Gurira, who is most notably known as an actress — the star of the wildly popular AMC seriesThe Walking Dead — wrote the play fresh out of finishing her studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she earned her Master’s of Fine Arts. She’s starred on Broadway in the August Wilson play Joe Turner’s Come And Gone but is making her Great White Way debut as a playwright with Eclipsed.

“That’s kind of the thing that excites me the most is the idea that we’re breaking that type of barrier with these types of women and hearing these particular voices on The Great White Way,” she said. “It’s really time to break through those barriers and show that there isn’t a reason for the lack of representation or the under-representation.”

Read the entire Bold & Black On The Great White Way article and view more pictures of the entire cast HERE. Such a great read and gorgeous photography by Marc Baptiste. Below are just a few of our favorites including “Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o joined by a stellar ensemble including Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, Zainab Jah and Saycon Sengbloh, & the playwright Danai Gurira.

The post The Women of Eclipsed Shine in Uptown Magazine appeared first on Broadway Black.

Saycon Sengbloh, Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, and Zainab Jah reprise the roles written by playwright and actress Danai Gurira.  Zombiephiles may know Gurira from her groundbreaking role as the sword-wielding Michonne on AMC’s “The Walking Dead” series.

The play, set in 2003 near the end of the civil war in Liberia, is about the survival and resilience of a group of women who are captives of rebels fighting the government. Nyong’o, who made her Academy Award-winning screen debut in “12 Years a Slave,” stars in the role of “Girl,” the youngest of four captive wives of a rebel commander.

Eclipsed seeks to promote empowerment through telling the true story of African women in the midst of struggle— the Liberian civil war. Experience the power of women exposed. Experience the joy within a struggle. Experience the reality that war is real and desperately needs to be stopped. Experience the power of women.

Speaking of women, the cast, director Liesl Tommy, and writer are made up of entirely female artists— and that’s a first on Broadway. History has been made and audiences are ready to celebrate and be empowered. 

We were certainly there to witness that history at the Golden Theatre for the first preview performance. Photos & more below!

Joined on stage after our 1st Broadway show by an audience of incredible #women artists. #TrailblazingWomen pic.twitter.com/FEYRBbRC1d

— Eclipsed on Broadway (@eclipsedbway) February 24, 2016

The post Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed Begins Broadway Previews appeared first on Broadway Black.

Anthony recently joined the producing team of the upcoming Broadway production of Eclipsed – the war drama written by playwright and “The Walking Dead” and “All Eyez on Me” actress Danai Gurira that stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o.

The play’s successful Off-Broadway run had celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, and Common singing its praises and apparently Anthony was impressed, as well.

I am honored to champion and be actively involved in a production with such social and cultural merit and courageous storytelling.

— LA LA (@lala) January 21, 2016

The play, set in 2003 near the end of the civil war in Liberia, is about the survival and resilience of a group of women who are captives of rebels fighting the government. Nyong’o, who made her screen debut in “12 Years a Slave,” stars in the role of the “Girl,” the youngest of four captive wives of a rebel commander.

In addition to Nyong’o, the cast also features several Broadway performers, including Saycon Sengbloh (Hair, The Color Purple and Wicked), as well as Pascale Armand (The Trip to Bountiful), Akosua Busia (Mule Bone), and Zainab Jah (In Darfur).

Eclipsed is directed by Liesl Tommy, who staged the play’s premiere at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington in 2009.

Since getting her start on MTV’s Total Request Live, Anthony has spread her wings and built a solid career in acting and business. She’s currently appearing in the Starz original drama series, “Power”, starring Omari Hardwick and Naturi Naughton. Her other acting credits include “Think Like a Man,” “Think Like a Man, Too”, “Baggage Claim”, and “Two Can Play That Game.” Anthony also has starred in her own reality series “Lala’s Full-Court Life” on VH1. Eclipsed isn’t her first foray into producing as she was a producer on Mike Tyson’s critically acclaimed documentary, “Tyson.”

