Photo credit: The Public Theater’s Instagram

How did the partnership between you and The Public begin?

It’s actually more of a partnership between Saheem [Ali], the newly appointed Associate Artistic Director for The Public Theater, and I. He and I have been creative collaborators for many, many years. We’ve done plays together. We’re developing a musical together. We’re working on a film project right now. So he approached me about this idea to remake Merry Wives and said, “I think you’d be great to do it…are you down?” And I said, “yeah!” Ironically, as an actor, The Public Theater was the first theater I ever worked professionally in, and it was a play called Neighbors by Brandon Jacob Jenkins (circa 2011). It was a really fun experience, and I was thrilled to get my Equity Card at The Public. So we have a long history because they started my career off. 

Does The Public choose which work they do for Shakespeare in the Park, or did you have a hand in the decision? What is your experience with Shakespeare? 

I believe The Public, in recent years, is always trying to find new and inventive ways to do some kind of more rare Shakespearean plays. So I think they were circling Merry Wives, and from what I understand, Saheem was ruminating on how to update that play. I had to think about it because Shakespeare is something that kind of eluded me. I was discouraged from pursuing any classical work when I was an undergrad. I went to Ohio State and spoke very candidly about how their program cast a type and limited many of the roles people of color in the program could be in. I was told I was too urban and that my New York accent was not appropriate for the Shakespearean text.  That’s part of the reason I fell into playwriting. I took a course to compensate for the credits I wasn’t getting. I’ve never been in it, and I’ve only ever enjoyed it. I had to read the play myself to make sure I was approaching it with a full understanding. So it feels like a nice and weird full-circle moment that my Shakespearean debut is something I am adapting and bending to my cultural specificity and comedic voice. 

Photo credit: Da Ping Luo (rehearsal room of “Nollywood Dreams.”

How does it feel being a woman of color helming one of the inaugural productions for The Public post-pandemic?

I felt really moved by people’s tweets and direct messages to me about feelings of hope and how much joy it brought them to know that theatre was coming back and that the first theatre they would see is with people who look like them. I have been living in this space in the last year with the pandemic and the racial reckoning that’s happening in our country, and it’s a lot to process alone in your home. So I felt very overwhelmed by the thought that I would be bringing joy and hope into people’s lives again after a year of not feeling that. 

Your work highlights the intentional role that women, especially women of color, play in the arts. Is there a connection between School Girls…, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and other projects you are currently working on? 

Well, I think I always have Black women, particularly African women, at the center of all of my work. I always want them to be strong yet vulnerable, unique, and have different perspectives that people have never seen before. I want them to be empowered in their funny. It’s so rare that we get opportunities to see ourselves be fun and funny and living earnestly in that. Viola is probably really funny, but rarely have we seen her in anything comedic. She’s a brilliant dramatic actress, but I love the opportunity of centering and empowering Black women in something that is funny and brings joy. It’s still poignant and still has a message. It’s not frivolous silliness. That’s always going to be a throughline in all of my work.  I hope something doesn’t happen to me and I lose the funny (laughter).

In either case, what draws you to this particular work, and what can audiences expect in the updated version?

What’s great about Merry Wives is that it is a comedy, and I’m a comedic writer, so we’re working hand in hand here, me and “Billy.” What people can expect, honestly, is largely still true to the play. I’m not completely blowing up all the Shakespearean text. It’s Shakespeare In the Park, so I still want people to come and enjoy that. I feel like there’s an opportunity to change it [the words]; adapt it, find a new way to say it, flip words that feel more authentic so that it lands on the tongue better for someone probably saying it in a West African dialect. Black joy is an act of rebellion, and we need that. I want it to be a very celebratory experience, and it should be filled with joy. Recognition of what we’ve been through, but still a lot of joy.

Photo credit: Da Ping Luo (cast and crew of “School Girls.”

How have you been staying creative during the pandemic? 

