Saturday Night Live alum and screen favorite Jason Sudeikis will headline the world premiere of Dead Poets Society. The Classic Stage Company production, directed by John Doyle, will begin performances on October 27.
Tom Schulman will adapt his Oscar-winning screenplay for the stage. Like the 1989 film, the play is set in an elite all-male boarding school, where new English teacher John Keating uses unconventional methods (such as standing on desks and appreciating poetry) to get his students to challenge the status quo and “make your lives extraordinary.”
Sudeikis was an SNL regular from 2005 to 2013 (he also served as a writer for two years prior). His numerous additional TV credits include 30 Rock, The Last Man on Earth and Eastbound and Down. On the big screen, he has appeared in Race, Mother’s Day, Horrible Bosses, The Bounty Hunter and the upcoming sci-fi feature Colossal. Dead Poets Society marks Sudeikis’ New York stage debut, though he has been known to tailgate performances of Wicked.
Opening night is set for November 17. Additional casting for the world premiere will be announced in the coming weeks.