| Full 2020 Cast to Reunite for NOLLYWOOD DREAMS at MCC Theater Beginning October 21 - Audience Safety Policies Announced | |
| Last Edit: Official_Press_Release 03:12 pm EDT 08/04/21 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 02:56 pm EDT 08/04/21 | |
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| ANNOUNCES FULL 2020 CAST TO REUNITE FOR NOLLYWOOD DREAMS BY JOCELYN BIOH DIRECTED BY SAHEEM ALI FEATURING: ABENA, CHARLIE HUDSON, III, NANA MENSAH, SANDRA OKUBOYEJO, ADE OTUKOYA, AND EMANA RACHELLE PREVIEWS BEGIN OCTOBER 21, 2021 OPENING NIGHT IS NOVEMBER 11, 2021 LIMITED RUN THROUGH NOVEMBER 28, 2021 EARLY ACCESS TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW FOR PATRONS AND SUBSCRIBERS New York, NY) MCC Theater (Bob LuPone, Bernie Telsey, Will Cantler, Co-Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) announced today that the upcoming engagement of Nollywood Dreams will reunite the entire cast from the 2020 MCC production that was postponed due to the theater shutdown. Written by Burnt Umber Playwright-in-Residence Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play), Nollywood Dreams, the first production of their 2021-22 season, will begin previews in-person at MCC Theater's (511 W 52nd Street New York, NY 10019) Newman Mills Theater on October 21, 2021. Directed by Saheem Ali (Fires in The Mirror), Nollywood Dreams will have an opening night on November 11, 2021 and play a limited run through November 28, 2021. The cast will include Abena (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play), Charlie Hudson, III (A Raisin in the Sun), Nana Mensah (Man from Nebraska), Sandra Okuboyejo (Hamilton), Ade Otukoya (Gem of the Ocean), and Emana Rachelle (In The Name Of). "Nothing thrills me more than to be reuniting with the Nollywood Dreams cast and finally getting the chance to share this play with the world," said playwright Jocelyn Bioh. "Being the first show back at MCC is an honor and we promise to fill the theater with laughter and pure joy." Nollywood Dreams features scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by David Weiner and Jiyoun Chang, sound design by Palmer Hefferan, projection design by Alex Basco Koch, and hair & wig design by Nikiya Mathis. Dawn-Elin Fraser is the dialect coach and Alyssa K Howard is the production stage manager. It's the 1990s and in Lagos, Nigeria, the Nollywood film industry is exploding and taking the world by storm. Ayamma dreams of stardom while working at her parents' travel agency alongside her lovable and celebrity-obsessed sister Dede. When Ayamma lands an audition for a new film by Gbenga Ezie, Nigeria's hottest director, she comes head-to-head with Gbenga's former leading lady, Fayola. Tensions flare just as sparks start flying between Ayamma, the aspiring ingénue, and Wale, Nollywood's biggest heartthrob, in this hilarious new play about dreaming big. Nollywood Dreams is supported by The Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, The Bonnie Cashin Costume Design Fund, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the city council. The performance schedule for Nollywood Dreams is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm; Wednesdays at 2pm and 8pm; Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm. Exceptions: The Wednesday October 27 performance will be at 7pm. There will be an additional performance on Monday November 22 at 7pm. There will be no performances on Saturday October 23 at 2pm, Thursday November 25 and Friday November 26. Early access tickets to Nollywood Dreams are now available to book for Patrons and Subscribers at mcctheater.org. Tickets for Members will go on sale on Tuesday August 10, 2021 and single tickets will go on sale to the public later this summer at mcctheater.org. Priority subscriptions for MCC's 2021/22 season start at $212 (including all handling fees) and include all the productions plus unlimited free ticket exchanges, 20% off guest tickets, waived ticket fees, and first access to tickets. Memberships start at $67 (including all handling fees) and include all of the productions at a discounted rate of $45 per ticket, up to three free ticket exchanges per production, 10% off guest tickets, waived ticket fees, and access to tickets ahead of the general public. Subscriptions and memberships are available for purchase beginning today at mcctheater.org. Audiences will need to be fully vaccinated to attend a performance at MCC Theater. Fully vaccinated means having had your second shot or single shot (based on vaccination type) of an FDA or WHO authorized COVID-19 vaccine two weeks (14 days) before your performance date. Proof of full vaccination must be provided