About
After matching online, two strangers—Heléne Yorke (“The Other Two”) and Michael Zegen (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)—meet in real life. The vibe is off, and the conversation is a mess. Yet something is keeping them in their seats. What begins as a typical date off the apps spirals into something unexpected in a bold new production of Strategic Love Play, the show that sold out in London and took the Edinburgh Fringe by storm. From “Succession” writer Miriam Battye and director Katie Posner comes the New York debut of the award-winning, razor-sharp “comedic tour de force” (The Guardian) that The Evening Standard calls “as gripping as a friend’s rapid-fire texts from a disastrous first date.” 5 weeks only at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre.
Cast & Creative Team
HELÉNE YORKE
HELÉNE YORKE was most recently seen as the co-lead ‘Brooke Dubeck’ in the HBO Max series THE OTHER TWO, produced by Lorne Michaels and created by SNL head writers Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly. She previously starred opposite Lizzy Caplan & Michael Sheen as ‘Jane Martin’ in Showtime’s MASTERS OF SEX, opposite Nick Nolte as ‘Olivia Graves’ in the Epix series GRAVES and as ‘Amanda’ in CW’s KATY KEENE. She recurred on HBO’s HIGH MAINTENANCE, Hulu’s FUTURE MAN and CBS All Access’ THE GOOD FIGHT. In addition to film & television, Heléne is an accomplished theater performer, originating the roles of 'Olive Neal' in BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, ‘Evelyn’ (Reese Witherspoon in the original film) in AMERICAN PSYCHO opposite Benjamin Walker on Broadway, and playing ‘Glinda’ in the national tour of WICKED. She is classically trained with a BFA from the University of Michigan.
Michael Zegen
Michael Zegen can currently be seen as ‘Alberto Falcone’ in HBO’s “The Penguin” starring Colin Farrell and is the lead in the film Notice To Quit, directed by Simon Hacker. He most notably starred in the Emmy Award-winning Amazon series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, opposite Rachel Brosnahan. He can next be seen as a lead in Lena Dunham’s upcoming series for Netflix. He has recurred on some of TV’s best shows including HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Walking Dead,” “Girls,” and all seasons of “Rescue Me.” Michael’s film credits include Michael Mayer’s film adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull, opposite Elisabeth Moss and Saoirse Ronan; Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha, opposite Greta Gerwig; and memorable roles in Greg Mottola’s Adventureland, as well as John Crowley’s Oscar-nominated Brooklyn. On stage, Michael made his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning A View From The Bridge for visionary director Ivo Van Hove, originated the role of ‘Liam’ in the smash hit Bad Jews, and starred as ‘Ted’ in The New Group’s production of The Spoils, written by and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg for director Scott Elliott.
Arnulfo Maldonado
Scenic Design
Dede Ayite
Costume Design
Jen Schriever
Lighting Design
Tei Blow
Sound Design
Jackson Berkley
Properties
Elizabeth Allen
Production Stage Manager
Taylor Williams, CSA
Casting
Boneau/Bryan Brown
Press Representation
SpotCo
Advertising
SpotCo has played a leading role in developing Broadway’s most iconic brands, from the stenciled typography of Rent to the strikingly bold star of Hamilton. We are a team of storytellers and research nerds, digital experts and media-buying mavens — all driven by both brains and guts. We take laughter seriously and leave our egos at the door. We celebrate diversity because we know it makes us stronger. We are passionate about what we do, and compassionate in how we do it. We believe our end goal is to enrich the lives of audiences from all around the world. And that is what motivates us.
Beacon Theatrical Services
Production Supervision
Baseline Theatrical/
Jonathan Whitton
General Management
MIRIAM BATTYE
Playwright
Miriam Battye is a writer from Manchester. Plays include Strategic Love Play (Paines Plough/Soho Theatre), Scenes with girls (Royal Court). She is the recipient of the Harold Pinter Award 2020. For television her credits include “Dead Ringers” (Amazon), “Succession” (HBO) and “Beef” (Netflix).
