WP Theater and Ma-Yi Theater Company's 'You Seem Sad' Begins Casting in New York City Ahead of 2027 Run

A new play with serious institutional backing is moving into casting and pre-production in New York City, and theatrical professionals should be paying attention now. 'You Seem Sad,' written by Leah Hanako Winkler and directed by May Adrales, is being produced by WP Theater in co-production with Ma-Yi Theater Company, in association with the Lucille Lortel Theatre. The production is scheduled to begin in March 2027, which means the hiring pipeline for this off-Broadway project is opening well ahead of its run — giving crew, designers, and casting professionals a meaningful window to pursue involvement.

Leah Hanako Winkler is a playwright whose work has earned considerable attention in New York's off-Broadway ecosystem. Her previous play 'Two Mile Hollow,' a sharp and darkly comic deconstruction of white American family drama, demonstrated her gift for blending tonal registers — moving fluidly between comedy and genuine emotional weight. 'You Seem Sad' appears to continue in that vein, weaving together the story of Keiko, an atomic-bomb survivor rebuilding her life in postwar Nagasaki, and a half-Japanese woman in early-2000s New York City reckoning with identity, career, and love. The play's dual timeline structure, its engagement with the legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and its exploration of mixed-race identity in America make it an ambitious, layered piece — the kind of material that attracts serious design collaboration and strong ensemble casting.

May Adrales brings a distinguished track record to the director's chair. She has worked extensively at regional theaters and off-Broadway houses including Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Public Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among others. Her work frequently centers stories by and about Asian American communities, and her collaboration with Winkler on this project feels like a natural and intentional pairing. Adrales is known for precision in staging and a genuine investment in amplifying the specific cultural textures of the stories she tells, which is a meaningful signal for designers and dramaturgs who want to know what kind of creative environment they're entering. Casting for the production is being led by Kelly Gillespie, a respected theatrical casting director whose work spans a range of off-Broadway and regional productions. Agents and actors with strong awareness of Asian American storytelling should note her involvement.

The producing institutions behind this project represent some of the most mission-driven and respected homes for new work in American theater. WP Theater, formerly known as Women's Project Theater, has been developing and producing work by women and gender-nonconforming artists for decades, with a robust history of world premieres that have gone on to extended lives in regional theater and beyond. Ma-Yi Theater Company is one of the country's leading Asian American theater companies, with a long track record of producing and developing work that centers Asian American voices and experiences. The Lucille Lortel Theatre, one of off-Broadway's most storied venues on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, lends the production a home with significant artistic credibility and an intimate house well-suited to the kind of layered, character-driven storytelling Winkler's script demands. Together, these three organizations signal a production that is well-resourced by off-Broadway standards, mission-aligned, and likely to draw serious attention from the New York theater community.

The production will be based in New York City, almost certainly performing at or in association with the Lucille Lortel Theatre at 121 Christopher Street in the West Village — a 299-seat house that has hosted countless significant off-Broadway premieres. New York's theatrical production community is deep and local, meaning the bulk of the creative and production team will likely be drawn from the city's resident talent pool. For scenic designers, lighting designers, sound designers, costume designers, production managers, and stage managers with experience in off-Broadway new-play development, this is exactly the kind of project to have on your radar early. With a production start of March 9, 2027, and a run through May 2, 2027, the technical rehearsal and preview period will almost certainly fall in late February to early March, with design work and production meetings beginning substantially earlier.

Given the play's scope — dual timelines, post-WWII Japan and early-2000s New York, one story rooted in historical trauma and another in contemporary identity — the scenic and costume design work on this production will require genuine sophistication and cultural sensitivity. Productions like this often develop close collaborative relationships between the design team and the dramaturgy department, so designers with experience in historically grounded or culturally specific work will be especially well positioned. The sound design and composition will also be a key element given the thematic weight of the material. For theatrical professionals at any level, from production managers and technical directors to props artisans and wardrobe supervisors, 'You Seem Sad' represents the kind of new American play that matters — and getting in early is always the advantage.

ProductionList.com carries the full listing for 'You Seem Sad,' including production contacts, company details, and scheduling information as it becomes available. With casting currently underway and the production still more than a year and a half from its first performance, now is the right moment to make contact, reach out through your network, or flag this listing for ongoing updates. Check the full entry at ProductionList.com and keep it bookmarked — as design contracts are awarded and the production team fills out, this listing will be updated with the information you need to pursue the opportunity directly.

Click here for production info or to contact producers