Second Stage Theater has announced its upcoming fall slate, including the Broadway debut of Emmy nominee Leslye Headland’s (Bachelorette, Star Wars: The Acolyte, Russian Doll) play Cult of Love, and the Off-Broadway premiere of Pulitzer winner Donald Margulies' play Lunar Eclipse.

Directed by Trip Cullman, Cult of Love will begin performances at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theater November 20, with opening night set for December 12. Centering on the four adult children of the Dahl family and their partners as they return home for a rocky holiday gathering, casting for the family drama will be released at a later date.

The season will also include Margulies’ play Lunar Eclipse, starring Tony winner Reed Birney and Drama Desk nominee Lisa Emery. Directed by Kate Whoriskey, the play will begin performances October 9, with opening night set for October 30. Exploring the fragility of memory and the eroding passage of time, the work centers on a couple sitting outside of their Kentucky farm to watch the lunar eclipse. As the seven stages of the celestial phenomenon unfold, the two sip bourbon and reflect on how little they truly know each other after decades of marriage.

This marks the first slate of programming lead by Interim Artistic Director Bennett Leak, who has stepped in for founding Artistic Director Carole Rothman, who will remain with the company through August. Rothman has led the company since its founding in 1979, when she endeavored to create a new company to support living American playwrights and new emerging talent.

Leak has worked in New York theatre for nearly two decades, joining Second Stage in 2015 as the director of special events, where he has produced large-scale fundraising events and raising over $7M for the organization. Leak became the associate artistic director of the company in 2019, and director of artistic production in 2021.

For more information on the upcoming season, visit 2st.com.