Oscar Winning actress Julianne Moore to return to stage after 20 years in New Off-Broadway Play ‘Faydra’!

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. The production is produced by Manhattan Theatre Club.

 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.

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.

PLAY SUMMARY:

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.

TEAM MTC

“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.”

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.

ABOUT MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB

Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is one of America’s preeminent non-profit theatrical institutions and a premier destination in New York City for both the most talented artists and discerning audiences to return to time and again. Artistic Director Nicki Hunter, who assumed the role in December 2025; Executive Director Chris Jennings, who joined the company in 2023; and their dedicated staff are committed to producing bold, entertaining and thought-provoking new plays and musicals at their Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway and two off-Broadway stages at New York City Center. This new leadership team is building on the artistic legacy created and led by Lynne Meadow since 1972. She and Barry Grove, her partner for 48 years, helmed a company that has been dedicated to new work, new voices and new perspectives, and has produced more than 600 premieres, which include nearly 20% of all the new plays on Broadway since they opened the Friedman in 2003. MTC’s work has gone on to be mounted around the country and the world, making a significant contribution to the theatrical canon. MTC’s productions have garnered 31 Tony Awards; 52 Drama Desk Awards; 49 Obie Awards; seven Pulitzer Prizes for Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living, Lynn Nottage’s Ruined, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole, John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, David Auburn’s Proof, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, and Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart; and many other honors. The organization’s robust slate of Artistic Development initiatives features one of the largest commissioning programs in the country, readings, workshops, fellowships, dramaturgical support and other resources for artists. MTC is committed to making its productions broadly accessible, engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and strives to help them build deep connections with its work through Beyond the Stage programming and its Learning and Community Engagement program, which serves over 3,000 students of all ages annually throughout the NYC area, nationwide and abroad. For more information, please visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com. 

BIOGRAPHIES

JULIANNE MOORE (Faydra) is an Academy Award–, Emmy-, Golden Globe–, and BAFTA-winning actor celebrated for her wide-ranging performances across film and television. Known for her acclaimed roles in Still Alice, Far From Heaven, The Hours, The Kids Are All Right, and Boogie Nights, she has built a career defined by versatility and depth. Moore is the first American woman to receive top acting honors at the Berlin, Venice, and Cannes Film Festivals, cementing her status as one of the most respected performers of her generation. Recent credits include Todd Haynes’ May December —which earned her a Golden Globe nomination—Apple TV’s Echo Valley, Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door, Netflix’s limited series “Sirens,” and historical miniseries “Mary & George.” Coming up, Moore will star in Jesse Eisenberg’s A24 musical comedy The Debut. Beyond the screen, Moore is a New York Times bestselling children’s author of the Freckleface Strawberry series and the founding chair of Everytown for Gun Safety’s Creative Council, where she advocates for ending gun violence in America. With over 70 films to her name, Moore continues to deliver work that resonates with audiences worldwide.  

SARAH RUHL (Playwright) is an American playwright, author, and teacher. Her twelve plays include In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2010; Tony Award nominee, 2010); The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2005; Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2004); and Eurydice (named one of the most impactful plays of the last 25 years by The New York Times). Her plays have been produced on Broadway and across the country as well as internationally, and translated into fourteen languages. Most recently, Signature Theatre dedicated a season to her body of work. Her opera Eurydice (with composer Matthew Aucoin) debuted at the Metropolitan Opera and earned a Grammy nomination, and her musical Wonder with A Great Big World recently finished running at the American Repertory Theater. Her books include Smile, a memoir; 100 essays I don’t have time to write; and Lessons from my Teachers. She is the recipient of a Whiting Writers’ Award, a PEN Center Award for mid-career playwrights, a Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, and a MacArthur “genius award” Fellowship. She teaches at the Yale School of Drama and lives in Brooklyn with her family.   

LES WATERS (Director) is a Tony-nominated and Obie Award-winning director. His New York credits include Broadway, NAATCO, Vineyard Theatre, Public Theater, Soho Rep, Second Stage, BAM Next Wave Festival, Playwrights Horizons, Connelly Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Signature. He has worked at many theatres across the country: Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Huntington Theatre Company, American Repertory Theater, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre. Tony Award nomination for Dana H, Obie Awards for Big Love and Sustained Excellence. He is both subject and co-author of The Theatre of Les Waters: More like the Weather, edited by Scott T. Cummings, published by Routledge.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

World Premiere

Faydra

By Sarah Ruhl

With Julianne Moore & more to be announced

Directed by Les Waters

Previews February 2, 2027

Opening Night February 25, 2027

New York City Center Stage

131 West 55th Street

---

Rasaaurdrama.com preview section is your best, most complete guide for all the theatre/films , big and small, coming your way soon. Happy Reading! E-mail your listing to rasaaurdrama.com!