The Actors Center is thrilled to welcome 32 new members of our Resident Companyโa one-of-a-kind, ongoing, creative residency program for a diverse collective of 300 actors and theater artists, leaders in the field who work regularly throughout theatre, film, and television.
Company member Mahira Kakkar is in The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen, newly adapted by David Eldridge and directed by Simon Godwin in a coproduction with Theatre for a New Audience and D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company. The play follows Gregers Werle, the idealistic and dogmatic son of a wealthy businessman, who wreaks havoc when he embarks on a crusade to unveil the false foundations of the life of his friend. Ignorant of the adultsโ machinations, Hedvig, a young girl, tries to shield the fragile eponymous duck from the injuries of the world. The productionย is an accessible, provocative, modern drama centered in a family.ย Performances run at TFANA through September 28 before moving to D.C from October 18-November 6.
Company member James Udom is in Chief of War, a new historical drama series about the origin of Hawai’i and its people, created by Thomas Paสปa Sibbett and Jason Momoa, who also stars. The series follows Kaโiana, a chief and ferocious warrior who embarks on a monumental mission to unite Hawai’iโs four kingdoms. James plays Tony, a formerly enslaved sailor who befriends Ka’iana aboard a British merchant ship. New episodes premiere every Friday through September 19 on Apple TV+. Watch trailer here.
Company member Jess Gabor is in the feature film Christy, written and directed by David Michรดd. The biopic stars Sydney Sweeney as boxing star Christy Martin and chronicles her rise to becoming America’s most well known female boxer in the 1990s. Dealing with themes of misogyny, domestic violence, and sexual identity, Christy is a tale of self-actualization in the face of terrifying adversity. The film will have its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival this month.
Company member Austin Durant is in Galas by Charles Ludlam at Little Island. This revival ofย theย 1983 comic melodrama, directed by Eric Ting, features internationally acclaimed countertenorย Anthony Roth Costanzo as the titular opera diva Maria Magdalena Galas, and includes additional music selections by Costanzo. The outdoor production, which also features choreography by Raja Feather Kelly and dialect coaching by Deborah Hecht, lays bare to both the beauty and the pain pumping through the veins of any great artist. Performance run September 6-28.
Company member Chris Perfetti is in Twinless, the dark comedy from writer-director James Sweeney, now released in theaters nationwide. The film, which won the Audience Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, follows two grieving men who meet in a support group for people whoโve lost their twins. What begins as a strange yet healing friendship soon reveals layers of secrets, grief, identity struggles, and complicated intimacy. Watch trailer here.
Company member John Cariani directs his new play, Darker the Night/Brighter the Stars at Shadowland Stages. In northern Maine, near the Canadian border, the Perseid Meteor Showers have begun their magical trance over a certain small town and its occupants, brought to life in a series of short plays about love, hope, wishes, and what it means to be understood. Performances run through September 14 in Ellenville, NY.
Company member Adriana Gaviria is producing SolFest, The Sol Project’s annual Latinรฉ Theater Festival, produced in partnership with Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and North Star Projects. The Sol Project, of which Adriana is a founding member, is an Obie-award winning New York City-based theater initiative dedicated to fortifying a movement that brings the voices of Latinรฉ artists and their stories to the forefront of the new American theater. SolFest is entering its eighth consecutive year under Adriana’s leadership and aims to provide more opportunities to amplify Latinรฉ artists and to further cultivate relationships and collaborations with Latinรฉ artists both in New York and around the world. SolFest runs September 28-October 2.
Company member Clark Jackson is in the feature film Eugene the Marine, written and directed by Hank Bedford, which has its world premiere September 10, opening the 32nd Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany. The thriller stars character actor Scott Glenn as a former Marine whose life begins to unravel when his son tries to force him from his longtime family home while a string of murders terrorizes his community. Watch trailer here.
Company member Tonya Pinkins is in My First Ex-Husband, written by Joy Beharย and directed by Randal Myler at The Huntingon Theatre. With razor-sharp wit and no filters, it explores the messy, hilarious truths of love, sex, and relationships. At its core, the play is a celebration of resilience and new beginnings, finding humor and meaning in lifeโs unexpected turns. Performances run through September 28 in Boston, MA.