Previews of Eclipsed begin February 23, 2016, with an official opening March 6, 2016 at the John Golden Theatre.

The post Lala Anthony Signs On To Produce Eclipsed On Broadway appeared first on Broadway Black.

And not the “Who made the bad potato salad?” variety.

This reunion has critics and audiences cheering as the Eclipsed cast that riveted theatergoers for 10 weeks at the Public Theater will assemble with lead actress Lupita Nyong’o. This time, they meet for a Broadway run at the John Golden Theatre.

That’s right. Saycon Sengbloh, Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, and Zainab Jah reprise the roles written by playwright and actress Danai Gurira.  Zombiephiles may know Gurira from her groundbreaking role as the sword-wielding Michonne on AMC’s “The Walking Dead” series.

Eclipsed is a play about endurance and strength for women living through the Liberian Civil War. As previously reported, the play debuted at the Public Theater from September 29 – November 29^th, garnering acclaim and excitement for the Broadway debut.

The original cast has a long list of Broadway theatre credits to their names. Of course, Ms. Nyong’o has that golden statue with the bald head. What is his name again? Oh yeah. Oscar.

The amazing women who collaborated to make Eclipsed also made history. Director Liesl Tommy, Gurira, Nyong’o, and her cast mates, are putting on the first Broadway show to have an all female cast, director and writer. Ever.

Like… Ever.

Previews of Eclipsed begin February 23, 2016, with an official opening March 6, 2016.

As news of the cast announcement hit social media, the elation could hardly be contained. Celebrities have been touting the show’s brilliance for weeks.

Anticipation is building as Gurira dazzles across the talk show circuit. Could the Broadway show deliver during Tony season as well? Time will tell, but tickets for the show are definitely going to be sold out quick. Stay tuned.

The post Original Eclipsed Cast with Lupita Nyong’o Set For Broadway, Will Make History appeared first on Broadway Black.

Well the FANTASTIC NEWS is that #EclipsedPlay is MOVING TO BROADWAY!!! #Morepeoplegettoseeit #Broadway2016

A photo posted by Lupita Nyong’o (@lupitanyongo) on Oct 20, 2015 at 4:48am PDT

The current Off-Broadway run has been extended not once, but twice. Having a Broadway run will make her eligible for 2016 Tony Award consideration and that is great news to our ears! The show will have a strictly limited engagement starting Februrary 23rd, 2016. Presale tickets for Citi card memebers are now available until Oct 27th and general public tickets will be available shortly after that.

Nyong’o made her highly anticipated New York stage debut in Obie-winning playwright’s war drama Eclipsed at the Public Theatre on October 14. The show had a star-studded soft opening night on October 13 which included icon & The Color Purple producer Oprah Winfrey.

The play, set in 2003 near the end of the civil war in Liberia, is about the survival and resilience of a group of women who are captives of rebels fighting the government. Nyong’o, who made her Academy Award-winning screen debut in “12 Years a Slave,” stars in the role of “Girl,” the youngest of four captive wives of a rebel commander.

In addition to Nyong’o, the cast also features several Broadway performers, including Saycon Sengbloh (Hair, The Color Purple and Wicked), as well as Pascale Armand (The Trip to Bountiful), Akosua Busia (Mule Bone), and Zainab Jah (In Darfur).

Zimbabwean-American Gurira stars as the sword-wielding, zombie killer “Michonne” on AMC’s hit series “The Walking Dead.” She’s appeared in the films “The Visitor” and “Mother of George.” Her stage credits include the role of “ Isabella” in Measure for Measure for which she received the Actor’s Equity Callaway Award. As a playwright, she received an Obie Award, Outer Critics Award, and Helen Hayes Award for In the Continuum. For Eclipsed, Gurira won an NAACP Image Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play, and the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Production of a Play. Her latest play, Familiar, will premiere in New York at Playwrights Horizons in February 2016.

Eclipsed is directed by Liesl Tommy, who staged the play’s premiere at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington in 2009. For tickets, click HERE.