I’ve had work to do! I do have film and tv stuff that has balanced me, so I do feel very blessed to have still kept working. But, in the moments emotionally when I just couldn’t in May and June [2020] where it felt impossible to do any work, I just didn’t. I allowed myself space and time to heal and deal. Most Black people are familiar with the latter, and to be able to do both simultaneously, as best I could, was nice. Creatively I was able to flip the space when I could. The opportunity to work at my own pace is one I’ve never been afforded, so I took advantage of it. 

What are your hopes for Broadway and American theatre when it officially reopens?

Well, I hope that Broadway doesn’t look the same way it did when it shut down. It would make me sad if we just went to business as usual, considering all of the things I hope we’ve all learned. I hope it’s a different Broadway. We have to be on the pulse and tell new stories. I’ve never even heard of using African accents for Shakespearean texts. So that’s the reinventing of the wheel we’re talking about here. It’s about really adding new spokes. We understand what works. We understand what’s great. So how do we paint that wheel, put some glitter on it, add some color, and make this thing new and fresh so that it feels like we’re on a new ride every single time? That’s what I hope Merry Wives is going to do. And I hope the other guards of the gate, especially Broadway, will notice: We’re the culture…we’re not part of the culture, we ARE the culture. Black Twitter IS Twitter. We make Tik Tok. We make everything. We are the pulse, and if you’re not with that, then I don’t know where you are. 

Photo credit: The Public Theater’s website

What words do you have for your audience?

I want them to feel invited to the experience. I want them to feel invited to the party because everyone is. As for the takeaway, I want them to feel seen. I want anyone and everyone to come to see it, but if I were a club bouncer, I’d be like (jokingly), “POC in first, and if we got anybody left, it’ll be $20.” I think it’s super important that we be at the front of the line because there’s been a lot of Black trauma in the theatre community that has been shared in this time bravely. Our voices are louder now than they’ve ever been, and we are not turning down the volume. So I hope everybody’s there and it’s just a big ole Black party in the park. We love parties in the park! 

Saheem Ali released the following statement about the production and his partnership with The Public and Jocelyn Bioh:

“Merry Wives will be set among immigrants of the African diaspora living just north of Central Park. After the political and social upheaval of our recent past, I can think of no better way to reopen The Delacorte than with a production that celebrates New York’s immigrant community, of which I am a proud member, and centers radical Black joy with this glorious Shakespeare comedy. I’m also thrilled to be partnering with my creative sister Jocelyn Bioh, who will be adapting the play. Jocelyn and I have worked together over the years on new plays and musicals. We have a shared vision of expanding the scope of African stories on American stages, and I’m beyond excited to have her reimagining a classical play with her brilliant touch.”

Free Shakespeare in the Park has begun with MERRY WIVES, a fresh and joyous adaptation by Jocelyn Bioh of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. So get down to Central Park; the show runs until September 18th. 

Set in South Harlem, amidst a vibrant and eclectic community of West African immigrants, MERRY WIVES is a New York story about tricks of the heart, performed in the heart of the City—Central Park’s magical Delacorte Theater. A raucous spinoff featuring the Bard’s most beloved comic characters, this hilarious farce tells the story of the trickster Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a new celebration of Black joy, laughter, and vitality.

The post Up Close: Jocelyn Bioh Talks Adapting Shakespeare and Hopes For The Future of The American Theatre appeared first on Broadway Black.

Twenty-twenty has been a trip. Nothing surprises us anymore, but it hasn’t been all bad. It brought free grocery delivery, cocktails from your favorite restaurant delivered to your doorstep, and now MCC Theater’s School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play benefit reading via stream! The reading will feature Cynthia Erivo, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Ashleigh Murray, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Storm Reid, Lyric Ross, Gabourey Sidibe, and Lovie Simone. This amazing play by Jocelyn Bioh will be directed by Kamilah Forbes.

