowl); Kiss Me, Kate and Sleepless in Seattle (Pasadena Playhouse); Gulls (Boston Court); Memphis (Bobby, Musical Theatre West); Side Show (Jake, 3-D Theatricals); Frozen – Live at The Hyperion (opening cast Grand Pabbie/Bishop). Campaigns/Print: Peloton, USFL, Allstate, Dodge. TV/Film: Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean (Iconoclastic Features), Lost Tapes: Poltergeist (Discovery Channel). Instagram: @jay.donnell. Website: www.jdonnell.com

Eric Flores (Young Man)
Eric Flores is very excited to be making his Gefffen Playhouse debut! He is a graduate from California State University, Fullerton with a B.F.A. in acting. His other credits include Lysander (A Midsummer Night's Dream/Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum), Florizel u/s (The Winter's Tale/A Noise Within), and Joshua (Corpus Christi/The Wayward Artist).

Israel Erron Ford (Young Man 2/Jason #1/Doorman #1/Toby’s Other Agent)
Israel is very honored to be making his Geffen Playhouse debut. You can catch him in Issa Rae’s HBO Max series Rap Sh!t. He was most recently featured in this summer’s critically acclaimed Afro-futurist production of Twelfth Night as Feste at The Classical Theatre of Harlem. Before that he starred as Pharus Young in Choir Boy at Yale Repertory Theatre, where he was also seen in Father Comes Home From the Wars: Part 1. Israel holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the Yale School of Drama where his credits include blues for miss lucille, Hamlet, If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka, Slave Play, among others. He also holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University.

August Gray Gall (Young Man 3/Young Henry/Tucker)
August Gray Gall is a queer artist originally from North Carolina. He recently studied at California Institute of the Arts where he received his B.F.A. in Acting and focused on experimental physical theater. He was last seen in the world premiere of David, My Goliath at REDCAT under the direction of Jobel Medina. Before that, he originated the title role of xXPonyBoyDerekXx created by Gage Tarlton (Misfits Theatre Company) and joined the premiere national tour of I Could Take a Nap… by L.S. Browning which included performances Off-Broadway (Vineyard Theatre). He is thrilled to be making his Geffen Playhouse debut.

Adam Kantor (Eric Glass)
Adam Kantor won an Emmy and a Grammy for his performance in the Tony-winning The Band’s Visit. Also on Broadway, Adam starred in Fiddler on the Roof, Next to Normal, and Rent. Off-Broadway, he received an Outer Critics Circle honor for his performance in Darling Grenadine at Roundabout Theatre Company, and starred in The Last Five Years at Second Stage Theater and Avenue Q at New World Stages. Regional credits include Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow’s Noir at Alley Theatre, as well as Barry Levinson and Sheryl Crow’s Diner at the Signature Theatre. On TV he was in Billions on Showtime as “Pununzio,” and The Good Wife on CBS as “Ezra.” He recently starred in the feature film Either Side of Midnight, directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Adam is a graduate of Northwestern University and the British American Dramatic Academy. @AdamJKantor on social.

Eddie Lopez (Young Man 5/Charles Wilcox/Toby’s Agent/Toby’s Dealer)
Eddie Lopez is thrilled to be making his Geffen Playhouse debut with these momentous plays and this brilliant ensemble. LA theater credits: Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings (Boston Court); Richard Foreman’s What to Wear? (REDCAT). NYC Credits: Throne of Blood (BAM); She Calls Me Firefly (New Perspectives Theatre Company); The Unfortunates (Joe’s Pub). In nine seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival: The Pirates of Penzance, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hairspray, Destiny of Desire, Animal Crackers, and as Hedwig in Hedwig and The Angry Inch, among many others. Other regional: It Can’t Happen Here (Berkeley Rep); The Unfortunates (American Conservatory Theater); Mary Poppins, Henry V (Utah Shakespeare Festival), Twelfth Night (Santa Cruz Shakespeare); Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Denver Center for the Performing Arts). Film/TV: You Go Girl! (Sundance); Redwood Highway; Madam Secretary. Training: CalArts. So much love to my entire family—especially to the gays that raised me: Ed and Norman and Papa and Troy. Besos. www.eddie-lopez.com

