Speech & Debate Extends Again at Roundabout Underground

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced an eight-week extension of Stephen Karam's Speech & Debate, the first production at its new Roundabout Underground black box theater. The play will continue its off-Broadway run through February 24, 2008, directed by Jason Moore.

Speech & Debate opened on October 29 and its sold-out engagement had already been extended through December 30. The cast includes Susan Blackwell as Teacher/Reporter, Jason Fuchs as Solomon, Gideon Glick as Howie and Sarah Steele as Diwata.

In Speech & Debate, misfits Solomon, Diwata and Howie have never met, even though they go to the same school. But when a shocking scandal involving one of their teachers brings them together through an unexpected chain of events, they realize three voices are stronger than one. And since their school has no speech and debate squad, maybe this is their chance to be heard at last—by the school and even the world.

Roundabout Underground's new 62-seat black box theater, located below the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, allows the company to take artistic risks that are better suited for a more intimate space. The space will be used to showcase new plays such as Speech & Debate that allow an experienced director to go back to his/her creative roots or give a debut production to an emerging writer or director.

The creative team for Speech & Debate includes Boo Killebrew choreographer, Anna Louizos sets, Heather Dunbar costumes, Justin Townsend lighting, and Brett Jarvis sound and projections.