Once described by Essence as “the most important play off-Broadway”, School Girls will stream on Sunday, December 13th at 3 PM EST. Please, please, please don’t think you are going to wait until the last minute to purchase these tickets because you will have your feelings hurt. Ticket sales close at 1 PM the day of the show. $15 tickets are sold out but $30 and $50 tickets, which includes a talkback, are still available HERE.

Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. This 2018 Lortel Award winner for BEST PLAY and NEW YORK TIMES CRITIC’S PICK explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe.

The post Gabourey Sidibe and Lovie Simone Will Join Cynthia Erivo & More in School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play Benefit Reading appeared first on Broadway Black.

Winner! 5 Tony Awards including BEST PLAY! https://t.co/GmAenWHejO pic.twitter.com/bTd50vX7Af

— Curious Incident (@CuriousBroadway) August 21, 2015

Jocelyn Bioh is a native of New York City, NY. The West African actress received her B.A. in English and minors in Theatre and Professional Writing from The Ohio State University and her Master’s Degree in Theatre – Playwriting from Columbia University. Recently she was honored by being listed on The Kilroy’s 2015 List for her play, Nollywood Dreams. 

https://twitter.com/Jjbioh/status/612665336484233216

The New Black Fest:

Five Black Women Playwrights For

UN-TAMED: HAIR BODY ATTITUDE

https://twitter.com/Jjbioh/status/612665545654145028

The versatile actress’ Off Broadway credits include: An Octoroon (Soho Rep, World Premiere), SEED (co-produced by Hip-Hop Theater Festival and Classical Theatre of Harlem, World Premiere), and NEIGHBORS (The Public Theater, World Premiere). Bioh’s regional credits include: BootyCandy (Wilma Theater) and Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (City Theatre).

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A post shared by Jocelyn Bioh (@jjbioh)

We wish Jocelyn Bioh success in her future endeavors and look forward to hearing about her upcoming projects! We’ve got our eye on her. She’s got something in the works we know for sure. For tickets to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, click here.

The post Jocelyn Bioh Moves On From “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” appeared first on Broadway Black.

Cori Thomas, Nikkole Salter, Chisa Hutchinson, Lenelle Moise and Jocelyn Bioh.

The aim of UN-TAMED is to participate and dig deeper into the national conversation around Black womanhood and social perceptions of Black femininity while providing black women with a creative platform to personalize these issues.

Nikkole Salter: An Obie Award-winning actress and writer for the Pulitzer Prize nominated play, In The Continuum. She was most recently seen performing the role of ‘Cookie’ in the West Coast Premiere of Tarell McCraney‘s new play Head of Passes at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. As a dramatist, Salter has written 6 full-length plays, been commissioned for full-length work by six institutions, been produced in five countries on three continents, and been published in twelve international publications. Her plays include Lines in the Dust, Carnaval, Repairing a Nation and the co-authored Freedom Rider. Salter is a 2014 MAP Fund Grant recipient, a Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference semi-finalist, and a two time Playwrights of New York (PoNY) Fellowship nominee. She is currently working on commissions from Woolly Mammoth, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was selected to write the screen adaptation of Claude Brown‘s New York Times Bestselling novel, Manchild in the Promised Land. She also serves as Executive Director of THE CONTINUUM PROJECT, INC., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that creates innovative artistic programming for community empowerment and enrichment. Salter is an active member of the Actors Equity Association, SAG/AFTRA, the Dramatists Guild, and sits on the board of the Theatre Communications Group.  She received her BFA in theatre from Howard University and her MFA from New York University’s Graduate Acting Program.

