GIRL, INTERRUPTED Casting Announced at the Public Theater

New York, N.Y. (April 2, 2026) – The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced casting today for the world premiere production of GIRL, INTERRUPTED, written by Martyna Majok and based on the memoir by Susanna Kaysen. The new stage adaptation will feature music by Aimee Mann from her 2021 album Queens of the Summer Hotel, with choreography by Sonya Tayeh and direction by Jo Bonney. GIRL, INTERRUPTED will begin performances in The Public’s Martinson Hall on Wednesday, May 13 with a Joseph Papp Free Performance. The production runs through Sunday, June 21 with an official opening night on Thursday, June 4.

This spring, Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Martyna Majok brings GIRL, INTERRUPTED to The Public for its stirring world premiere. Based on Susanna Kaysen’s bestselling memoir, this empowering new theatrical production features original music by two-time Grammy Award winner Aimee Mann, choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh, and direction by Tony Award nominee Jo Bonney. When Susanna admits herself to a psychiatric hospital, following a 15-minute session with a doctor she’d never met, she forms unexpected bonds with the young women inside as they search for connection and a way forward. Raw and unapologetic, this new play with music reveals that the people who witness our darkest moments are often those who truly see us.

The complete cast of GIRL, INTERRUPTED includes Leela Bassuk (Understudy), Ta’Rea Campbell (Valerie), Gabi Campo (Tori), Juliana Canfield (Susanna), Eileen Doan (Understudy), Manoel Felciano (Man/Musician), King Princess (Lisa), Gunnar Manchester (Understudy), Mia Pak (Grace), Katherine Reis (Daisy), Anna Roman (Understudy), Sally Shaw (Polly), Emily Skinner (Dr. Wick), Rachel Stern (Understudy), and Lauren Jeanne Thomas (Judy/Musician).

GIRL, INTERRUPTED will feature scenic design by dots, costume design by Sarah Laux, lighting design by Heather Gilbert, sound design and composition by Dan Moses Schreier, hair and wig design by J. Jared Janas, and prop management by Claire M. Kavanah. Todd Almond will provide orchestrations for production and serve as the music supervisor. Andrea Grody will be the music director. Molly Meg Legal will be the production stage manager. Michael Medina and Tiffanie Lane will be the stage managers.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC) is proud to join The Public Theater in support of this production. NAMI-NYC provides mental health classes, 30 support groups, family mentoring, multilingual Helpline, workplace mental health trainings, educational presentations, and much more. NAMI-NYC's services are free of charge and accessible to anyone who needs them. CEO Maggie G. Mortali, MPH will join a post-performance talkback in June. Learn more about NAMI-NYC's services, programs, and advocacy at naminyc.org.

The Public Theater is currently in performances of Anna Ziegler’s ANTIGONE (THIS PLAY I READ IN HIGH SCHOOL), a riveting take on Sophocles’ classic, in the Barbaralee Theater with direction by Tyne Rafaeli. Ma-Yi Theater Company's season-long residency continues with the world premiere of JESA by Jeena Yi and directed by Mei Ann Teo. Simultaneously, PUBLIC CHARGE is running in the Newman, a world premiere play based on true events by former United States Ambassador Julissa Reynoso and award-winning playwright Michael J. Chepiga. The Public is also presenting SEAGULL: TRUE STORY, produced by MART Foundation, written by Eli Rarey, and created and directed by Alexander Molochnikov, in the LuEsther Hall.  

Free Shakespeare in the Park returns to the newly revitalized Delacorte Theater this summer with ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Public Theater Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali and THE WINTER’S TALE directed by Delacorte veteran Daniel Sullivan. Shakespeare will be shared across the five boroughs with Mobile Unit’s AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Emma Rosa Went.

The Library serves food and drink beginning at 5:00 p.m. and closing at midnight. The Library is closed on Mondays. For more information, visit publictheater.org.

BIOS:

MARTYNA MAJOK (Book) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her Broadway debut play, Cost of Living, which was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. Other plays include Queens, Sanctuary City, Ironbound, and the libretto for Gatsby: An American Myth, with music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett. Awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, Arthur Miller Foundation Legacy Award, Obie Award for Playwriting, Hull-Warriner Award, Academy of Arts and Letters’ Benjamin Hadley Danks Award for Exceptional Playwriting, Off Broadway Alliance Best New Play Award, Princeton's Hodder Fellowship, Lark / PoNY Fellowship, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding New Play, Hermitage Greenfield Prize, Champions of Change Award from the NYC Mayor’s Office, Francesca Primus Prize, two Jane Chambers Playwriting Awards, Lanford Wilson Prize, Lilly Award, Helen Merrill Award, Helen Hayes Awards' Charles MacArthur Award, Jean Kennedy Smith Award, NNPN Smith Prize for Political Playwriting, and Merage Foundation Fellowship for The American Dream, among others. Majok is currently adapting Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for Broadway and is working on several feature film adaptations, including Audition, which she will co-write with Lulu Wang. Her first screenplay, Preparation for the Next Life, was just released in theaters.