Kasey Mahaffy (Young Man 7/Jasper/Paul Wilcox/Doorman #2)
Kasey is thrilled to be making his Geffen debut with The Inheritance. A Resident Artist at A Noise Within Theatre, some of his favorite productions include Metamorphoses; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Best Actor – LA Drama Critics Association); Man of La Mancha; Noises Off; King Lear; The Glass Menagerie. Other theatre credits: The Wallis: The Heart of Robin Hood; Jungle Theatre: Le Switch (premiere); South Coast Repertory: Peter and the Starcatcher, Crimes of the Heart, You, Nero, Taking Steps; Humana Festival: Partners; Pioneer Theatre Company: Clybourne Park. TV credits include: recurring on Modern Family, Getting On, Truth Be Told, Grace and Frankie, NCIS, 9-1-1, American Horror Story. Special thanks to Patty Woo and everyone at Artists & Representatives. Kasey loves living in Los Angeles with his husband Francisco and his animatronic teddy bear dog named Rizzo.

Miguel Pinzon (Young Man 4/Young Walter)
Miguel Pinzon (he/him) is over the moon to be making his Geffen Playhouse debut! He can currently be seen recurring opposite Lamorne Morris on the Hulu series Woke, as well as series regular roles on Amy’s Brother (FOX) and Mystery Girls (Freeform). He received his B.F.A. in Theatre & Gender Studies from NYU. NY Theatre credits include: Red Moon Appearing (The Public Theater), Group (New York International Fringe Festival), Pullman Car Hiawatha (Target Margin Theater). TV: 9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX), Law & Order: SVU (NBC), Young & Hungry (Freeform), 30 Rock (NBC). Miguel would like to thank his reps at APA and 23 Management and his love Markos who makes it all possible.

Avi Roque (Young Man 8/Jason #2/Clinic Worker)
Avi Roque is a Latine, Transmasculine, Non-binary actor and voice-over artist. They come from a theatre background having performed in a number of stage productions in Chicago and regionally as well, including the West Coast premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things (The Old Globe). Avi is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton and is also the narrator of several audiobooks including the New York Times Best Seller Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Film credits include Landline, and short films To Be With You (Outfest 2019) and Kind Of (Outfest2020). Currently, they are the voice behind Raine Whispers on Disney Channel’s animated series The Owl House. They are represented by Gray Talent Group. Pronouns: They/Them.

Tuc Watkins (Henry Wilcox)
Tuc starred in the Tony Award–winning, Ryan Murphy produced, Joe Mantello directed The Boys in the Band on Broadway, and reprised his role in the Netflix film adaptation. He is currently recurring on HBO Max’s The Other Two and Uncoupled on Netflix. TV series regular: ABC’s Desperate Housewives, Showtime’s Beggars and Choosers, and ABC’s One Life to Live. Recurring: Black Monday, Major Crimes, Awkward, Parks and Recreation. Recent guest stars: The Sex Lives of College Girls, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ballers, Bob’s Burgers, and The Great North. Films: The Mummy with Brendan Fraser, Robert De Niro›s The Good Shepherd, and Retake. Off-Broadway: White’s Lies starring opposite Betty Buckley, and Fortune’s Fools directed by John Rando. Most importantly, Tuc won all the money on the celebrity edition of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and donated it to his sister’s non-profit organization, Courtney’s Creative Adventures.

OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS
UCLA Health
STK | The ONE Group
W Los Angeles - West Beverly Hills

PREMIUM HOSPITALITY SPONSORS
STK | The ONE Group
W Los Angeles - West Beverly Hills

ABOUT GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE
Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates and is currently helmed by Executive Director Gil Cates, Jr., Artistic Director Matt Shakman and Board Chair Adi Greenberg. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains extensive education and community engagement programs, designed to involve underserved young people and the community at large in the arts. www.geffenplayhouse.org

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*Production credits updated September 13, 2022