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MLIMA'S TALE

Martinson Hall

March 27 - June 3, 2018

This production contains strobe effects and herbal cigarettes.

This production is approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. 

Tickets start at $85, plus fees

Preview Members (for performances through April 15)
Tickets start at $55

Members & Public Supporters
Tickets start at $55

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What is the true cost of our desires?


This season, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage returns to The Public with a new drama as moving and incisive as her Broadway debut play Sweat, heralded by The New York Times as a “vital contribution to contemporary drama.”

Taking us on a journey that starts in a game park in Kenya and goes around the world, MLIMA'S TALE is the story of Mlima, a magnificent elephant trapped in the clandestine international ivory market. Following a trail of greed and desire as old as trade itself, Mlima leads us through memory and fear, history and tradition, and want and need.

Obie Award winner Jo Bonney (Father Comes Home from the Wars) directs this poignant new play that reveals the surprising and complicated deals that connect us all. 

Ito Aghayere

Ito Aghayere

Jojo Gonzalez

Jojo Gonzalez

Kevin Mambo

Kevin Mambo

Sahr Ngaujah

Sahr Ngaujah

Generous support for MLIMA'S TALE provided by an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and Susan & David Edelstein.

All orders subject to $5 per ticket service fee and $2 per ticket facility fee. Service fees are waived when you buy in person at the Box Office. All fees are waived for Public Theater Members and Partners. Title, director, actors, designers, prices, performance dates & times are subject to change.

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World Premiere

MLIMA'S TALE

Written by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Jo Bonney

Featuring Ito Aghayere, Jojo Gonzalez, Kevin Mambo, and Sahr Ngaujah


Scenic Design by Riccardo Hernandez

Costume Design by Jennifer Moeller

Lighting Design by Lap Chi Chu

Sound Design by Darron L West

Hair & Makeup Design by Cookie Jordan

Composer and Music Director: Justin Hicks

Movement Director: Chris Walker

Fight Director: Thomas Schall
Production Stage Manager: Linda Marvel

See Complete Season

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Digiturgy

play_circle_outline Greed and Desperation in the Ivory Trade

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Digiturgy

“How Lynn Nottage, Playwright, Spends Her Sundays”
The New York Times, April 6, 2018

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Backstage Pass: Jojo Gonzales in MLIMA'S TALE
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang

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96 Elephants

96 Elephants

A program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, 96 Elephants fights for elephants on the ground—monitoring populations, managing protected areas, and conducting anti-poaching patrols.

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Wild Aid

Wild Aid

The illegal wildlife trade is a multi-billion dollar global industry largely driven by consumer demand in expanding economies. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on scientific studies and anti-poaching efforts, WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products and to increase local support for conservation efforts.

Learn More

Wild Aid
Goodbye Rhinos

Goodbye Rhinos

Goodbye Rhinos's art installation, The Last Three, which currently lives in Astor Place, gives awareness to the plight of the Northern White Rhinos. The artists have passionately dedicated their lives to stopping the misled demand for rhino horns.

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Digiturgy

When Lambs Become Lions

Mlima’s Tale

We’re so intrigued to catch this new documentary from Jon Kasbe, showing the ivory trafficking business from the perspective of the poachers. Kasbe captured over 700 hours of footage, over three years, and the result looks incredible. It’s premiering at Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018 and we’ll be there.

6 April

#mlimas tale #when lambs become lions #digiturgy #documentary #ivory trafficking #ivory dealers

Galaxy-hunting tech used to stop poachers hunting endangered animals

Mlima’s Tale

The poetry of this is just too good: technology developed to explore the stars, repurposed to protect our own backyard. Here’s hoping it helps in the fight to protect our endangered species!

4 April

#mlimas tale #digiturgy #poaching #technology #infrared

@donaldglover on Twitter

Mlima’s Tale

Warning: this script is probably NSFW and definitely very Deadpool, if you know what we mean. But we can’t help but share, seeing as most of this ‘script’ from Donald Glover’s cancelled/not-happening Deadpool animated series sees Deadpool in single conversation with one of the last three remaining white rhinos. There’s lots of talk of ivory trafficking and Bitcoin! And while it maybe doesn’t end on the best note… that’s Deadpool, we guess.

28 March

#mlimas tale #digiturgy #ivory trafficking #goodbyerhinos #goodbye rhinos #donald glover #humor

Mlima’s Tale

96 elephants are killed every day in Africa. Take a second to think about that statistic. 

And then, when you’re done, check out the work being done by the Wildlife Conservancy Society - especially their 96 Elephants project, which aims to put an end to poaching and trafficking of ivory.

28 February

#elephants #mlimas tale #96 elephants #protect the elephants #conservation #wildlife conservancy society #wildlife conservation

Mlima’s Tale

Did you know that there are only 3 Northern White Rhinos left in the world? Down from a population of ~40k? And we bet you can guess why they died out: poaching.

Gillie and Marc, world-renowned sculpture artists, are coming to New York to raise awareness around the slow extinction of these beautiful animals with their project Goodbye Rhinos - a project that will have a huge installation right around the corner from The Public, at Astor Place!

28 February

#goodbye rhinos #northern white rhino #digiturgy #mlimas tale #gillie and marc #astor place #art

Suspected Poacher Eaten By Lions In South Africa

Mlima’s Tale

That headline pretty much sums it up - and serves as a reminder that while humans are plenty deadly to wild animals, the reverse is also often true. 

28 February

#mlimas tale #digiturgy #lions #poachers #NPR

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