Broadway Icon, LEN CARIOU and an electrifyng cast bring to life RICHARD VETERE’s riveting new drama, ZAGŁADA; Production directed by MAJA WAMPUSZYC, October 16 — November 2 at The AMERICAN THEATRE OF ACTORS, 314 W. 54th Street. New York City. TICKETS

ZAGŁADA is a Polish word meaning annihilation used within Poland to refer to the HOLOCAUST, particularly in the context of the systematic, state-sponsored genocide of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators. This psychological crime thriller peels away layers of historical PTSD when four New Yorkers unexpectedly meet in a Queens police precinct. Ninety year old Maspeth resident Jerzy Kozlowski has just been arrested for shooting at Danielle Hooper, a journalist who has discovered that Kozlowski was a kapo in a Nazi Concentration Camp. In a race against time, NYPD Officer Frank Napoli, Homeland Security Officer Sonia Sokolow, and Danielle Hooper confront the past, each other, and Kozlowski. What is a human being capable of doing to protect themselves and the ones they love and will justice prevail?

The play ZAGŁADA is inspired by history. All characters are fictional.

RICHARD VETERE wrote the internationally known novel The Third Miracle published by Simon & Schuster and co-wrote the screenplay adaptation produced by Francis Ford Coppola, directed by Agnieszka Holland starring Ed Harris. He adapted his stage play The Marriage Fool for CBS TV Films starring Walter Matthau, Carol Burnet. Currently he is writing the novelization of his cult classic film Vigilante for Fathom Books. His play Black & White City Blues ran to rave reviews earlier this year at the ATA Theater. ZAGŁADA developed in the PDW at the Actors Studio. A Lifetime Member of the WGAE, the Dramatist Guild, Poets & Writers and The Authors Guild, he holds a master’s degree from Columbia University in Comparative English Literature. RichardVetereauthor.com

LEN CARIOU is an internationally recognized, Tony Award-winning, Emmy-nominated actor whose career spans sixty-five years on regional stages, Broadway, off-Broadway, film and television. A member of the Theatre Hall of Fame, he is known best for his legendary performance as the title character in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In 2024 he was honored with the John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre by the Theatre World Awards. Cariou remains highly regarded for his extensive classical repertoire, including King Lear which he assayed twice. His one-man show Broadway and the Bard re-visited some of the best dramatic and musical elements of his robust career. Len became a beloved figure as ‘Pop’ Reagan over 14 seasons on CBS Blue Bloods. Last year, he distinguished himself once again off-Broadway in the role of Morrie Shwartz in the award-winning Seadog Theatre production of Tuesdays With Morrie. Look for him in the new year on MGM+ as Linus Bean in the new series American Classic, in which he co-stars with Kevin Kline, Jon Tenney and Laura Linney.  Len is a Mets fan, an inveterate gin rummy player, and loves the game of golf. He is an adored and adoring father, husband and grandfather, a member of the Order of Manitoba, and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

JES WASHINGTON New York actress, writer, and singer born in Memphis, TN. OFF-BROADWAY: Coping Mechanism; White Woman, Black Boy; North Carolina; Danny & the Deep Blue Sea. THEATER: Who Will Sing for Lena, an international one-woman show; Clybourne Park; Paradise Blue. WORKSHOPS: DEEP AZURE, director N’Sangou Njikam & creative consultant Phylicia Rashad; Caucasian Chalk Circle, director Awoye Timpo; American Rot, director Estelle Parsons; Black Is Beauty, director Kareem Lucas; and The Great White Hope, director Steve Broadnax III. FILM: A Wall Apart. TELEVISION: HBO’s The Gilded Age, CBS’s The Equalizer, Half the History: Belinda Royale Story. VOICE OVER: Greater Boston, What’s the Frequency? SERIES: The Board. AWARDS: Best Lead Actress; People’s Choice; Best Production; winner of AACT National Festival 2019 & 2021; 2021 Mondial du Théâtre in France. Acting MFA in NYC. Lifetime member of Actors Studio.

SALVATORE INZERILLO is a New York based actor, director, and artistic director. A member of LAByrinth Theater Company and The Actors Studio, he has worked extensively at The Public Theater and developed over a hundred new plays with leading American playwrights. His directing work is known for bold reinterpretations of classic texts, casting that challenges convention and reveals hidden emotional truths. Acting credits (stage): Rocky Pioggi in The Iceman Cometh with Nathan Lane & Brian Dennehy, directed by Robert Falls at BAM and The Goodman Theatre. He originated roles in early works by Stephen Adly Guirgis, all directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, including In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. He performed Jesus Hopped on London’s West End at The Arts Theatre (d/Hoffman) and The Donmar Warehouse (d/Sam Mendes). He spent several years in Los Angeles as an on-set acting coach, contributing to multiple Emmy-winning performances. Film & TV: Jack Goes Boating, Law & Order, SVU, Criminal Intent, Boardwalk Empire, New Amsterdam, The Deuce, Person of Interest, The Good Wife. Founder of Actors Theater of NYC and The Nomad Theater Company (LA).

MAJA WAMPUSZYC Broadway: Irena’s Vow. Off-Broadway: Irena’s Vow, Foggy Bottom, An Oak Tree; pool (no water), Lady Macbeth & her Lover, The Pearl Theatre. Also: ZAGŁADA, NC; How to Live, Krakow; Anna Akhmatova/Night Shadows; Ayn Rand/The Disciple; Geraldine Connelly/House of Connelly, Clytemnestra/Clytemnestra in Hades; Rewriting her Life d/Trazana Beverly; Precious Stones. Film & TV: The Immigrant w/Marion Cotillard, d/James Gray; Mona Lisa Smile; Going Shopping d/Henry Jaglom; The Last Goodbye w/Renata Pały, d/Kali C. Davis; The Knick; Madam Secretary; Search Party w/Susan Sarandon; Law & Order: SVU. Member of Actors Gym NYLA and PDW The Actors Studio: recently worked w/Lanie Robertson on his new play Unknown Objects of Desire. Directed development process of ZAGŁADA first collaboration of many w/Richard Vetere.

The American Theatre of Actors, founded in 1976 by James Jennings, continues its mission of spotlighting socially and historically resonant works. The company has produced over 1,000 original plays and has been a creative home to actors such as Dennis Quaid, Edie Falco, and Chazz Palminteri.