David Cale
David Cale (born c. 1959) is an acclaimed British-American actor, playwright, songwriter, and solo performer whose career is defined by an intimate, vulnerable, and often autobiographical approach to storytelling. Originally from Luton, England, Cale moved to New York City in 1979 with dreams of becoming a rock singer but soon found his true calling in the downtown performance art scene. He rose to prominence with a series of solo shows, including the Obie Award-winning Lillian and the Bessie Award-winning Deep in a Dream of You. His writing is celebrated for its lyrical precision and emotional candor, perhaps most notably in his hit play Harry Clarke, which starred Billy Crudup and became a major success on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2019, he debuted his most personal work, the solo musical memoir We're Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time, which explored his traumatic childhood with a score he co-composed. In 2025 and 2026, Cale’s presence in both film and theater has reached a new peak of visibility. He plays the role of John Hocknell in Mona Fastvold’s historical epic The Testament of Ann Lee (2025), portraying one of the original followers who helped establish the Shaker movement. On stage, he remains incredibly prolific; in late 2025, he premiered his "frank and sexually explicit" solo work Blue Cowboy at The Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn, a play exploring intimacy and identity between a writer and a ranch hand. Looking ahead to 2026, his new thriller The Unknown, starring Emmy-winner Sean Hayes, is scheduled to begin performances in January 2026 at Studio Seaview, further cementing his reputation as one of contemporary theater's most compelling voices.
