written by Deborah Zoe Laufer
directed by Liesl Tommy
Presented by Primary Stages and Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science and Technology Project.
Originally comissioned and developed as part of the Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science and Technology Project.

An electrifying new play by one of the most exciting voices in American theater, Informed Consent is an “urgent, challenging, and of-the-moment” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) drama about one woman’s quest to answer the mysteries of science and her own life, inspired by a landmark court case between one of the country’s largest universities and a Native American tribe based in the Grand Canyon. In the past year alone, Deborah Zoe Laufer has had over 20 productions of her plays performed throughout the country and we are thrilled to present Informed Consent in its Off-Broadway Premiere, directed by Obie winner Liesl Tommy (Appropriate, The Good Negro.)

Featuring: Pun Bandhu (Wit, The Judge), Tina Benko (Scenes from a Marriage, A Midsummer Night's Dream), Jesse J. Perez (Recent Tragic Events, American Splendor), DeLanna Studi (August: Osage County, Edge of America), Myra Lucretia Taylor (Nine, HBO's "Girls")

Scenic Design by Wilson Chin, Costume Design by Jacob A. Climer, Lighting Design by Matthew Richards, Original Music and Sound Design by Broken Chord, Projection Design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Casting by Stephanie Klapper Casting.

Cast & Creatives

About the Playwright: Deborah Zoe Laufer’s plays have been produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Cleveland Playhouse, Geva Theatre Center, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Portland Stage, and eighty other theaters around the country, in Germany, Russia and Canada. End Days was awarded The ATCA Steinberg citation and appeared at Ensemble Studio Theatre through an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant. Informed Consent, which was a Sloan commission will be produced in 2015 by Primary Stages and EST at the Duke Theatre in NYC. Other plays include Leveling Up, Sirens, Out of Sterno, The Last Schwartz, Meta, The Three Sisters of Weehawken, Fortune, The Gulf of Westchester, Miniatures, and Random Acts. Deb is a recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and the Lilly Award and grants and commissions from The Edgerton Foundation, the NEA and NNPN. Her plays have been developed at PlayPenn, The Eugene O’Neill NPC, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Ojai, The Missoula Colony, The Cherry Lane Alternative, The Dramatists Guild, New Georges, The Lark, Asolo Rep. and the Baltic Playwrights Conference. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and The Dramatists Guild. DEBORAHZOELAUFER.com

Pun Bandhu Broadway: Wit (MTC). Off Broadway: PS 122, Target Margin, Soho Rep, The Foundry Theatre among others. Many regional theatre world premieres. Awards: Colorado Theatre Guild’s Best Supporting Actor Henry Award, New Dramatists' Charles Bowden Award. TV: Allegiance, The Good Wife, Without a Trace, Nurse Jackie. Film: Money Monster, The Judge, Burn After Reading, Michael Clayton.

Tina Benko recently played Marianne3 in Ivo Van Hove’s production ofScenes from a Marriage at NY Theatre Workshop and Desdemona in Toni Morrison’s Desdemona (UK/Italy/Holland). NY theatre includes Titania in Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream(TFANA), Jackie(Lortel nom), and Tales From Red Vienna (MTC). TV/Film includes Fair Market Value, That Awkward Moment, “The Good Wife,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Person of Interest,” “Rock n’ Roll,” and “Flesh and Bone.”

Jesse J. Perez New York credits; "Triple Happiness" (Second Stage), "Barrio Grrrl" (Summer Play Festival), "Recent Tragic Events" (Playwrights Horizons), "In the Penal Colony" (Classic Stage Company), "Up Against the Wind" (New York Theatre Workshop), and "Lucia di Lammermoor", (The Metropolitan Opera). Film & Television; American Splendor, Enter Nowhere, Life on Mars, and Law & Order.

DeLanna Studi performed in the first national Broadway tour of August: Osage County and was a member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Film/television credits include Edge of America, Dreamkeeper, Shameless, and General Hospital. DeLanna has re-traced her family’s footsteps along the Trail of Tears, collecting stories for a live theatrical experience.

Myra Lucretia Taylor Broadway: Nine (Tony Award, Best Revival), Macbeth, Electra, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, MuleBone, and A Streetcar Named Desire. Off Broadway: Bethany (Women's Project), Love, Loss, and What I Wore (Westside Theatre), National Tour: Wicked (Madame Morrible) Regional: Our Town (Long Wharf), International: The Winter's Tale, Pericles (Royal Shakespeare Company), TV: GIRLS/HBO, "The Bic C" Film: She's Lost Control, Custody, (upcoming). Myra is a Fox Fellow.

REVIEWS

Kathleen Campion
Front Row Center

“A powerful mix of big issues and personal ethics. ‘Informed Consent’ is salted with laugh-out-loud moments as well as raw emotional ones. It’s a short run, so see it.”

Andy Propst
American Theatre Web

“Fascinates and provokes thought. A play that has at its core an important and timely debate. There are some fine performances particularly from DeLanna Studi who brings quiet gravitas to her portrayal of Arella and from Jesse J. Perez.”

Judd Hollander
Epoch Times

“Thought-provoking drama, ’Informed Consent’ takes a hard look at a tough ethical issue and is not found wanting in what it presents. Benko is excellent.”

Michael Dale
BroadwayWorld

“This ambitious, new work by Deborah Zoe Laufer...offers much food for thought. The science is quite fascinating and the conflicts exceedingly relevant.”

Brendan Lemon
Financial Times

“A Compelling Take on Science Vs. Religion … told with light humor … sure to provoke discussion The always exceptional Tina Benko adds another memorable performance to her New York credits. DeLanna Studi is excellent.”

Joe Dziemianowicz
Daily News

“Myth collides with science in this compelling drama.”

Roma Torre
“On Stage” NY1 News

“Thoughtful and theatrical. Benko’s rich and assured performance anchors the production. The whole ensemble, which includes, Jesse J. Perez and Myra Lucretia Taylor, lends fine support.”