America’s most-produced playwright debuts a witty new comedy of rivalry, romance, and reinvention.
SARASOTA, FL — Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florida’s premier professional theatre, announces the cast and creative team for its upcoming Rolling World Premiere of Lady Disdain written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Sean Daniels, with performances June 6–June 27, 2026 (previews June 6–11; opening night June 12).
There’s much ado about something in this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud new romantic comedy from Lauren Gunderson. Lady Disdain is a fast-paced, razor-sharp riff on the deliciously dramatic world of Fantasy Romance novels (yes, those ones—you know them, you love them). Beatrice and Benedict, rival audiobook narrators with voices made for swooning and tempers made for sparring, are locked in a battle of wits, words, and wildly inconvenient attraction. Asolo Rep proudly presents this rolling world premiere from one of America’s funniest and most celebrated playwrights.
“Lauren Gunderson is a powerful voice in the American Theatre,” says Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein. “It is an honor to develop and premiere her work at Asolo Rep.”
Performance Dates
June 12 – June 27, 2026
Previews: June 6–11
Cast
The cast features Sophia Alawi (Hannah) Regional: We Live in Cairo (New York Theatre Workshop), A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre Center), Nobody Loves You (American Conservatory Theater); Ben Clark (Claudio) Regional: Next To Normal (Barrington Stage Company, Roundhouse Theatre), Jersey Boys (Toby’s Dinner Theatre); Veronika Duerr (Beatrice) Regional: The Tall Girls(Alliance Theatre), Ripe Frenzy (New Rep), Exit, Pursued By A Bear (Synchronicity Theatre); Michael Flood (Pedro) Film/TV Credits: SEAL Team (CBS), Jamaal 2.0 (Here TV), Guiding Light; Casey Murphy (Ben) Theatre credits: Prague Shakespeare Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Michigan Shakespeare Festival; Brett Ashley Robinson (Alice) Regional: The Appointment (NYTW), Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, Fairview (Wilma Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); Casting by Murnane Casting Broadway/Regional Credits: TINA -The Tina Turner Musical, Dear Evan Hansen, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Sound of Music, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Kinky Boots.
Creative Team
Written by Lauren Gunderson, two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in Theatre Award, Lanford Wilson Award, Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, Jeff Award, and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Arthur L. Weissberger Award, and John Gassner Award; Directed by Sean Daniels Credits: Manhattan Theatre Club and Lynn Redgrave Theatre (NYC), Southwark Playhouse and St. James (London), Club eX, Prince Hotel Shinagawa (Tokyo), Daegu Festival, Culture and Arts Theatre CT (Seoul); Scenic Design by Lawrence E. Moten III Credits: Chicken and Biscuits (Circle in the Square), Patience (Second Stage), STEW (Page 73). Costume Design by Nicole Jescinth Smith Awards: Emmy Nomination in Period Costume for Pose S2 (F/X), TV credit: The Chair Company S1(HBO); Lighting Design by Brian J. Lilienthal Credits: Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alley Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, GEVA Theatre Center, Hartford Stage, The Huntington Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Merrimack Rep; Sound Design and Original Music by Daniel Erdberg Credits: The Public, City Opera, 92Y, Roundabout, City Center, Atlantic, 59E59 (New York) and Ursula Kwong-Brown Credits: Stonewall (NYC Opera), King Lear(Wallis Annenberg Center LA), La Cage Aux Folles (Pasadena Playhouse); Hair, Wig and Makeup Design by Michelle Hart Asolo Rep: Marie and Rosetta, Fiddler on the Roof, The Mirror Crack’d, Primary Trust, and Come From Away; Intimacy Coordination by Summer Dawn Wallace Asolo Rep: Come From Away, Intimate Apparel, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, Anna in the Tropics, Dial M for Murder; Stage Management by Nia Deonna Benn Credits: 1776, The Wiz, West Side Story, Million Dollar Quartet; Assistant Stage Management by Hannah Haggerty Asolo Rep: The Mirror Crack’d, All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914.
Tickets
Tickets for Asolo Rep’s 2025–26 season are on sale now. Show times: Tuesday–Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Matinees: 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and select Thursdays. For tickets and information, visit AsoloRep.org or call 941.351.8000
About Asolo Rep
Since 1958, Asolo Repertory Theatre has been recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. Asolo Rep presents up to eight productions each season, including classics, contemporary drama, musicals, and world premieres. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep is committed to expanding its reach into the community, furthering its collaboration with leading theatre-makers, and cultivating the next generation of artists through its affiliation with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein and Managing Director Ross Egan, Asolo Rep’s ambitious theatrical offerings, commitment to new work, and groundbreaking education and engagement programs ensure the company’s lasting legacy for future generations. Learn more at AsoloRep.org.