Manhattan Theatre Club (Nicki Hunter, Artistic Director, and Chris Jennings, Executive Director) is pleased to announce that Academy Award winner Julianne Moore will return to the New York stage in the world premiere of Faydra, a bold new play by Tony Award nominee and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl, directed by Tony Award nominee Les Waters.
“There’s nothing like watching a homegrown Manhattan Theatre Club commission become a magnet for talent,” said MTC Artistic Director Nicki Hunter. “Sarah Ruhl’s bold, funny, and devastating reimagining of this classic tale will draw the immensely gifted Julianne Moore back to the stage, and mark Les Waters’ return to MTC after three decades. We look forward to announcing additions to this exciting company in the months ahead.”
Aphrodite aims her bow at Faydra and lets an arrow of love fly. Nothing is ever the same. Mostly because the object of Faydra’s sudden, all-devouring lust is her soon-to-be stepson.
Academy Award winner Julianne Moore stars in this fearless world premiere that is a modern take on the classic Greek myth. Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee Sarah Ruhl and directed by Tony nominee Les Waters, Faydra explores the impossibility of reconciling logic and longing—especially for a woman unwilling to deny desire.
Moore has built one of the most acclaimed careers in contemporary acting, earning widespread recognition for her remarkable range across film and television. Her unforgettable performances include Short Cuts, Boogie Nights (Academy Award nomination), The Big Lebowski, Far from Heaven (Academy Award nomination), The End of the Affair (Academy Award nomination), The Hours (Academy Award nomination), Still Alice (Academy Award, Best Actress) and May December, among many others, in addition to acclaimed television work in “Game Change,” (Emmy Award), “Lisey’s Story” and “Mary & George.” She can be seen this winter in The Debut, a new film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg.
Playwright Sarah Ruhl, whose acclaimed works have established her as one of America’s most distinctive dramatic voices, reunites with director Les Waters, whose celebrated collaborations with Ruhl include Eurydice, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday, and the Tony Award-nominated In the Next Room (or the vibrator play). Faydra also reunites Julianne Moore with Waters, following their previous collaboration on Caryl Churchill's Ice Cream with Hot Fudge at the Public Theater in 1990.
Additional casting and creative team for Faydra will be announced at a later date.
Performances for Faydra begin February 2, 2027, with opening night scheduled for Thursday, February 25, 2027. Tickets for MTC’s strictly limited engagement of Faydra are available exclusively to MTC subscribers and patrons. If you are interested, please call the MTC Clubline at 212-399-3050 or click HERE for more information.
Image courtesy of Faydra