along with a government issued photo ID with matching name. Proof of vaccination can be shown with one of the following: your vaccination card, a photo of your vaccination card, or via an official governmental mobile app or website; NYS residents or those who received a vaccination in NYS may present proof of vaccination via the Excelsior Pass app. For more information about the Excelsior Pass please visit https://epass.ny.gov. Masks may be required to be worn. The only exemptions to MCC's full vaccination requirement are for those under the age of 12, or those with who need an accommodation due to a medical condition or a sincere religious belief that prevents vaccinations. In these cases, proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken 72 hours prior to performance or proof of negative rapid COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance will be required and masks must be worn. MCC Theater will stay current with and adhere to the guidelines of the CDC and WHO, therefore, this policy is subject to change pending any and all updates. Policy changes will be updated on MCC's website and all communication channels and ticket holders will be directly notified. MCC is committed to the health and safety of its staff, artists, production crews, students and audience members. The theater has expanded its safety initiatives by installing a Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization (NPBI) technology system, upgrading the HVAC system with MERV 14 & MERV 15 filters, placing standing HEPA filters throughout the building, as well doubling the facility deep cleaning schedule, and going contactless with digital ticket scanning and digital playbills, among other efforts. In January 2022 MCC Theater will present a full production of Space Dogs, a new musical by Van Hughes (Burn All Night) and Nick Blaemire (Glory Days) and directed by Ellie Heyman (amfAR's Angels in America). Here She Is, Boys, by Ana Nogueira (Empathitrax) and directed by Mike Donahue (MCC's Collective Rage), will premiere in April 2022. The season will conclude in May 2022 with soft by Donja R. Love (one in two) and directed by Whitney White (What to Send Up When It Goes Down). MCC will also present Uncensored, an MCC Youth Company Production, in Spring of 2022. Additional information for these productions will be announced at a later date. ABOUT MCC THEATER MCC Theater is one of New York's leading nonprofit Off-Broadway companies, driven by a mission to provoke conversations that have never happened and otherwise never would. Founded in 1986 as a collective of artists leading peer-based classes to support their own development as actors, writers and directors, MCC is one of the only theaters in the country led continuously by its founders, Artistic Directors Bob LuPone, Bernie Telsey, and Will Cantler. MCC fulfills its mission through the production of world, American, and New York premiere plays and musicals that challenge artists and audiences to confront contemporary personal and social issues, and robust playwright development and education initiatives that foster the next generation of theater artists and students. MCC Theater's celebrated productions include Aziza Barnes' BLKS; Jocelyn Bioh's School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play; Penelope Skinner's The Village Bike; Robert Askins' Hand to God (Broadway transfer; five 2015 Tony Award® nominations including Best Play); John Pollono's Small Engine Repair; Paul Downs Colaizzo's Really Really; Sharr White's The Other Place (Broadway transfer); Jeff Talbott's The Submission (Laurents/Hatcher Award); Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty (Broadway transfer, three 2009 Tony Award® nominations, including Best Play), Some Girl(s), Fat Pig, The Mercy Seat, and All The Ways To Say I Love You; Michael Weller's Fifty Words; Alexi Kaye Campbell's The Pride; Bryony Lavery's Frozen (Broadway transfer; four 2004 Tony Award® nominations including Best Play, Tony Award® for Best Featured Actor); Tim Blake Nelson's The Grey Zone; Rebecca Gilman's The Glory of Living (2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist); Margaret Edson's Wit (1999 Pulitzer Prize); and the musicals The Wrong Man, Alice by Heart, Ride the Cyclone, Carrie, and Coraline. Many plays developed and produced by MCC have gone on to productions throughout the country and around the world. Over the years MCC has worked with thousands of students through the innovative MCC Youth Company, school partnerships, and student matinee programs. Executive Director Blake West joined the company in 2006. MCC opened the doors to its new home in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, on January 9, 2019, unifying the company's activities under one roof for the first time and expanding its producing, artist development, and education programming. