Bill Irwin, Frank Wood and Kristen Connolly Join the Public Theater's King Lear, Starring Sam Waterston

Tony winners Bill Irwin and Frank Wood as well as Public Theater vet Kristen Connolly will complete the cast of the Public's upcoming production of Shakespeare's King Lear. Directed by James Macdonald and featuring Sam Waterston in the title role, performances begin October 18, with opening night set for November 8. The limited engagement will conclude on November 20.

When King Lear divides his kingdom among his three daughters, he sets in motion a cascade of violence that sweeps the civilized world to the brink of chaos, and Lear to the edge of madness.

Irwin (who will play The Fool) earned a Tony Award for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. His other Broadway credits include Bye Bye Birdie, Waiting for Godot, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Fool Moon, Largely New York and The Regard of Flight. Wood, who will play Cornwall, received a Tony Award for Side Man. His other Broadway work includes Born Yesterday, August: Osage County and Hollywood Arms. Off-Broadway, he was featured in last season's revival of Angels in America. Connolly, who will play Cordelia, recently appeared in the Public's Shakespeare in the Park productions of All's Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure. Her off-Broadway credits include Seven Minutes in Heaven, Fireman and The Lacey Project.

As previously announced, King Lear will also star Kelli O'Hara as Regan, Arian Moayed as Edgar, Michael McKean as Gloucester, Enid Graham as Goneril, John Douglas Thompson as Kent, Richard Topol as Albany, Che Ayende as Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant, Craig Bockhorn as Doctor, Michael Crane as Oswald, Herb Foster as Old Man/Curan, Seth Gilliam as Edmund and Michael Izquierdo as King of France.