JULIE HALSTON IS Back on Broadway!
CAST, THEATRE, DATES ANNOUNCEMENT; TICKETS NOW ON SALE
THORNTON WILDER’s
OUR TOWN
Directed by KENNY LEON
WILL FEATURE A CAST OF 28 ACTORS LED BY
JIM PARSONS
(Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award-winner; Mother Play; A Man of No Importance; The
Boys in the Band)
ZOEY DEUTCH
(Not Okay; The Outfit; The Year of Spectacular Men; The Politician)
KATIE HOLMES
(The Wanderers; All My Sons; Rare Objects; Alone Together)
BILLY EUGENE JONES
(Obie & Audelco Award-winner, Drama Desk-nominee; Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch; Fat Ham; A Soldier’s Play; On Sugarland)
EPHRAIM SYKES
(Tony, Grammy, Outer Critics Circle & Drama League Award-nominee, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations; Hamilton; Motown: The Musical)
RICHARD THOMAS
(Tony & Drama Desk Award-nominee, Emmy Award-winner; Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; The Great Society; The Little Foxes)
MICHELLE WILSON
(Tony, Drama Desk & Drama League Award-nominee, Sweat; Confederates)
JULIE HALSTON
(Special 2021 Tony Award; Drama Desk-nominee, You Can’t Take it with You; Tootsie; Hairspray)
DONALD WEBBER JR.
(Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch; Hamilton; Holler if Ya Hear Me)
EPHIE AARDEMA, HEATHER AYERS, WILLA BOST, BOBBY DAYE, SAFIYA KAIJYA HARRIS, DORON JéPAUL,
SHYLA LEFNER, ANTHONY MICHAEL LOPEZ, BRYONHA MARIE,
JOHN McGINTY, KEVYN MORROW, HAGAN OLIVERAS, NOAH PYZIK, SKY SMITH,
BILL TIMONEY, MATTHEW ELIJAH WEBB, NIMENE SIERRA WUREH
Previews begin Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Opening on Thursday, October 10, 2024
At The Barrymore Theatre
Strictly Limited Engagement
(New York, NY) – The new Broadway production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon, announces the play will feature 28 actors led by Emmy, Golden Globe & Screen Actors Guild Award-winner Jim Parsons as “Stage Manager”, Zoey Deutch as “Emily Webb”, Katie Holmes as “Mrs. Webb”, Obie & Audelco Award-winner and Drama Desk-nominee Billy Eugene Jones as “Dr. Gibbs”, Tony & Grammy Award-nominee Ephraim Sykes as “George Gibbs”, Tony & Drama Desk Award-nominee and Emmy-Award-winner Richard Thomas as “Mr. Webb”, Tony & Drama Desk-nominee Michelle Wilson as “Mrs. Gibbs”, 2021 Special Tony Award-winner and Drama Desk-nominee Julie Halston as “Mrs. Soames”, Donald Webber Jr. as “Simon Stimpson”, as well as Ephie Aardema, Heather Ayers, Willa Bost, Bobby Daye, Safiya Kaijya Harris, Doron JéPaul, Shyla Lefner, Anthony Michael Lopez, John McGinty, Bryonha Marie, Kevyn Morrow, Hagan Oliveras, Noah Pyzik, Sky Smith, Bill Timoney, Matthew Elijah Webb and Nimene Sierra Wureh. The final two cast members will be announced at a later date.
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town will begin previews on Tuesday, September 17 ahead of an opening on Thursday, October 10 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th) for a strictly limited engagement. Tickets are now on sale on Telecharge.com or 212-239-6200.
The design team for Our Town will include scenic design by Tony Award-winner Beowulf Boritt (New York, New York; Act One), costume design by Tony Award-nominee and Drama Desk Award-winner Dede Ayite (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Suzan Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog), lighting design by Tony Award-nominee Allen Lee Hughes (Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog; A Soldier’s Play), sound design by Tony Award-nominee Justin Ellington (Ohio State Murders; for colored girls…), casting by Jim Carnahan, with Kate Wilson (The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window) as the dialect coach.
This will be the first major Broadway revival of the classic play in nearly 25 years. Our Town, the timeless drama of life in the village of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, has become an American classic with universal appeal. Thornton Wilder’s most frequently performed play, Our Town appeared on Broadway in 1938 to wide acclaim, and won the Pulitzer Prize.