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT MCCTheater.org # # # BIOS JOCELYN BIOH (Playwright) is an award winning Ghanaian-American writer/performer from New York City. Her written works for theatre include Merry Wives adapted from Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor (The Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park) Nollywood Dreams (MCC Theater), Goddess the Musical, which will have its world premiere at Berkeley Rep in 2022 and the multi award winning School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play which was originally produced at MCC Theater in 2017/2018 and has gone on to have over 20 regional productions. She is a former TOW playwriting fellow (2017) and has been commissioned by MTC, Atlantic Theater Co., Williamstown Theatre Festival and Second Stage. Jocelyn has also written for TV on "Russian Doll," Spike Lee's "She's Gotta Have It" and is also writing the live screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Once On This Island for Disney+. SAHEEM ALI (Director) is a proud immigrant from Kenya, and currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director/ Resident Director of The Public Theater. His production of Merry Wives is currently running at the Delacorte Theatre/Shakespeare in the Park; recent productions include Romeo Y Julieta and Richard Ii (The Public/WNYC), Shipwreck (Woolly Mammoth), Fires In The Mirror (Signature Theatre), The New Englanders (MTC), The Rolling Stone (Lincoln Center Theater), Passage (Soho Rep), Fireflies (Atlantic Theater Company), Dangerous House (Williamstown Theater Festival), Sugar In Our Wounds (MTC), Tartuffe (Playmakers Rep), Twelfth Night (The Public), Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theater), Nollywood Dreams (Cherry Lane) and The Booty Call (Inner Voices). Upcoming productions include Merry Wives at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, and the world premiere of the musical Goddess, which Saheem conceived and will direct for Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He is a Usual Suspect at New York Theater Workshop, a Sir John Gielgud SDCF Fellow and a Shubert Fellow. ABENA (Adenikeh). From NJ, Abena is an actor/vocalist of dual Ghanaian and African-American descent. She originated and reprised the role of Nana in School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (MCC Theater, Center Theatre Group. *Drama Desk Special Award). Vocalist of the Royalton Resorts theme song, "Royalton Life." AMDA graduate. Abena is also a former Disney Cruise mainstage vocalist. Additional NYC credits: Merry Wives (The Delacorte Theater), Goddess (MCC SongLab/NYSAF), Appointment With gOD (The Playwrights Realm), Ragtime (Ellis Island), How the Light Gets In - Water is Life (NYMF). TV: "Orange is the New Black," "Daredevil," "The Other Two." "Celebs Have Issues," and "FBI." Instagram: @abenadryl CHARLIE HUDSON, III (Gbenga Ezie). BROADWAY: A Raisin in the Sun. OFF BROADWAY: Nollywood Dreams (MCC Theater), (A) Loft Modulation (American Vicarious), Hurt Village (Signature). REGIONAL: King Hedley II, A Raisin in the Sun, Seven Guitars (Two Rivers Theater), Detroit '67 (Playmakers Rep), The Mountaintop (Northern Stage), Father Comes Home from the Wars (ART), Clybourne Park, Beneatha's Place, (Baltimore Centerstage); Fences (Virginia Stage Company); The Piano Lesson (Yale Rep), Master Harold and The Boys (Portland Stage Company); Fly, (Crossroads Theater/The Vineyard Playhouse), Richard III, All the King's Men, Cyrano de Bergerac, (Trinity Rep), Mother Courage (Public Theater/NYSF), Threepenny Opera (Williamstown Theatre Festival. TELEVISION: "Archive 81" (Netflix), "Manifest" (NBC), "The Night Of" (HBO), "Shades of Blues" (NBC), "The Good Fight" (CBS), "Unforgettable" (CBS), "Forever" (ABC), "The Rosa Parks Story" (CBS), and "A Raisin in the Sun 'Revisited'" (PBS). FILM: Roxanne, Roxanne; Complete Unknown; Twelve; Newlyweeds; Lillian. TRAINING: Alabama State University and Brown University/Trinity Repertory Consortium. I would like to thank my family for their love and support. NANA MENSAH (Dede Okafor) is a Ghanaian-American writer, director, producer, and actress. Mensah stars in Queen of Glory, which she also wrote, produced, and directed. Queen of Glory premiered in the U.S. Narrative Competition lineup at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 15, 2021 as a part of their Juneteenth programming. This film marked Mensah's directorial feature debut. At Tribeca, she was