Chisa Hutchinson: Earned a B.A. in Dramatic Arts from Vassar College and an M.F.A. in Playwriting from NYU.  She’s been writing and performing with the New York NeoFuturists and is a Staff Writer for Blue Man Group. Hutchinson tends to write plays about underrepresented folks that require a minimum of five actors. Her plays include Dirt Rich, She Like Girls, This is Not The Play, Sex on Sunday, Tunde’s Trumpet, The Subject, Mama’s Gonna Buy You, Somebody’s Daughter, Alondra was Here and Dead & Breathing. Hutchinson has presented at various venues such as Lark Play Development Center, City Parks’ Summerstage, Working Man’s Clothes, the New York NeoFuturists, Partial Comfort, Mad Dog Productions, Atlantic Theater Company, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and many more. She has won a GLAAD Award, the John Golden Award for Excellence in Playwriting, a Lilly Award, a New York Innovative Theatre Award, the Paul Green Award, a Helen Merrill Award, the Lanford Wilson Award, and has been a finalist for the highly coveted PoNY Fellowship.

Cori Thomas: Thomas’ plays include: When January Feels Like Summer, Pa’s Hat: Liberian Legacy, My Secret Language of Wishes, and His Daddy. Her plays have been developed and produced at Sundance Theatre Lab, Goodman Theatre, City Theatre Co., Page 73, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Playwrights Horizon, Lark Play Development Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Going To The River, Pillsbury House Theatre, and many more. She has received the Edgerton New Play Award from Sundance Theatre Lab, and the 2011 American Theatre Critics Association Osborn Award for Best New Play (When January Feels Like Summer). Thomas is a co- founder of The Pa’s Hat Foundation, Inc., an organization focused on helping former child soldiers of Liberia heal after long-standing civil war through a focus on arts education and literacy.

Lenelle Moïse: Author of Haiti Glass (City Lights/ Sister Spit), an internationally touring performer, and a Huntington Theater Company Playwriting Fellow. Her two-act comedy Merit won the 2012 Southern Rep Ruby Prize. She also wrote, composed, and co-starred in the critically acclaimed drama Expatriate, which launched Off Broadway at the Culture Project.

Jocelyn Bioh: Proud native New Yorker. As a playwright she’s credited with African Americans (Southern Rep Ruby Prize Finalist 2011), Nollywood Dreams, Four, and the libretto for The Ladykiller’s Love Story currently in development with Hi-Arts NYC. She graduated with a B.A in English/Theatre from Ohio State University and an M.F.A in Theatre – Playwriting from Columbia University. Acting credits include Broadway: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Off Broadway: An Octoroon, Seed, and Neighbors. Regional: BootyCandy, Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet. TV: “Louie” (FX,) “One Life to Live” (ABC), CoverGirl Spokesmodel (National Commercial/Print Ads).

The New Black Fest previously commissioned Facing Our Truth: Short Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege and HANDS UP: 6 Playwrights, 6 Testaments and prides itself on being a movement that “is a gathering of artists, thinkers, activists and audiences who are dedicated to stretching, interrogating and uplifting the Black aesthetic.”

This is most certainly a great step in that direction. In my mind it’s going to be a mixture of concepts presented by Patricia Hill Collins, bell hooks, and beauty shop chair talk all brought to life by these five talented Black female playwrights. It’s a production I don’t want to miss, and neither do you.

Un-Tamed: Hair, Body Attitude will play at The Martin Segal Theatre at CUNY Graduate Center in October 2015.

The post The New Black Fest: Five Black Women Playwrights For UN-TAMED: HAIR BODY ATTITUDE appeared first on Broadway Black.

The diversity in award nominees are very thin this year but the experience and excitement is still there for all nominees. We salute and congratulate all nominees and special award recipients for the potential to receive the highest honor in American theatre is an amazing feat.

CONGRATULATIONS TO K. TODD FREEMAN FOR HIS NOMINATION FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY FOR HIS ROLE IN AIRLINE HIGHWAY!

CONGRATS TO KAREN PITTMAN AND THE ENTIRE CAST & CREW OF DISGRACED FOR THEIR NOMINATION FOR BEST PLAY!