Kenny Leon, hailed as a “maestro” by The Washington Post and noted by The New Yorker as having “a flair for showmanship and sizzle” is one of the most accomplished directors of the American stage. In recent years, he has staged powerhouse and highly acclaimed productions of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by Ossie Davis, Suzan Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog, Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy, A Soldier’s Play, Fences, American Son and two revivals of A Raisin in the Sun garnering him a Tony Award for Best Director. In May, he will direct the Broadway production of Home by Samm-Art Williams presented by Roundabout Theatre Company at the Todd Haimes Theatre.
“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town – in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre,” said Kenny Leon. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust of The Wilder estate to present this classic to another generation of theatre lovers. It’s long been a burning desire to collaborate on a Broadway production of such magnitude that speaks so beautifully and intimately to all people about our shared time on the planet.”
Speaking for the Wilder family, the playwright’s nephew, Tappan Wilder said: “Shortly before the Broadway opening of Our Town in 1938, my uncle, Thornton Wilder, described it to the press in these words: ‘You might say that it is a kind of an attempt at a complete immersion into everything about a New Hampshire village which, I hope, is gradually felt by the audience to be an allegorical representation of all life.’ In the first twenty months after the Broadway production closed, his drama about living and dying in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners, with a minimal set of tables, chairs, and a ladder, would be performed in 658 American communities—in forty-seven of the then forty-eight states — as well as in four Canadian provinces and several European countries. This universal embrace of the play has never ended. Even now, Our Town, with its message about the transcendent value of our growing up, our living, and our dying, is performed at least once every day somewhere in the world. Its ‘allegorical representation of all life’ really does unite us all. I got to know the play on an intimate level for the first time in 1955, when, as a high school freshman, I played Professor Willard on a postage-stamp-sized stage in our gymnasium. The responsibility of performing my uncle’s words left me a frightened puppy. Almost seventy years later, I am once again frightened, but not from stage fright. We live in a dangerously fractured world. It’s hard for us to recognize the experiences we all share: life, death, love. Which means that it’s a good thing that my uncle’s play is back on Broadway, with its timely reminder that we all live together in our town.”
This production is being produced by Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Patty Baker, Craig Balsam, Irene Gandy, Rebecca Gold, Louise Gund, Willette & Manny Klausner, M/B/P Productions, Daryl Roth and Jayne Baron Sherman.
For more info: OurTownBroadway.com
MORE ABOUT THORNTON WILDER AND OUR TOWN
“Here are my choices for Great American Plays: First, Our Town.”
-David Mamet in his book Theatre
“The play’s success across cultural borders around the world attests to its being something much greater than an American play: it is a play that captures the universal experience of being alive.”
-Donald Margulies in his foreword to Our Town
“If I were asked to name what I consider to be the finest serious American play, I would immediately say Our Town–not for its giant Americanness but because it is a superbly written, gloriously observed, tough, and breathtaking statement of what it is to be alive, the wonder and hopeless loss of the space between birth and the grave.”
-Edward Albee in his foreword to Thornton Wilder: A Life
Best-selling author Ann Patchett, whose 2023 critically acclaimed novel “Tom Lake: A Novel” (#1 New York Times Bestseller; A Reese’s Book Club Pick) was influenced by her love and appreciation of Our Town with the novel paralleling and referencing the play.
Patchett wrote in her Author’s Note: “I thank Thornton Wilder, who wrote the play that has been an enduring comfort, guide, and inspiration throughout my life. If this novel has a goal, it is turn the reader back to Our Town, and to all of Wilder’s work therein lies the joy.”
Thornton Wilder did most of his writing while traveling away from his home in Hamden, CT. Our Town was written on transatlantic steamers, in hotels and in hideaways across the United States and Europe, especially in Switzerland. His fictional town of Grover’s Corners was inspired by the real-life New Hampshire town of Peterborough, home to MacDowell, the famed artists residency program where Wilder stayed and wrote. Patchett herself, also had a residency there. In a New York Times essay titled “The Genius of Grover’s Corners” in 2007 at the time of publication of Thornton Wilder’s volume of drama in the Library of America (“Wilder’s Collected Plays & Writings on Theater”), Jeremy McCarter (recently appointed Wilder’s literary executor), wrote: “When stated properly, the play doesn’t let us feel simple nostalgia. We ought to weep at Emily’s famous line not because she finds earth wonderful, but because she was unable to find it so during her close-minded life in her close-minded town – which is, of course, our town. Wilder makes a profound statement about the limits of human understanding here, one that requires delicacy and a little steel to convey.”