SUSANNA KAYSEN (Author of Girl, Interrupted) has written the novels Asa, As I Knew Him and Far Afield and the memoirs Girl, Interrupted and The Camera My Mother Gave Me. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

AIMEE MANN (Music) is one of the most distinguished singer-songwriters of her generation. Her successful solo career has spanned several decades with several Grammy nominations, two Grammy Awards, and the release of nine critically acclaimed solo albums, including the profoundly popular soundtrack for the film Magnolia, which garnered an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Song in 2000. Time magazine has said, “Mann has the same skill that great tunesmiths like McCartney and Neil Young have: the knack for writing simple, beautiful, instantly engaging songs,” while NPR voted her one of the “Top 10 Best Living Songwriters” along with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. Her release in 2017 called Mental Illness won her a Grammy for Best Folk Album. Her latest release Queens of the Summer Hotel came out to critical acclaim. It is based on music she wrote for the stage adaptation of the memoir Girl, Interrupted. Earlier in her musical life, Mann fronted the band Til Tuesday, releasing three albums. She has also made numerous memorable cameo appearances in films such as The Big Lebowski and TV shows like “Portlandia” and “The Daily Show.” 

SONYA TAYEH (Choreography) is a creative visionary whose work relating to the body in motion explores many different worlds. She is the dance backbone behind numerous stage and screen projects, notably in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, for which she won the Tony Award for outstanding choreography. Produced on stages globally, Tayeh has gleaned many accolades for her distinguished work across genres on both stage and screen including two Emmy nominations, an Obie Award, two Lucille Lortel Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Critics Circle Award. Her work has been characterized as a powerful weaving of versatility and theatrical range constructing onstage worlds for which she has been lauded for her chameleon-like choreography and ability to adapt her storytelling to any scale. For a deeper look inside Tayeh’s work visit sonyatayeh.com.

JO BONNEY (Director) has directed the premieres of plays by Alan Ball, Hilary Bettis, Eric Bogosian, Eleanor Burgess, Hammaad Chaudry, Culture Clash, Eve Ensler, Jessica Goldberg, Isaac Gomez, Danny Hoch, Ione Patricia Lloyd, Neil LaBute, Warren Leight, Martyna Majok, Lynn Nottage, Dan O'Brien, Dael Orlandersmith, Suzan-Lori Parks, Darci Picoult, John Pollono, Will Power, David Rabe, Jose Rivera, Abby Rosebrock, Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, Alexis Scheer, Christopher Shinn, Diana Son, John Turturro & Ariel Levy, Universes, Naomi Wallace, and Michael Weller. Bonney has also directed plays by Caryl Churchill, Nilo Cruz, Anna Deavere Smith, Charles Fuller, Lisa Loomer, Paul Lucas, Carey Perloff, and Lanford Wilson. Bonney received a Tony Award nomination for Direction of Cost of Living, two Obie Awards for Sustained Excellence of Direction, Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Musical and Best Revival, Drama Desk nomination for Direction of By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, AUDELCO Award for Father Comes Home from the Wars, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, Alliance, and Lilly Award. Bonney is the editor of Extreme Exposure: An Anthology of Solo Performance Texts from the Twentieth Century (TCG).

LEELA BASSUK (Understudy) is an actor and writer originally from the Midwest. A 2025 graduate of The Juilliard School, she is thrilled to be making her Off-Broadway debut. Recent credits include film (Hot Minute, Good Sex) and voiceover (Midnight on the Celestial, Fallen City). With thanks to Brookside, IAG, and my family.

TA’REA CAMPBELL (Valerie). is beyond excited to be performing at The Public Theater! She has appeared in 7 Broadway shows and several national tours. Some of her favorite roles include Angelica in Hamilton, Nala in The Lion King, Deloris in Sister Act and being an original Broadway cast member of Little Shop of Horrors, Leap of Faith, The Hills of California, and The Book of Mormon. She was most recently seen in Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Let's all be nice to each other. 

GABI CAMPO she/her (Tori) has appeared on television in “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Billions,” and Apple TV+’s “Helpsters.” She was also seen on Broadway in the most recent revival of Cabaret as Frenchie, as well as Sally Bowles at select performances. Additional Broadway credits include Some Like It Hot (OBC), Beetlejuice (Miss Argentina), West Side Story (2020 revival), and The Prom (OBC). She is a Pace University BFA Musical Theater graduate. LA native. Proud Chicana.

