Isa Barrett, Nuha Jes Izman to Star in Dry Land Revival Directed by Makaio Toft

Cherubs Productions and 35k Productions will present a revival of Ruby Rae Spiegel’s Dry Land, directed by Makaio Toft, with performances beginning March 13 at University Settlement in New York City.

The production stars Yellowjackets breakout Nuha Jes Izman as Ester and Isa Barrett (Ramy, Gossip Girl) as Amy, with Gabriella Anifantis and Avery Fischbach rounding out the cast. Additional producers include Olivia Hewitt and Morgan Bramwell, with Sophia Conlon leading marketing for the production.

Set in a Florida high school locker room, Dry Land follows the private struggles and unlikely bond between two teenage girls as they navigate friendship, bodily autonomy, and the pressures of growing up. Spiegel’s play blends dark comedy with tender coming-of-age moments and stark drama, offering an unflinching portrait of adolescence.

Though originally written in 2014, the play arrives amid renewed national debate surrounding reproductive rights, a reality that shaped the creative team’s decision to revisit the work.

“I was doing some research on Dry Land, and obviously it was written years ago, but it feels so resonant now,” Barrett said.

Barrett first encountered the play during her early training.

“This play was done a lot as scene work when I was in high school at LaGuardia,” she said. “It was a really common scene study class project for young girls.”

In recent years, however, she noticed the script had largely disappeared from production cycles.

“I don’t see that scene being done as much anymore,” Barrett said. “I was like, wow, I haven’t heard about Dry Land in so long.” Reflecting on why the story still resonates, she added, “I think it comes down to the fact that not much has changed. Girlhood is still a very similar experience to what it was in 2014.”

Director Makaio Toft echoed that assessment, emphasizing the play’s relevance following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“I think especially after Roe v. Wade being overturned, and the continuous stories you hear about how people are being directly affected by this,” Toft said.

They added, “We forget that people we know in our everyday lives are being directly affected by this, even if we do not see it.”

One of the play’s defining creative elements is its singular location.

“It’s an everyday place,” Toft said. “But it’s this secret hideaway that you know is there, but you don’t really see what’s going on.”

For Barrett, the locker room setting is deeply personal.

“The locker room in my high school was where everything happened,” She said. “That was where everything went down.”

The revival is led primarily by Gen Z artists — an intentional choice for the creative team.

“There are not a ton of plays that provide age-appropriate roles to young actors,” Toft said. “So I’m always very, very excited to work on material that showcases young characters.”

The production has partnered with the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF), with representatives attending performances to provide information and resources.

“Our goal with this production is to really spread awareness of the actual policies that are going on and the resources that exist,” Barrett said.

Toft described the collaboration as central to the production’s mission.

“I think what’s really, really awesome about the NYAAF partnership is… this is exactly the kind of work I want to be doing,” They said. “Telling socially provocative stories is the most gratifying part about being an artist.”

Despite the subject matter, both artists emphasized that Dry Land maintains emotional balance.

“It has such a strong theme of abortion,” Toft said, “but it’s still about girlhood.”

Barrett added, “I love it when you don’t know if you should laugh or cry.”

With performances beginning March 13, the revival positions Dry Land not as a retrospective, but as a present-day reflection of adolescence, autonomy, and community, underscoring why Spiegel’s play continues to resonate more than a decade after its debut.