The Old Globe has announced the cast and creative team for its commissioned world premiere of Empty Ride, penned by Keiko Green (Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play). The production will run February 8-March 2 in the Globe's Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, with an official opening night February 13. Sivan Battat (In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot) will direct.
The cast will include Michele Selene Ang (13 Reasons Why) as Kisa, Major Curda (The Little Mermaid) as Toru, Jojo Gonzalez (The Romance of Magno Rubio) as Isamu, Jully Lee (KPOP) as Sachiko, and David Rosenberg (Death of a Salesman) as Alex. Understudies Stephanie Hinck, Justin Lang, Susane Lee, and Akoni Steinmann round out the company. Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting.
Empty Ride follows Kisa, a painter in Paris, who returns to her small Japanese hometown after the 2011 tsunami to help her ailing father by driving his taxi cab. But as she navigates the winding streets and transports her eccentric passengers, she is haunted by the supernatural remnants of what the floodwaters left behind.
The creative team will include scenic designer Adam Rigg, costume designer Izumi Inaba, lighting designer Mextly Couzin, sound designer Avi Amon, and production stage manager Chandra R. M. Anthenill. The production will also feature original music by Amon.
鈥淜eiko Green is one of the most exciting playwrights bursting onto the American scene right now, and her newest play Empty Ride is a stunner in all the best ways,鈥� Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein said in a statement. 鈥淔rom the moment I read it I knew the Globe should produce it. Keiko transports us to a part of Japan that few outside that country know, and there she immerses us in a story that鈥檚 funny, touching, and immensely powerful. It鈥檚 an honor to bring it to life, especially under the guidance of Sivan Battat, a brilliant director who, like Keiko, is on a meteoric rise. The cast coming to San Diego to produce this play is top-notch and will bring to the Globe a memorable and special evening.鈥�
Visit for tickets.
