The Vandal

“The Vandal is like a good short story, one that gets to its reality-shifting denouement swiftly and neatly, before you’ve had time to guess what it is.”
4/5 Stars!
-Time Out NY

“The humour, first-rate performing and sharp dialogue make the journey rewarding.”
4/5 Stars!
-Financial Times

“The wonderful Deirdre O’Connell gives a brief master class in minimalist acting.”
-NY Times

“Robbins expertly walks along the dramatic high-wire… Grenier peels away his character’s layers with the skill of a master chef”
-TheaterMania

“Fascinatingly quirky drama…Linklater demonstrates a Conor McPherson–esque way with spinning stories and a remarkable, all-too-rare willingness to take risks.”
-Entertainment Weekly

“The Vandal is a cunningly constructed tale; it is loaded with twists and is funny, touching, and creepy, sometimes all at once. Linklater is harboring an armada’s worth of bombshells, up to and including a perfect shocker of a climax.”
-Light and Sound


A freezing night in Kingston, New York. A woman meets a boy at a bus stop. A play about how we live and the stories we tell ourselves when we’re haunted by the people we’ve loved and lost.

Starring: Zach Grenier, Deirdre O’Connell, and Noah Robbins

Directed by Jim Simpson

Written by Hamish Linklater

Says Simpson, “Most of us know Hamish as being one of his generations most gifted and wonderful stage actors. It was such a surprise to discover that he is also a new playwright of great promise.” Adds Linklater, “I’m beyond thrilled that The Flea and Jim (Simpson) have given me this opportunity.”

The design team features David M. Barber (Set Designer), Brian Aldous (Lighting Designer), Claudia Brown (Costume Designer), Brandon Wolcott (Sound Designer) and James McSweeney (Props Master).

Hamish Linklater has worked as an actor in theater/TV/film. NY theater credits include School for Liesat C.S.C. (Lortel, OCC noms, Obie Award), Merchant of Venice, Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night (Drama Desk nom) at the Delacourt, Recent Tragic Events & The Busy World is Hushed (Drama League nom) at Playwrights Horizons, Good Thing at the New Group, and most recently, Seminar at the Golden Theater. He co-wrote the TV pilot The Prince of Motor City for ABC. Other plays include The Portal and The United Kingdom which have been read and workshopped at The Flea, New York Stage & Film, Williamstown, MTC, and The Echo Theatre in Los Angeles.

Zach Grenier can currently be seen playing David Lee, head of Family Law, on the hit CBS show The Good Wife. In recent seasons in New York, he has appeared at the Atlantic Theater Company in John Patrick Shanley’s Storefront Church and Moira Buffini’s Gabriel; at the Roundabout Theatre Company in Man and Boy and A Man for All Seasons. He was nominated for a Tony Award® for his portrayal of Beethoven in Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda. Earlier in his career in New York, he appeared in the experimental plays of Richard Foreman, Jeffrey M. Jones and Mac Wellman, performing in Wellman’s Sincerity Forever under the direction of Jim Simpson. He also performed in more naturalistic fare at the Circle Repertory Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Ensemble Studio Theatre, of which he is a member. His performance in David Rabe’s A Question of Mercy at New York Theatre Workshop earned him an Outstanding Artist honor from the Drama League. His performance as Dick Cheney in David Hare’s Stuff Happens was recognized with Ensemble Awards by both the Drama League and the Drama Desk. His work on television includes such critically acclaimed series as 24 and David Milch’s Deadwood. His film credits include independent releases such as LiebestraumA Shock to the SystemChasing Sleep and Earthwork, as well as major motion pictures like Tommy BoyTwister, and Swordfish. Other notable film credits include David Fincher’s Zodiac and Fight Club; Ang Lee’s Ride with the Devil, Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn, and Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar. Look for him in the upcoming film Robocop.

Deirdre O’Connell is a 2010 Obie and Drama Desk-winner for Circle Mirror Transformation. This distinguished New York stage actress was seen recently in Magic/Bird on Broadway. Her long list of theater credits also include: In the Wake (Los Angeles Ovation Award, The Richard Seff Actor’s Equity Award, Lucille Lortell Nomination, Public Theatre and Center Theater Group), Thinner Than Water (Labyrinth), The Poor Itch (The Public); Rag and Bone (Rattlestick Theatre); Jo Pyretown (Keen Company); Manic Flight Reaction and Spatter Patter (both at Playwrights Horizons); Cave Dweller(NYTW); Big Dance Theater’s AntigoneTwo Headed (Women’s Project); In The Blood (The Public); Fugue (Cherry Lane); Mud (Signature Theatre); ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (The Public); Love and Anger(Drama Desk nom., NYTW); The Geography of Luck, Three Ways Home, Stars in the Morning(Dramalogue Award, Los Angeles Critics Award), Etta Jenks (Dramalogue Award, all at LA Theatre Center); The Front Page (Lincoln Center); and A Lie of the Mind (Promenade Theatre). Films include: Synecdoche, What Happens in Vegas, Imaginary Heroes, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Secondhand Lions, Fearless, The Quitter (upcoming) and Pastime (Nominated for Independent Spirit Award—Best Supporting Actress). TV includes many guest stars and movies for TV as well as series regular roles on L.A. Doctors and Second Noah.

Noah Robbins most recently starred as the title character in Nathan Englander’s The Twenty-Seventh Man at the Public Theater. He performed in a Flea Theater benefit reading of The Vandal alongside Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman. Broadway: ArcadiaBrighton Beach Memoirs (Outer Critics Circle nomination). Off-Broadway: Secrets of the Trade (Clive Barnes Award nomination). He won the Best Actor award at the L.A. Comedy Festival for Newsworthy, a short film directed by his brother Jeremy. He is currently majoring in Philosophy at Columbia University.

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