For more background information on Thornton Wilder and the history of Our Town, please visit https://www.thorntonwilder.com/our-town, the official website of the Thornton Wilder family.
BIOGRAPHIES
JIM PARSONS (Stage Manager) continues to skillfully navigate the entertainment industry as an award-winning actor and producer. Upcoming, Parsons is set to star in the world premiere of Paula Vogel’s Mother Play on Broadway opposite Jessica Lange and Celia Keenan-Bolger. The bitingly funny and unflinchingly honest new play is about the hold our family has over us and the surprises we find when we unpack the past, opening Thursday, April 25. Parsons starred alongside Ben Aldridge in Focus Features’ Spoiler Alert based on Michael Ausiello’s acclaimed memoir of the same title. Parsons’ That’s Wonderful Productions produced the film, which was nominated for Outstanding Film – Wide Release at the GLAAD Media Awards. He recently led the Off-Broadway revival of A Man of No Importance, the 2002 musical featuring a book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens for The Classic Stage Company. He received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for his performance and the show was nominated for Drama League, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Parsons’ breakout role was that of Sheldon Cooper from the CBS smash hit “The Big Bang Theory”. Parsons’ performance garnered him numerous awards from the Emmys, Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice among many others. He then turned that character into a successful spin-off and serves as Executive Producer and Narrator on “Young Sheldon”, a prequel to “The Big Bang Theory”. Through That’s Wonderful Productions, Parsons executive produced Netflix’s first short-form, award- winning series Special. That’s Wonderful Productions produced the four-part HBO Max docuseries, Equal, which chronicled landmark events and the forgotten heroes of the LGBTQ+ Movement. Parsons and That’s Wonderful Productions partnered with Mayim Bialik for Fox’s Emmy-nominated “Call Me Kat” which ran for three seasons. Parsons co-starred in and produced, along with That’s Wonderful Productions, A Kid Like Jake, a family drama, in which a couple navigates the competitive world of NYC kindergarten admissions while trying to understand what is best for their son. Parsons voiced writer Truman Capote in Truman & Tennessee alongside Zachary Quinto voicing Tennessee Williams. In 2020, he starred in the Netflix movie The Boys in the Band alongside Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells and Matt Bomer. Also in 2020, Parsons starred in the Netflix series “Hollywood” for which he received Emmy and Golden Globes nominations for his performance as Henry Willson. Prior to appearing in the Broadway production of The Boys in the Band, Parsons last starred on Broadway in An Act of God which recouped its $2.9 million capitalization in just 10 weeks. Also on the stage, Parsons starred in the Broadway revival of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Harvey, in the role of “Elwood Dowd”, the genial eccentric who claims to see a six-foot-tall white rabbit ‘Harvey.’ Parsons received a Theatre World Award and Emmy nomination for his debut Broadway performance as “Tommy Boatwright” in The Normal Heart, starring opposite Ellen Barkin, John Benjamin Hickey, and Joe Mantello. The Normal Heart won a Tony Award for “Best Revival of a Play” and was presented with the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Revival of a Play” and “Outstanding Ensemble Performance.” The Normal Heart also received nominations from The Outer Critics Circle for “Outstanding Revival of a Play,” as well as five Tony Award nominations. Parsons’ other stage performances include, The Castle for the Manhattan Ensemble Theater, The Countess for the Globe Theater as well as The Tempest and As You Like It for the Houston Shakespeare Festival. Previous film credits include starring roles in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, And Vile and Hidden Figures, voicing the lead role in the box office hit Home, the Blumhouse Production thriller Visions, Todd Phillips’ School for Scoundrels, Chris Terrio’s Heights, Zach Braff’s Wish I Was Here and Garden State, Kevin Connolly’s Gardner of Eden and Danny Leiner’s The Great New Wonderful. Other television credits include an Emmy-nominated performance in The Normal Heart, HBO’s original movie adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Larry Kramer play, which was written by Kramer and directed by Ryan Murphy. Parsons also produced and lent his voice as narrator to the 3-part docuseries First In Human which aired on the Discovery Channel.