JULIANA CANFIELD (Susanna) received a Tony Award Nomination and Drama Desk Award for her performance as “Holly” in the most Tony Award-nominated play in history, Stereophonic. Other Theater: Playwrights Horizon’s Stereophonic, TFANA’s Fefu and her Friends, Atlantic Theater’s Sunday, NYTW’s The House That Will Not Stand, NYTW’s Zürich, and TFANA’s He Brought Her House Back in a Box. TV: HBO’s “Succession” (2x SAG Award Winner), Peacock’s “The Calling”, FX’s “Y: The Last Man”, Apple’s “Amazing Stories”, and FX’s “American Horror Story: Delicate”. Film: HBOMax’s The Family McMullen, A24’s On the Rocks, Bleecker Street’s The Assistant and two upcoming Warner Brothers features: F.A.S.T and The Great Beyond.

EILEEN DOAN she/her (Understudy) is an Asian-American actor, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Recent credits include the US and New Zealand premiere of The Lord Of The Rings: A Musical Tale, as well as regional productions of Cambodian Rock Band, Once, and The Twelfth Night Show. Eileen is a singer-songwriter with music available on all streaming platforms. Find Eileen on IG @eileeneileend and online at eileendoan.com. Let it bring hope, let it be a tale.

MANO FELCIANO he/him (Man/Musician). Broadway: Nine shows, including Sweeney Todd (Tony nomination) Off-Broadway: Imaginary Invalid, Alchemist, BTW Meet Vera Stark, Secret Life of Bees, The Changeling, Trumpery, Shockheaded Peter. Regionally: Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Much Ado, Mothers and Sons, Clybourne Park, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Zoo Story, Elektra, Ragtime, Three Sisters, Sunday in the Park with George. TV: “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (upcoming Apple TV),” “Evil,” “Blacklist,” “Elementary,” “NCIS,” “Trauma,” “The Unusuals.” BA: Yale, MFA: NYU Grad Acting.

KING PRINCESS (Lisa) is a Brooklyn-based vocalist, songwriter, producer, and actor making her stage debut in Girl, Interrupted. She made her screen acting debut as a series regular on the second season of “Nine Perfect Strangers” (Hulu) and can be seen in the Oscar-nominated feature Song Sung Blue alongside Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. She will next appear in One Night Only (2026). In music, King Princess first gained acclaim with her debut album Cheap Queen (2019), followed by Hold On Baby (2022) and her most recent release, Girl Violence (2025). Her work has earned widespread critical praise for its emotional depth and genre-defying sound, establishing her as a distinctive voice across both music and film.

GUNNAR MANCHESTER he/him (Understudy). Off Broadway: Macbeth in Stride (BAM). Regional: Safety Not Guaranteed (Signature Theatre) OCTET (Hudson Valley Shakespeare); also Yale Rep, Huntington, Trinity Repertory, Gamm, Commonwealth Shakespeare, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Wilbury. He is a graduate of the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Training Program, where he was recipient of the Stephen Sondheim Graduate Fellowship in Theater Arts. gunnarmanchester.com @snugmanchester

MIA PAK (Grace). Off-Broadway: Three Houses (Signature Theatre), Suffs (The Public Theater), In the Green (Lincoln Center Theater), Your Own Personal Exegesis (Lincoln Center Theater). Regional: Safety Not Guaranteed (Signature Theatre), Octet (Hudson Valley Shakespeare), Riddle of the Trilobites (Flint Repertory Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Interlochen Shakespeare Festival). She released her first album titled All Too Much in 2024 under the name miamiamia. 2025 Lucille Lortel Nominee for Best Actor in a Musical (Three Houses). Represented by Ivy Rock Management.
Miajpak.squarespace.com. IG: @miajpak and @miamiamiamusic.

KATHERINE REIS (Daisy) made her Broadway debut in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  Reis starred in Adam Rapp’s The Purple Lights of Joppa Illinois at Atlantic Theater Company, Dream Big World Theatre’s Cracked Open at Theatre Row, and Nina at TheatreLab.  In film, Reis was seen in Jason Lester’s independent feature film Taipei. Katie Holmes directed her in All We Had, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and she appeared in Todd Solondz’s Wiener-Dog.  On the small screen, she recurred on the HBO Max reboot of “Gossip Girl,” “Claws,” “Rise,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”  Her additional television credits include NBC’s “Chicago P.D.,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Bull,” and “Unforgettable.” Instagram: @k8r3is

ANNA ROMAN (Understudy) is an actor-singer-songwriter and a 2025 MFA Acting graduate of DGSD at Yale (Carol Finch Dye Prize). Off-Broadway credits include What in the Actual F***?! (NYTW Next Door). Regional credits include Falcon Girls (Yale Rep, world premiere), Escaped Alone (Yale Rep), The Dreamer Examines His Pillow (Tampa Rep, BroadwayWorld Regional Best Performer in a Play Winner 2023), Romeo + Juliet (Sketchbook Theatre), and Pride and Prejudice, Cannabis Passover (readings at Chautauqua Theatre Company).  TV credits include "The Hunting Party" (NBC). Roman has her BFA from UF. Her debut EP “LARK” is available anywhere you stream music this April. annaroman.com. @a.rom

