Cast of Phyl
Cast and Creative Team Announced for Mint Theater Company’s New York Premiere of PHYL by Cecily Hamilton
as part of their Let's Talk About Sex season
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, August 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Mint Theater Company (Jonathan Bank, Artistic Director; Matthew McVey-Lee, Producing Director) has revealed the full roster of performers and designers for the New York premiere of PHYL, a seldom-staged comedy by pioneering British playwright and suffragist Cecily Hamilton, under the direction of Britt Berke. Performances run from October 3 through November 7, 2026, with an official opening on October 22nd at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).
PHYL centers on Phyllis Chester, a governess confined to a lonely existence and cut off from the life she desires—until a burst of anger compels her to gamble everything.
This production kicks off Mint Theater Company’s new season, which includes two frank, provocative, and deeply human works examining sex, love, marriage, and the intricacies of relationships. Originally slated for an Oxford premiere, PHYL was prohibited by the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, despite having cleared the Lord Chamberlain’s review without a single line needing revision. The play ultimately debuted in Manchester, where a disapproving critic characterized Phyl as “slaking thirsty lips in the voluptuous pleasure of life.” When asked how she would describe the play, Hamilton responded, “Well, I call it a comedy because it has a happy ending, and I hope somebody is funny in it.” The season continues in February 2027 with Miles Malleson’s THE FANATICS, helmed by Davis McCallum.
“Cecily Hamilton crafted a wonderfully surprising heroine in Phyl—a woman determined to shatter the barriers erected around her,” said Mint Theater Company Artistic Director Jonathan Bank. “Britt Berke has put together an outstanding ensemble of actors and designers who grasp the play’s wit, emotional truth, and quietly rebellious essence. We are delighted to bring this remarkable work to New York audiences with a cast and creative team ideally matched to Hamilton’s world.”
The PHYL cast features Lily Ganser (Broadway: Stereophonic) as Phyllis “Phyl” Chester, making her Off-Broadway debut alongside Tessa Blimes (Film: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend), Jennifer Blood (Broadway: Girl From the North Country), Curzon Dobell (Mint’s A Little Journey and Susan and God), Katie Firth (Off-Broadway: The Hiding Place), Livvy Marcus (National Tour: Suffs;), Anthony Michael Martinez (Off-Broadway: Titus Andronicus), Talia Sulla (Off-Broadway: A Perfect Peace), and Charlotte Van Ledtje (Lincoln Center’s Zelda).
The creative team for PHYL comprises Brittany Vasta (Scenic Design), Alicia J. Austin (Costume Design), Mary Louise Geiger (Lighting Design), Jane Shaw (Sound Design), Chris Fields (Properties), Amy Stoller (Dramaturgy and Dialect Design), Stephanie Klapper, CSA (Casting Director), Mitch Strong (Production Manager), and Jeff Meyers (Production Stage Manager). Matthew McVey-Lee serves as Producing Director, and Jonathan Bank is Artistic Director.
Director Britt Berke returns to Mint Theater Company following her staging of Zack and Betty Smith’s Becomes a Woman. That production marked Berke’s Off-Broadway directorial debut and earned an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play.
Berke’s other credits include work with New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Mabou Mines, Chautauqua Theater Company, and Origin Theatre Company. She belongs to the Roundabout Directors Group and is a graduate of the Manhattan Theatre Club Directing Fellowship. She received the Kenneth Janes Prize for Outstanding Intellectual and Artistic Achievement from Barnard College of Columbia University and is an associate member of SDC.
PHYL starts performances on October 3, 2026, at Theatre Row, located at 410 West 42nd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Opening night is scheduled for October 22, 2026, with performances continuing through November 7, 2026.
Tickets start at $39 and can be purchased online at MintTheater.org, by calling 212-714-2442, extension 2, or in person at the Theatre Row Box Office, Tuesday through Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Service fees apply to online and phone orders.
Theatre Row is a fully accessible venue. Accessible restrooms and elevator access to all floors are available, along with assisted-listening devices.
This season is dedicated to the memory of Mint Theater Company’s cherished friend and longtime press agent David Gersten.
ABOUT CECILY HAMILTON
Cecily Hamilton (1872–1952) was a prominent British playwright, novelist, journalist, actress, and women’s rights activist.
Hamilton belonged to the Women Writers’ Suffrage League, co-founded the Actresses’ Franchise League, and was among the first members of the Scottish Women’s Hospital Committee. During World War I, she helped set up an auxiliary hospital in France, where she cared for wounded soldiers. She later enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Corps, was assigned to a postal unit, and eventually formed a repertory company that performed for Allied troops on the Western Front. Her works include Diana of Dobson’s, which Mint Theater Company produced to critical praise in 2001; the suffrage plays How the Vote Was Won and A Pageant of Great Women; the influential book Marriage as a Trade; and her autobiography, Life Errant.
ABOUT MINT THEATER COMPANY
Mint Theater Company has carved a unique niche in the New York theater landscape through its commitment to unearthing forgotten and overlooked plays.
Under Artistic Director Jonathan Bank’s leadership since 1995, Mint has staged more than 60 neglected works, earning critical acclaim along with special Obie and Drama Desk Awards. Mint also publishes plays through its anthologies and “Reclaimed” series and offers free streaming of past productions. Since 2020, more than 30,000 viewers from all 50 states and 50 countries have watched Mint productions online, logging over 60,000 hours of viewing time.
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