Fiasco Theater’s
Bartleby
by Noah Brody and Paul L. Coffey
adapted from Herman Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener
directed by Emily Young
February 20 - March 15, 2026
The Old Globe / San Diego, CA
Commissioned by
Fiasco Theater, who dazzled Globe audiences with Into the Woods and The Imaginary Invalid, returns with a striking new take on Herman Melville’s darkly comic classic, Bartleby, the Scrivener.
Set in the buttoned-up world of an 1850s law firm but infused with the spirit of “The Office” and the absurdity of Beckett, Fiasco Theater’s Bartleby is a hilarious and haunting reflection on work, will, and what happens when one mild-mannered employee refuses to go along with the program. “I would prefer not to,” says Bartleby—and chaos erupts. This Globe-commissioned world premiere promises a wildly theatrical rediscovery of one of American literature’s most indelible stories.
Fiasco Theater’s Bartleby
Globe-commissioned world premiere
Adapted for the stage by Noah Brody and Paul L. Coffey
from Herman Melville’s "Bartleby, the Scrivener"
Directed by Emily Young
February 20 – March 22, 2026
presented by The Old Globe; Barry Edelstein, Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director; Timothy J. Shields, Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director
Based on "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville , this production explores a modest New York City attorney's office around 1850. When a new legal copyist named Bartleby joins the firm, he initially works with extraordinary industry. However, he soon begins to respond to every request with the haunting refrain, "I would prefer not to," sparking an existential meditation on societal expectations and the rules of human connection. Commissioned by The Old Globe, Fiasco Theater brings their signature physical invention and intellectual sophistication to this landmark adaptation of a classic American masterpiece.
Featuring
Michael Crane, Myka Cue, Matt Dallal, Andy Grotelueschen, and Devin E. Haqq
Understudies
For Ginger Snap and Others, Nippers and Others: Madi Goff
For Bartleby: Conner Keef
For The Lawyer: Jon Lorenz
For Turkey and Others: Shalyn Welch
Production Staff
Production Stage Manager: Amanda Salmons
Scenic Design: Lawrence E. Moten III
Costume Design: Emily Rebholz
Lighting Design: Reza Behjat
Original Music and Sound Design: UptownWorks (Bailey Trierweiler, Daniela Hart, Noel Nichols)
Movement: Chelsey Arce
Voice and Text: Emmelyn Thayer
Assistant Director: Hannah Meade
Assistant Scenic Design: Audrey Casteris
Assistant Costume Design: Natalie Barshow
Production Assistant: Karina Ortega
Script Assistant: Ruby Hays
Stage Management Swing: Nicholas Lambros Smith
The list above includes the core creative team, but is not comprehensive. We are grateful and lucky to have worked with everyone who made Fiasco Theater’s Bartleby possible, from the teams backstage and front of house to design associates and interns, and all of you, our community and audience members.
All performers in this production are members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. The Director is a member of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY.
Photos by Rich Soublet II