The post Lupita Nyong’o Will Take Eclipsed To Broadway In February appeared first on Broadway Black.

Amid the chaos of the Liberian Civil War, the captive wives of a rebel officer band together to form a fragile community—until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl. Drawing on reserves of wit and compassion, Eclipsed reveals distinct women who must discover their own means of survival in this deeply felt portrait of women finding and testing their own strength in a hostile world of horrors not of their own making.

Sengbloh will play Helena. Her Broadway credits include Holler if Ya Hear Me, Motown the Musical, Fela!, Hair, The Color Purple, Wicked and Aida. Armand will play Bessie and has appeared on Broadway in The Trip to Bountiful as well as off-Broadway in An Octoroon. Busia will play Rita and made her Broadway debut in Mule Bone. Jah will take on the role of Maimi; her stage credits include In Darfur, Hamlet and Ruined.

The production features scenic and costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by Jen Schriever, original music and sound design by Broken Chord and voice and dialect by Beth McGuire.

The limited engagement will run through November 8 and the performance schedule is Tuesdays through Fridays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00p.m. Public Theater Member tickets can be accessed now as well as member single tickets, starting at $80. Tickets can be accessed by calling (212) 967-7555, www.publictheater.org, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street.

Free tickets to the first preview on Tuesday, September 29 will be available via TodayTix mobile lottery, launching Tuesday, September 22. Winners will be notified by email and push notifications between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on the day of the first preview. Winners must confirm their winning tickets in the TodayTix app within one hour of being notified. A limited number of tickets will also be distributed, beginning at 12:00 p.m., via lottery in the lobby of The Public Theater at Astor Place at 425 Lafayette Street.

The post Saycon Sengbloh & More Will Join Lupita Nyong’o in Eclipsed appeared first on Broadway Black.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet, considered by many to be the greatest play written in the English language, was written around 1600. The first production outside Europe took place in 1607 on board the Red Dragon, anchored off the coast of Sierra Leone. Ironically, Jah would discover that four of her ancestors, tribal chiefs in West Africa, witnessed this performance. Jah, who lived with her grandmother in Sierra Leone until moving to Britain aged ten, would perform the eponymous role four hundred years later, as one of the most talked about young princes in world literature.

Zainab Jah began her life in the theatre as part of a children’s theatre company run by her grandmother in Freetown, Sierra Leone. At age ten, Jah was sent to live with her physician parents in England. After her initial culture shock, Jah went to school and later studied modern dance and classical ballet and theater in London. Jah says this training “turned out to be a good thing for me as it means I have an ease of movement and a keen spatial awareness, which I’m not sure I would have developed quite as quickly as I did when I became a professional actor.” Undoubtedly, the fluidity Jah acquired as a dancer was instrumental during her fencing scenes in Hamlet.

Embodying the role of Hamlet, daunting in its own right but especially so as the first Black woman to have done so, provided Jah with some doubt. “One of the first things I said when Blanka asked me to do this, I kept saying no because I kept saying, ‘Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m an African woman,’ ” recalls Zainab Jah. But Wilma’s Artistic Director Blanka Zizka was undeterred. “Zainab’s particular abilities – her presence and charisma, her strength with language, her physicality – suggested Hamlet to me.” Though Zizka did not seek out a woman for the title role, she did not shirk away from her eventual conclusion. “I made a list of actors I would like to see working with me and it eventually became very clear to me that Zainab was going to be my Hamlet,” Zizka explained. Zizka has said that if Jah hadn’t agreed to do it, there would have been no Hamlet at the Wilma this season. The minority, female-led production sold out almost every night of its run.
While we have missed our opportunity to see Zainab Jah live as Hamlet, the Internet provides this glimpse into her powerful performance:

Zainab Jah – As Hamlet from Timothy Naylor on Vimeo.

Zainab Jah, whose credits include film, television, and the stage, is currently writing her first play called A New Spring about an immigrant family where the child suddenly realizes that her father isn’t her father.

The post A Historic First: Hamlet Portrayed by a Black Woman! appeared first on Broadway Black.