CONGRATS TO JAMES EARL JONES AND THE ENTIRE CAST OF YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU FOR THEIR NOMINATION FOR BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

CONGRATS TO JOCELYN BIOH AND THE ENTIRE CAST & CREW OF THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME FOR THEIR 6 NOMINATIONS INCLUDING BEST PLAY

CONGRATS TO THE MICHAEL JAMES SCOTT AND THE ENTIRE CAST & CREW OF SOMETHING ROTTEN FOR THEIR 10 NOMINATIONS

CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE NOMINATION LIST BELOW!

Tony Award Winners Kristin Chenoweth & Alan Cumming to Host 69th Annual Tony Awards LIVE on CBS, Sunday, June 7th from Radio City Music Hall

As previously announced, the 2015 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be presented to Tommy Tune and the Isabelle Stevenson Award will be presented to Stephen Schwartz.  The 2015 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Scenic Artist Arnold Abramson; press agent Adrian Bryan-Brown; and theatre technician Gene O’Donovan.  This year the Tony Award Administration Committee will present a Special Tony Award to John Cameron Mitchell.

Each year, the Tony Awards Administration Committee presents a Tony Award to a regional theatre on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association. The 2015 Regional Theatre Award will be presented to Cleveland Play House.

The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.

Nominations for the 2015 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Disgraced

Hand to God

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Best Musical

An American in Paris

Fun Home

Something Rotten!

The Visit

Best Revival of a Play

The Elephant Man

Skylight 

This Is Our Youth

You Can’t Take It with You

Best Revival of a Musical

The King and I

On the Town

On the Twentieth Century

Best Book of a Musical

An American in Paris

Craig Lucas

Fun Home

Lisa Kron

Something Rotten!

Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell

The Visit

Terrence McNally

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fun Home

Music: Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics: Lisa Kron

The Last Ship

Music & Lyrics: Sting

Something Rotten!

Music & Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick

The Visit

Music: John Kander
Lyrics: Fred Ebb

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Geneva Carr, Hand to God
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Ken Watanabe, The King and I
Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Beth Malone, Fun Home
Kelli O’Hara, The King and I
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Matthew Beard, Skylight
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It with You
Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Sarah Stiles, Hand to God
Julie White, Airline Highway

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Victoria Clark, Gigi
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Sydney Lucas, Fun Home
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Bob Crowley, Skylight
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It with You

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris
David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century
Michael Yeargan, The King and I
David Zinn, Fun Home

Best Costume Design of a Play

Bob Crowley, The Audience
Jane Greenwood, You Can’t Take It with You
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
David Zinn, Airline Highway

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century
Catherine Zuber, The King and I

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Natasha Katz, Skylight
Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Donald Holder, The King and I
Natasha Katz, An American in Paris
Ben Stanton, Fun Home
Japhy Weideman, The Visit

Best Direction of a Play

Stephen Daldry, Skylight
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It with You
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two
Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best Direction of a Musical

Sam Gold, Fun Home
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
John Rando, On the Town
Bartlett Sher, The King and I
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Choreography

Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Christopher Gattelli, The King and I
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Orchestrations

Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris
John Clancy, Fun Home
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

* * *

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Tommy Tune

Special Tony Award

John Cameron Mitchell

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Cleveland Play House, Cleveland, Ohio

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Stephen Schwartz

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre

Arnold Abramson

Adrian Bryan-Brown

Gene O’Donovan

* * *

Tony Nominations by Production

An American in Paris – 12

Fun Home – 12

Something Rotten! – 10

The King and I – 9

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two – 8

Skylight – 7

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – 6

Hand to God – 5

On the Twentieth Century – 5

The Visit – 5

You Can’t Take It with You – 5

Airline Highway – 4

The Elephant Man – 4

On the Town – 4

The Audience – 3

The Last Ship – 2

Constellations – 1

Disgraced – 1

Gigi – 1

The Heidi Chronicles – 1

It’s Only a Play – 1

This Is Our Youth – 1

The post The 2015 Tony Award Nominations Announced appeared first on Broadway Black.