SALLY SHAW (Polly). Public Debut! Broadway: Gypsy (Marjorie May, u/s Tessie Tura + Electra / Miss Cratchitt). Regional: La Cage… (BSC). Hoping her journey with Girl, Interrupted honors the wisdom and friendship of her childhood piano teacher, Harriette Flachmeier. Ithaca College BFA. Profoundly shaped by her time working with Sammy Rae & the Friends, The House of Velour and Sea Dog Theater. Family, fiancé, CLA Partners, HCKR, Public Casting + Creatives: Thank you? An understatement. Non Nobis! @sal.shaw / sallyshaw.com

EMILY SKINNER (Dr. Wick). Broadway: Suffs (Drama Desk nomination), Side Show (Tony nomination, Drama League Award), The Cher Show, Prince Of Broadway (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), Jekyll & Hyde, The Full Monty, James Joyce's The Dead, Dinner at Eight (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), Billy Elliot (Broadway World Award), New York, New York, A Christmas Carol. Off-Broadway: House of McQueen (The Mansion at Hudson Yards), Picnic (Transport Group, Drama Desk Nomination), Jerry Springer: The Opera (Carnegie Hall); Fiorello!, No Strings, Pardon My English, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (all at City Center Encores!). Television: “The Blacklist” (NBC), “Madam Secretary” (CBS). She sings with symphonies around the globe and her numerous CD recordings may be found on all major streaming services. www.emily-skinner.com

RACHEL STERN (Understudy) is a singer/songwriter from NYC. Broadway credits include Girl from the North Country, Shrek the Musical, High Fidelity, and Tarzan. Television credits include “The Deuce,” “Blacklist,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Louie,” “The Big C,” “Unforgettable,” and the lead singer in the movie My Depression. A graduate of NYU (Lee Strasberg Studio), Stern has voiced many animated characters, video games, commercials, and fronts her own band. Proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA. @juststern- therachelstern.com

LAUREN JEANNE THOMAS she/her (Judy/Musician) is an actor and multi-instrumentalist based in NYC. Off-Broadway: Beau (OOTB), Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (Stage 42, Drama Desk Best Revival), The Goree All-Girl String Band (NYMF). Additional select credits: Once (Nat’l Tour), Richard III (The Curtain), The Comedy of Errors (STC), Hester Street (Theater J, world premiere). Training: Boston University BFA Acting; LAMDA. Instagram: @taurenlhomas. LaurenJThomas.com. Love to Mert!

THE PUBLIC continues the work of its visionary founder Joe Papp as a civic institution engaging, both on-stage and off, with some of the most important ideas and social issues of today. Conceived over 60 years ago as one of the nation’s first nonprofit theaters, The Public has long operated on the principles that theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public’s wide breadth of programming includes an annual season of new work at its landmark home at Astor Place, Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, the Mobile Unit touring throughout New York City’s five boroughs, Public Works, and Joe’s Pub. Since premiering HAIR in 1967, The Public continues to create the canon of American Theater and is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Their programs and productions can also be seen regionally across the country and around the world. The Public has received 64 Tony Awards, 197 Obie Awards, 62 Drama Desk Awards, 64 Lortel Awards, 36 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, 70 AUDELCO Awards, 6 Antonyo Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes. publictheater.org

The Public Theater stands in honor of the first inhabitants and our ancestors. We acknowledge the land on which The Public and its theaters stand—the original homeland of the Lenape people. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory. We honor the generations of stewards and we pay our respects to the many diverse indigenous peoples still connected to this land.

Produced by special arrangement with Barbara Broccoli, Angelica Zollo, Patrick Milling-Smith,
Brian Carmody, and Level Forward.

TICKET INFORMATION

GIRL, INTERRUPTED begins performances in The Public’s Martinson Hall with the Joseph Papp Free Performance on Wednesday, May 13. The production officially opens on Thursday, June 4 and runs through Sunday, June 21.

Tickets are available now and can be accessed by visiting publictheater.org, calling 212.967.7555, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.

The Public’s Joseph Papp Free Performance initiative will offer free tickets to the performance on Wednesday, May 13 through TodayTix. The Lottery will open for entries on Wednesday, May 6 and will close at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13. Winners will be notified by email and push notification anytime from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and if selected, winners will have one hour to claim their tickets.

The performance schedule is Tuesday through Sunday at 7:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (There will be no 1:00 p.m. performance on Saturday, May 16 or May 17.)

The Audio Described and Open Captioned performance will be on Saturday, June 20 at 1:00 p.m.

The full performance calendar can be found at publictheater.org. 

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