awarded Best New Narrative Director and a Special Jury Prize for Artistic Expression for opening audiences up to an intimate and personal story, exploring cultural identity and family, with delicate nuance and humor and heart. On August 20, 2021, Mensah will appear in a series regular role opposite Sandra Oh and Bob Balaban in Netflix's upcoming six-episode half hour comedy series "The Chair." Most recently, Mensah was a staff writer on Season 2 of "Random Acts of Flyness" at HBO and is currently staff writing on Amazon's "The Power." She also co-wrote and co-starred in Season 2 of Netflix's "Bonding." Previous film credits include: IFC's Farewell Amor (which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival), Like Father, The King of Staten Island, and the upcoming A24 film After Yang. Previous TV credits include "Madame Secretary," "Evil," "Little America," "New Amsterdam" and "13 Reasons Why." Previously on stage, Mensah starred in Tracy Letts' Man From Nebraska, directed by David Cromer, for which she was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for her performance. SANDRA OKUBOYEJO (Ayamma Okafor). Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Okuboyejo is a first generation Nigerian-American multidisciplinary storyteller. Credits include Hamilton (U/S Eliza, Angelica and Peggy), "Tommy" on CBS starring Edie Falco, Ragtime on Ellis Island (Sarah), etc. She is also the author of children's book Black Girl Magic ABC, as well as composer/lyricist on original musical Halona and Ophelia. Many thanks to God, family + friends, KMR, Perennial, Telsey & Co, and the entire cast and crew of 'Nollywood Dreams'. Here's to ushering laughter to audiences at a time when the world needs it most! ADE OTUKOYA (Wale Owusu) is thrilled to be making his MCC Theatre debut. Originally from Brooklyn NY, graduate of The Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Theatre: Gem of The Ocean by August Wilson (The Hangar Theatre), King Henry IV Part 1 (The Pearl Theatre Company), A Taste of Honey (The Pearl Theatre Company), A Raisin in the Sun - Directed by Phylicia Rashaad (Westport Country Playhouse) Kings of Harlem (St Luke's Theatre - Audelco Nomination Best Ensemble), King Henry IV Part 1 & 2 in rep (The Shakespeare Theatre D.C), T.V. - "Shades of Blue" starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta (NBC), "High Maintenance" (HBO), "Little America" (Apple T.V. +), ABC Div Showcase (ABC), "Dickinson" (Apple T.V. +) Film: Premature (Sundance Premier IFC Studios, Independent Spirit Nomination John Cassavetes Award), Here One Minute (Amazon Prime), Milkwater(Amazon). EMANA RACHELLE (Fayola Ogunleye) is excited to make her Off-Broadway debut at MCC. Theatre: In The Name Of (The Shed NYC), Clybourne Park (Francine/Lena), Ruined (Sophie), and international tours in South Africa and Holland. TV: "Insecure" (HBO), "#LoveMyRoomie" (Amazon Prime) & "30 Rock" (NBC). MFA; West Virginia University, BADA (Oxford), BFA; NYU-Tisch. Emana performs improv and stand-up comedy around New York City. This performance is dedicated to the life and legacy of my first love, Ella Mae Robinson Warren. A woman who walked the floors for me and diligently drove me to drama classes at North Atlanta High School. Follow me on Instagram: @emanarachelle ARNULFO MALDONADO (Scenic Designer) is a New York City based set and costume designer. Arnulfo is a recipient of a Princess Grace Fabergé Theater Award and a multiple Henry Hewes Design nominee. He recently received the 2020 Obie for Sustained Excellence in Set Design, as well as a Special Citation Obie as part of the Creative Team of the Pulitzer Prize winning A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson. Notable design credits include the aforementioned world premiere of Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop (Playwrights Horizons), as well as: Clare Barron's Dance Nation (Playwrights Horizons), Jocelyn Bioh's School Girls, Or; The African Mean Girls Play (MCC Theater), Jaclyn Backhaus' Men On Boats (Clubbed Thumb/Playwrights Horizons), and Donja R. Love's Sugar In Our Wounds (Manhattan Theater Club, Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Scenic Design recipient), one in two (New Group) and most recently Will Eno's The Underlying Chris (Second Stage). U.S. premieres include Anne Washburn's Shipwreck (Woolly Mammoth) and debbie tucker green's generations (Soho Rep). DEDE AYITE (Costume Designer) is a two-time Tony nominated costume designer whose Broadway credits include A Soldier's Play, Slave Play, American Son, and Children of a Lesser God. Select Off-Broadway credits include Secret Life of Bees, Marie and Rosetta, (Atlantic); By The