Next up at Second Stage Theater is Amy Berryman's play WALDEN, directed by Whitney White and starring Emmy Rossum, Zoe Winters and Motell Foster. Previews of “WALDEN” began on October 16th and will officially premiere on November 7th at the Tony Kiser Theater.

“I read this piece three years ago when I was very early postpartum after giving birth to my first child during COVID. It felt very apocalyptic to me in many ways, hormonal and otherwise,” Rossum explained during a break in rehearsals. “The journey of these two sisters trying to save the world that is on the brink of collapse, in completely different ways… (it's) the idea that two paths can diverge.”

In the near future, Stella (Rossum) and her fiancé Bryan wait in their remote cabin for Stella's estranged twin sister Cassie (Winters). Raised to be NASA scientists by their astronaut father, the twins have taken different paths: Cassie has just returned from a successful lunar mission, while Stella has left NASA behind. As they reunite, old conflicts flare up again, forcing the sisters to choose between remaining on Earth or a future in space, while the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

“I love this piece,” White added. “It makes me laugh, cry and think about the decisions I will have to make in the future and yet I never want it to end. I think the audience will experience that.”

Watch this video as the entire troupe gathers to chat more about the new piece.