Katie Posner
Director
Katie Posner joined Paines Plough as Joint Artistic Director with Charlotte Bennett in August 2019. For Paines Plough, Katie has most recently directed the Fringe First Award-winning play Strategic Love Play by Miriam Battye; You Bury Me by Ahlam (winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting), which premiered at Bristol Old Vic, Edinburgh Lyceum and the Orange Tree; Hungry (Soho Theatre/Roundabout Edinburgh); Really Big and Really Loud and Black Love (Co-Director for Roundabout); and You Bury Me in a staged reading for the Edinburgh International Festival (Paines Plough/Ellie Keel Productions/45 North). Katie is an experienced and award-winning director. She has worked across a wide variety of productions both overseas and on national tours, including multiple productions with York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre, where she was Associate Director from 2009 until 2017. Her work encompasses both intimate pieces of new writing and larger-scale community pieces. In 2019, Katie received a UK Theatre Award nomination as Best Director for her production of My Mother Said I Never Should at Theatre by the Lake. Her productions include Richard, My Richard (Shakespeare North Playhouse/Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmunds); My Mother Said I Never Should (Theatre by the Lake); Mold Riots (Theatr Clwyd); The Seven Ages Of Patience (Kiln Theatre); Swallows & Amazons (Storyhouse); Babe (Mercury Theatre); Playing Up (NYT); Finding Nana (New Perspectives); Made In India (Tamasha/Belgrade/Pilot); Everything Is Possible: The York Suffragettes, End Of Desire (York Theatre Royal); The Season Ticket (Northern Stage); A View From Islington North (Out Of Joint); In Fog And Falling Snow (National Railway Museum); Running On The Cracks (Tron Theatre); York Mystery Plays (Museum Gardens York); Blackbird, Ghost Town, Clocking In, A Restless Place (Pilot Theatre).
AUDIBLE THEATER
Audible Theater makes outstanding performances and powerful storytelling available to live audiences in New York City and millions of people all over the world. Since founding in 2018, Audible Theater’s dynamic mix of live and audio theater productions have been praised as “trailblazing” (Variety), “illuminating” (Forbes), and “an exemplary use of the medium” (The Observer).
Audible Theater productions have garnered more than 60 nominations and 14 wins across the off-Broadway theater awards landscape. More than 120 audio theater titles have released on Audible. Three-time Tony-nominated Audible Theater has produced the multi-award-winning musical Dead Outlaw, with music & lyrics by David Yazbek & Erik Della Penna, book by Itamar Moses, conceived by David Yazbek, and directed by David Cromer; Swing State written by Rebecca Gilman and directed by Robert Falls; Sorry for Your Loss written by and starring Michael Cruz Kayne; Drinking in Americastarring Andre Royo; Girls & Boys starring Carey Mulligan; Harry Clarke starring Billy Crudup, and many others at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City. Audible was co-producer for the Broadway transfer of the Tony Award-nominated Latin History for Morons written by and starring John Leguizamo and for the Tony Award-nominated Sea Wall / A Life starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge.
In May 2018, Audible announced that the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village would serve as its creative home for live performances in New York, with Audible members receiving exclusive access to discounted tickets and related audio content. Since then, Audible has hosted and produced a wide variety of live performances at the Minetta Lane including dramatic plays, comedic shows, original musical performances, and more.
Since June 2017, Audible has commissioned 50 theater playwrights to receive support from its $5 million Emerging Playwrights Fund dedicated to developing innovative English-language works from around the globe. The initiative enables the creation of original plays driven by language and voice, keeping with Audible’s core commitment to elevate listening experiences through powerful performances and extraordinary vocal storytelling. Emerging Playwrights commissions have included Evil Eye by Madhuri Shekar, The Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson, Good Enemy by Yilong Liu, and more.
Chase This Productions
Producer
Chase This Productions was founded in 2024 by Jessica Chase, an independent producer and creative consultant working across theater, television, and film. The company launched with the Off-Broadway production of Pre-Existing Condition by Marin Ireland, Directed by Maria Dizzia. Previously, Jessica curated and launched the commercial theater arm of Mark Gordon Pictures. For Broadway, she served on the lead producing team of Life of Pi, and the co-producing teams of POTUS and The Piano Lesson. She produced the UK debut of Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play with the Lyric Hammersmith, Francesca Moody Productions, and Idris Elba. She also developed several plays/musicals including Teeth by Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson, as well as developed multiple projects for film and television. Jessica is also the former Artistic Producer of MCC Theater. During her time there she oversaw the development of new work, programming, and production, producing 37 plays/musicals by writers that include Jocelyn Bioh, Matthew Lopez, Jen Silverman, Simon Stephens, CA Johnson, and Anna Jordan.
