Tony Award-winning playwright and director Nelson returns to the Public following his 2013 play cycle The Apple Family Plays, which were original premieres tethered to specific moments in American politics; Nelson would update the script to reflect recent developments. In the same spirit, The Gabriels cycle will feature a core acting company and will unfold in real time over a couple of hours.

The first play, Hungry, will begin previews Feb. 27, 2016, and run through March 20, with an official press opening March 4. It will introduce audiences to the Gabriels of Rhinebeck, NY, who happen to live next door to the Apple family. "To the rhythm of peeling, chopping and mixing, Hungry places us in the center of the Gabriels’ kitchen," state press notes. "The family discusses their lives and disappointments, and the world at large and nearby, as they struggle against the fear of being left behind and the challenge to find resilience in the face of loss."

The second play in the cycle will open in September 2016, and the final play will open on Election Night Nov. 8, 2016.

"Richard Nelson’s The Apple Family Plays were one of the landmark achievements of the American theater’s last decade," said artistic director Oskar Eustis in a press statement. "The Public is thrilled to continue the investigation of ensemble based, historically immediate plays by one of our master writer/directors."

Nelson and company members Jon DeVries, Mariann Mayberry, Sally Murphy, Jesse Pennington, Maryann Plunkett and Jay O. Sanders recently completed a European tour of The Apple Family Plays to The FIND Festival at the Schaubuhne Theater in Berlin; The May International Festival in Weisbaden, Germany; The Brighton Festival in the United Kingdom; and the Vienna Festival in Austria. For more information on the Public Theater's 2015-16 season and to purchase subscription packages visit PublicTheater.