ZOEY DEUTCH (Emily Webb) was born in Los Angeles, California. She is steadily and boldly building her body of work with dynamic roles as both actor and producer. Most recently, Deutch can be seen in Not Okay (2022) for Searchlight/Hulu, as well as Something from Tiffany’s (2022) for Amazon/Hello Sunshine. She starred in and produced both films. She can also be seen in Focus Feature’s film The Outfit (2022) from director Graham Moore, starring opposite Mark Rylance and Dylan O’Brien. She earned a nomination for “Best Supporting Performance” at the 2022 BIFA for this role. Next up, Deutch will re-team with writer Katie Silberman for their second romantic comedy, Most Dangerous Game. Deutch and Silberman previously worked together on the Netflix hit, Set It Up (2018). She will also next be seen in Chad Hartigan’s feature The Threesome opposite Jonah Hauer-King and Ruby Cruz. Additional credits include Magnolia Pictures’ dramedy, Buffaloed (2019), for which Deutch also executively produced, Sony Pictures’ Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Emma Stone, Max Winkler’s Flower (2017), The Year of Spectacular Men (2017) alongside her sister Madelyn Deutch and directed by their mother, Lea Thompson. Deutch also served as producer. Other credits include Rebel in the Rye (2017) opposite Nicholas Hoult; Before I Fall (2017), the adaptation of the 2010 young adult novel of the same name; Everybody Wants Some!! from director Richard Linklater; Why Him? (2016) alongside James Franco and Bryan Cranston and directed by John Hamburg; Dirty Grandpa (2016) opposite Robert De Niro and Zac Efron and directed by Dan Mazer; Vincent N Roxxy (2016) opposite Emile Hirsch and Zoe Kravitz; Good Kids (2016); Beautiful Creatures (2013) opposite Alden Ehrenreich; and The Weinstein Company’s Vampire Academy (2014). She also starred in in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series “The Politician” (2019) alongside Ben Platt and Gwyneth Paltrow, with the first season receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. In 2020, Deutch was named to Forbes 30 under 30 list.
KATIE HOLMES (Mrs. Webb). As an actress who has received critical acclaim for a spectrum of diversified roles on stage and screen, Katie Holmes has appeared in several notable films, ranging from the action blockbuster Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan, to critically acclaimed art house pictures such as Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm and Peter Hedges’ Pieces of April. In 2021, Holmes launched her production company Lafayette Pictures. Her most recent project under the banner is Rare Objects, which she co-wrote, directed, and starred in. She also wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Alone Together along with Jim Sturgess, Derek Luke, Melissa Leo, and Zosia Mamet which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and was later released by IFC films. Holmes recently starred in The Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of The Wanderers directed by Barry Edelstein. She made her Broadway debut in the 2008 limited run of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, in which Holmes starred opposite John Lithgow, Patrick Wilson and Diane Wiest. Her portrayal of “Ann” garnered glowing reviews and established her as an accomplished actress on both screen and stage. In 2012, Holmes was also in the Broadway production Dead Accounts opposite Nobert Leo Butz. Holmes’ film career began in 1996 when she landed the role of ‘Libbets Casey,’ opposite Tobey Maguire and Sigourney Weaver in Ang Lee’s award-winning drama The Ice Storm. Since then, she has worked with some of Hollywood’s most prominent actors and directors. Her credits include Forest Whitaker’s First Daughter, Jason Reitman’s Thank You for Smoking, Sam Raimi’s The Gift, Stephen Gaghan’s Abandon, Doug Liman’s Go, Joel Schumacher’s Phone Booth, Simon Curtis’s Women in Gold, Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, Keith Gordon’s The Singing Detective, Kevin Williamson’s Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Brahms: The Boy II, The Secret, Curtis Hanson’s Wonder Boys, David Nutter’s Disturbing Behavior and the Guillermo Del Toro produced thriller, Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark. Holmes also executive produced, in addition to starring in, writer/director Galt Niederhoffer’s The Romantics. On the small screen Holmes will always be best known, as ‘Joey Potter’ from the hit WB TV series “Dawson’s Creek,” which ran for 6 seasons. She returned to television in the summer of 2015 starring opposite Liev Schreiber in season 3 of Showtime’s hit drama, “Ray Donovan”. She portrayed First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the miniseries “The Kennedy’s: and “The Kennedy’s After Camelot.”