Way, Meet Vera Stark, (Signature); BLKS, School Girls... (MCC); Bella: An American Tall Tale (Playwrights Horizons); The Royale (Lincoln Center); Toni Stone (Roundabout). Regionally, Ayite's work has appeared at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf, Arena Stage and more. She has worked in television with Netflix, Comedy Central, and FOX Shortcoms. Ayite earned her MFA at the Yale School of Drama and has received an Obie, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Theatre Bay Area, and Jeff Awards, along with four Drama Desk Nominations. DAVID WEINER (Co-Lighting Designer). MCC: Seared, Smokefall, Permission, The Money Shot, Really, Really, Wild Animals, The Submission, The Break of Noon, Still Life, The Third Story, Reasons To Be Pretty, and Some Girl(s). Broadway: The Great Society, The Price, Misery, Romeo and Juliet, Dead Accounts, Grace, Godspell, The Normal Heart (Tony – Best Revival, Play), Reasons to Be Pretty, Butley, The Real Thing (Tony – Best Revival, Play), Dinner at Eight, Betrayal. Off-Broadway: The Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Theatre for a New Audience, Vineyard Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company. Regional: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf, Goodman, CTG, La Jolla Playhouse, McCarter, Huntington, American Repertory Theater, Williamstown. Theme Park: Frozen at Hyperion Theater, Disney California Adventure Park. Architecture: numerous projects including Michelin Star award winning Cote NYC and Crown Shy. Awards: Three Lucille Lortel Awards (Guards at the Taj, Through a Glass Darkly, Rodney's Wife); Drama Desk nomination (Small Fire); seven American Theatre Wing Hewes Design Award nominations. www.DavidWeinerDesign.com JIYOUN CHANG (Co-Lighting Designer). Broadway: Slave Play (Tony Nomination). Off-Broadway: for colored girls, Merry Wives (Public). Anatomy of A Suicide, Eddie and Dave(Atlantic); Mary's Seacole, Plot Points in Our Sexual Development, brownsville song (LCT3); Sojourners, Her Portmanteau (NYTW); Something Clean, Too Heavy For Your Pocket, Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout); BAM, MCC, Signature, Guggenheim, Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes, Guthrie, The Old Globe, OSF, Studio Theatre. Falstaff Award 2012 (Troilus and Cressida). Nominations: Tony, Drama Desk, Theatre Bay Area, Henry Hewes Design Awards. Obie Award in special citation. MFA: Yale School of Drama. PALMER HEFFERAN (Sound Designer). Select credits include BROADWAY: Grand Horizons (Second Stage), The Lifespan of a Fact (Studio 54). OFF-BROADWAY: shadow/land, Shipwreck, Wild Goose Dreams (The Public Theater); Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA); Marys Seacole (LCT3); BLKS, Collective Rage, Charm, School Girls... (MCC Theater); The New Englanders, Sugar in Our Wounds, Important Hats... (MTC); Something Clean, Bobbie Clearly (Roundabout); Fabulation, Death of the Last Black Man... (Signature Theatre). Awards: 2019 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Sound Design. ALEX BASCO KOCH (Projection Designer). Broadway: Be More Chill (Drama Desk, Lortel, Outer Critics Circlenominated); Irena's Vow. Off-Broadway: Buyer & Cellar (North American Tour; Menier Chocolate Factory; Barrow Street; Rattlestick); Fireflies (Atlantic; Lortel nominated); I Was Most Alive With You (Playwrights Horizons); The Liquid Plain (Signature; Oregon Shakespeare Festival); GOODBAR (The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival). Regional: Indecent (Guthrie); The Who's Tommy (Denver Center); Approval Junkie, Tiger Style (Alliance; Huntington Theatre Company); Stax, Marley (Baltimore Center Stage); Invisible Man (Court Theatre, Chicago; Studio Theatre, Washington DC; Huntington); ReEntry (Baltimore Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Roundhouse Theatre). Concert: The Magnetic Fields 50 Song Memoir. NIKIYA MATHIS (Hair & Wig Designer) holds an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts' Graduate Acting Program. She is the recipient of the 2020 Henry Hewes Design Award, The Antonio Award and she is a Drama Desk nominee. Makeup/ Hair & Wig Design Broadway: Chicken & Biscuits; Off Broadway: The Public Theater; New York Theatre Workshop, MCC, Soho Rep, Women's Project, Ars Nova, Page 73 Productions @ Walker Space, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Classical Theater of Harlem, National Black Theater. Regional & University: Baltimore Center Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, Berkshire Theatre, Theatre Works, NYU Tisch, American Academy of Dramatic Art, AMDA and Barnard College |
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