Mary Kathryn Nagle moved to Manhattan in 2010. These dueling histories, recent and long ago, inspired Nagle’s play “Manahatta.” Now in previews at the Public Theater, it will run through Dec. 23. Named for the Lenape word for Manhattan, which translates to “island of many hills,” the drama volleys between the 17th century and the early 21st, and between Manahatta and Manhattan and Anadarko. The seven actors in the cast each play a character in each period. This is the play’s third production, but the first on the island on which it is largely set.

---

Persons: Mary Kathryn Nagle, ”, Nagle, Quinn Emanuel Organizations: Cherokee, Delaware Indians, National Museum of, Public Locations: Manhattan, Oklahoma, Delaware, Anadarko, Bartlesville, New York, Manahatta