(March 2025 – New York, New York) Classic Stage Company (CSC; Jill Rafson, Producing Artistic Director), the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO; Mia Katigbak, Actor-Manager & Co-Founder; Mona Moriya, Managing Producer), and Transport Group (TG; Jack Cummings III, Artistic Director & Co-Founder; Denise Dickens, Executive Director) present William Inge’s Bus Stop, directed by Jack Cummings III. Previews will begin on May 8, 2025, with an opening night set for May 18, for a limited run through June 8, 2025 at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater (136 E 13th St, New York, NY 10003).

The cast for Bus Stop will include Delphi Borich (Into the Woods) as “Elma,” Rajesh Bose (Life of Pi) as “Dr. Lyman,” Cindy Cheung (The Antiquities) as “Grace,” David Lee Huynh (TG & NAATCO’s The Trial of the Catonsville Nine) as “Will,” Michael Hsu Rosen (The Sex Lives of College Girls) as “Bo,” David Shih (Gnit) as “Carl,” Moses Villarama (Cambodian Rock Band) as “Virgil,” and Obie and Drama Desk award winner Midori Francis (“Dash and Lily,” Usual Girls) as “Cherie.”

Bus Stop will feature Scenic Design by Peiyi Wong, Costume Design by Mariko Ohigashi, and Lighting Design by R. Lee Kennedy. Kevin Zhu is the Production Stage Manager. Casting is by tbd casting co.

On a snowy night in Kansas, a diner can be an oasis, a prison, a place to hide, or a place to discover yourself. When a bus is forced to take shelter from stormy weather outside, a mismatched group of dreamers and cowboys, waitresses and outcasts find unexpected warmth in one another. In William Inge’s 1955 classic, this great playwright of the Midwest gives voice to memorable characters who’ll linger like the perfect cup of diner coffee. This production of Bus Stop will be the first to feature an all-Asian American cast taking on this quintessential play of the Midwest.

The performance schedule for Bus Stop is as follows: Tuesdays – Saturdays at 7pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Exceptions: There will not be a matinee performance on Saturday, May 10 or Sunday, May 25. Student matinees will be held on Thursday, May 22 and Wednesday, May 28 at 11am.

Audiences attending Bus Stop on Saturday, June 7 at 2pm will be required to wear a mask.

Tickets will first be available for booking starting on Wednesday, February 26 to CSC donors. Tickets for CSC members will be available to purchase on Wednesday, March 5. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, March 12. Patrons and members will receive email communication on the day tickets are available for their respective presale.

Tickets for Bus Stop will begin at $70 during previews and start at $80 after opening. Members get discounted tickets at the rate of $50 during previews and $60 after opening, with no fees.

CSC memberships are available, starting at $50, and include guaranteed access to purchase discounted tickets to all CSC productions in the 2024-25 season, including Wine in the Wilderness, directed by LaChanze. More information on memberships and tickets is available at https://www.classicstage.org/members

ABOUT NAATCO

NAATCO was founded in 1989 by Mia Katigbak and Richard Eng to assert the presence and significance of Asian American theater in the United States, demonstrating its vital contributions to the fabric of American culture. The company presents the following repertory: European and American classics as written with all-Asian American casts; adaptations of these classics by Asian American playwrights; new plays – preferably world premieres – written by non-Asian Americans, not for or about Asian Americans, but realized by an all Asian American cast; and; new plays by Asian American playwrights that incorporate other performative arts and media.

NAATCO puts into service its total commitment to Asian American theater artists to more accurately represent onstage the multi- and intercultural dynamics of our society. NAATCO’s work has been recognized by the OBIEs, the League of Professional Theatre Women, the Rosetta LeNoire Award from Actors’ Equity Association, Drama Desk, and Drama League.

Top photo credit: Strelka/Shutterstock, Headshots courtesy of NAATCO