Disgraced extends run for a second time

LCT3 have announced a second extension of their New York Premiere of Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced, which will now see the play run through to 23 Dec 2012.

Disgraced, which began previews on 7 Oct 2012, opened at the Claire Tow Theater on 22 Oct 2012, following previews from 7 Oct 2012. The show's first extension had the show scheduled to close on 2 Dec 2012.

Directed by Kimberly Senior, the five member cast now features Heidi Armbruster, Erik Jensen, Aasif Mandvi, Omar Maskati and Karen Pittman.

Disgraced is the story of Amir Kapoor (Aasif Mandvi), a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots. When Amir and his wife Emily (Heidi Armbruster), a white artist influenced by Islamic paintings, host a dinner party, what starts out as a friendly conversation escalates into something far more damaging.

The creative team featues sets by Lauren Helpern, costumes by Dane Laffrey, lighting by Tyler Micoleau and sound by Jill BC DuBoff.

Disgraced premiered earlier this year at Chicago's American Theatre Company and was developed as part of the AracaWorks bi-annual reading series.

Playwright Ayad Akhtar is a writer and actor whose first novel 'American Dervish' was published earlier this year by Little Brown. He is the co-author of numerous screenplays and co-wrote and played the lead role in the film "The War Within," which premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay . His plays, in addition to Disgraced, include 'The Invisible Hand' which recently premiered at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

Kimberly Senior is a Chicago-based director whose credits include productions at Steppenwolf, Strawdog, American Blues and Next Theatres. She is an Artistic Associate at Next Theatre, Strawdog Theatre and Chicago Dramatists.