Signature Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for the American premiere of new musical In Clay, with book and lyrics by Rebecca Simmonds and music and lyrics by Jack Miles. The production will be directed by Kimberly Senior (Broadway’s Disgraced, Lincoln Center Theater’s The Who and The What) and stars Alex Finke (Broadway’s Les Misérables, Come From Away) as Marie-Berthe Cazin. Additional music, music supervision, arrangements, orchestrations, and music preparation are by Matt Herbert (Off West-End’s In Clay, Parade). The understudy for Marie-Berthe Cazin is Sarah Anne Sillers (Signature’s Sweeney Todd, Arena Stage’s Damn Yankees). Performances run December 9, 2025 – February 1, 2026 in Signature’s ARK Theatre. Tickets start at $47 and are available at SigTheatre.org.
“When I first experienced In Clay, a captivating new musical about Parisian artist Marie-Berthe Cazin, I was struck by the beautiful intimacy of its storytelling,” said Signature Theatre Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “Rebecca Simmonds and Jack Miles have created an evocative piece about the erasure of artists lost to time, one that asks why we make art and who we create it for. In this moment, it remains central to Signature’s mission to nurture emerging composers and playwrights and provide a space for stories that deserve to be remembered. I hope you will join us in the ARK this December to discover Marie’s story for yourself.”
In Clay is a witty, vivacious and charming new musical inspired by an overlooked twentieth-century female artist. On the eve of a visit from her estranged childhood friend, now an acclaimed painter, French ceramist Marie-Berthe Cazin recounts her life. From her early days as a gifted protégée discovering the art of pottery, to watching her husband rise to fame partly by claiming her work as his own, through the upheaval of World War I, Marie’s unwavering spirit reveals the beauty in the broken. Set in 1930s Paris, with an upbeat, vibrant Parisian Jazz score, In Clay celebrates the joy of creativity, love of art and recognizing your worth.
“In Clay is about finding joy in the creative process, and what a source of joy the show’s journey has been so far,” said authors Rebecca Simmonds and Jack Miles. “We could not think of better partners than the extraordinary group of creatives at Signature to bring Marie’s story to a US audience for the first time. The show was a lockdown baby, conceived at a time when it felt as though the entire theater scene in the UK was falling apart; intended as a tonic for the many of us forced to consider why we were writing at all, when it was looking increasingly unlikely that our work would ever be seen. This message somehow feels even more relevant today, as the future of the musical art form on both sides of the Atlantic is seemingly called further into question with each news cycle. ‘It’s years full of labour for moments of joy’ is one of the show’s lyrics that we find ourselves coming back to again and again. What a privilege it is to be sharing one of these moments with Signature audiences, we hope that they enjoy it as much as we have!”
The creative team for In Clay includes Scenic Design by Tony Cisek (Signature’s Selling Kabul, The Color Purple), Costume Design by Shahrzad Mazaheri (Goodman Theatre’s English, Trinity Repertory Company’s Becky Nurse of Salem), Lighting Design by Colin K. Bills (Signature’s JOB, Grand Hotel), Sound Design by Eric Norris (Signature’s Fiddler on the Roof, Play On!). Amanda Quaid is the Dialect Coach. Jon Kerr is the Pottery Consultant. Casting is by Charlotte Sandor. Taylor Kiechlin is the Stage Manager, Carrie Edick is the Production Assistant, and Scott Monnin is the Assistant Lighting Designer.
In Clay runs December 9, 2025 – February 1, 2026 inthe ARK Theatre at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA. Tickets and showtimes are available online or by calling the box office at 703.820.9771.
Accessibility and Special Performances
Closed captions will be available for every show via the GalaPro app.
Pride Nights: January 9 and January 23, 2026
Post-show Discussions: January 7 and January 27, 2026
Masks Required: January 11, 2026 (2 PM)
ABOUT SIGNATURE
Signature Theatre is a Tony Award-winning regional theater that broadens and brightens the region’s cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works and engaging education and outreach programs. Founded in 1989 by Eric Schaeffer and Donna Migliaccio, and currently under the leadership of Managing Director Maggie Boland and Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, musical theater is Signature’s “signature,” and the Theatre is renowned for its definitive Sondheim productions, inventive adaptations of overlooked or forgotten works, and investment in fresh new projects. Signature combines Broadway-caliber productions with intimate playing spaces and aims to be a leading force in U.S. musical theater.
Since its inception, the Theatre has produced 61 world premiere works — including 20 new musical commissions. Signature opens its doors to more than 100,000 people annually from the Washington, DC region and beyond and reaches more than 10,000 students every year through its innovative education programs, including the award-winning initiative Signature in the Schools. Signature has won 148 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region’s professional theater and has been honored with 527 nominations.