BILLY EUGENE JONES (Dr. Gibbs). Broadway credits: Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Fat Ham, A Soldier’s Play, The Book of Mormon, A Raisin in the Sun, The Trip to Bountiful, The Big Knife, The Mountaintop, Passing Strange, Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean. Off-Broadway credits include Fat Ham (Public Theater/[Obie Award]) On Sugarland (NYTW/ [Obie Award, Audelco Award for best actor, Drama Desk Nomination for best actor]), Where the Mountain Meets the Sea (Manhattan Theater Club) Much Ado About Nothing (NYSF), Pitbulls (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), The Jammer (Atlantic Theatre Company), In the Footprint (The Civilians), Waiting for Godot and Three Sisters (Classical Theatre of Harlem). Regional credits include Seven Guitars, Death of a Salesman, Good Faith, Richard II, Breath Boom (Yale Rep), Macbeth (Berkeley Repertory Theatre),The Good Negro (The Goodman), Stick Fly (Elliot Norton nomination for Best Supporting Actor/Arena Stage and Huntington Theatre Company), Othello (CalShakes), Spunk (Actors Theatre of Louisville), The People Before the Park (Premiere Stages). Other stage credits include productions at Two River Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Hartford Stage, and numerous productions at The Dallas Theater Center. Billy is a graduate of Yale School of Drama.
EPHRAIM SYKES (George Gibbs) was nominated for a Tony, Grammy, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Award for his performance as ‘David Ruffin’ in Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations. Other Broadway credits include: Hamilton (also streaming on Disney+), Motown: The Musical, Newsies, Memphis and The Little Mermaid. Off-Broadway, Sykes co-starred in Black No More (The New Group, Antonyo Award nom.) and Rent (New World Stages). On screen, Sykes was seen in Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit as well as the HBO series “Vinyl”, “Luke Cage” (Marvel/Netflix), “Crisis in Six Scenes” (Amazon) “Russian Doll” (Netflix) and in the NBC live broadcast of “Hairspray Live!” opposite Ariana Grande, earning an MTV Movie + TV Awards nomination for Best Musical Moment: “You Can’t Stop the Beat”.
RICHARD THOMAS (Mr. Webb) is best known for his starring role as “John-Boy Walton” in the iconic television drama “The Waltons”, for which he won an Emmy Award and received multiple Golden Globe Award nominations. He is most recognizable to contemporary television audiences for his role as “Nathan Davis” in the series “Ozark”, as well as “FBI Special Agent Frank Gaad” in the series “The Americans” and his performance as “Sanford Bensinger” in the series “Billions”. He was also seen recently on television in the limited series Tell Me Your Secrets and on film opposite Sandra Bullock and Viola Davis in The Unforgivable. His feature film performances include Curtis Hanson’s Wonder Boys, Tim Blake Nelson’s Anesthesia, and Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock. Thomas received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the recent Broadway revival of The Little Foxes. He has been seen in acclaimed performances on stage including The Great Society, You Can’t Take It With You, Race, Democracy, Incident At Vichy (Drama Desk Award nomination), The Stendhal Syndrome (Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), A Naked Girl On The Appian Way, An Enemy Of The People, Tiny Alice, The Front Page, The Fifth Of July, innumerable Shakespeare productions, and his professional debut at 7 years old in Sunrise At Campobello. He has starred in the national tours of the award-winning productions of The Humans (Elliot Norton Award) and Twelve Angry Men. Thomas currently stars as Atticus Finch in the national tour of To Kill A Mockingbird.
MICHELLE WILSON (Mrs. Gibbs). Michelle Wilson’s most recent stage appearance was in the Lincoln Center Theater’s production of The Coast Starlight. She was also in the premiere production of Dominique Morisseau’s Confederates at Signature Theater, for which Michelle received both Drama Desk and Drama League 2022 nominations for Outstanding Actress. Wilson originated the role of factory worker Cynthia in Sweat at The Public Theatre/Studio 54 Broadway. Michelle received a Tony Nomination (Actress in a Featured Role) in the Pulitzer Prize winning drama. More theatre credits include: The House That Will Not Stand, A Raisin in the Sun (Broadway), Detroit ’67, Follow Me to Nellie’s, Fahrenheit 451, Two Trains Running, The People Before the Park. TV credits: Sara Jordan in Steven Speilberg’s (Apple TV) “Amazing Stories, Signs of Life” episode; “Evil”, “Bull”, “The Good Fight”, “Blue Bloods”, and “Madame Secretary”. She is featured in both HBO productions: Apollo Theater (documentary), and Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me. Film credits: Sarita in Premature of Sundance Film Festival acclaim, as well as Pollok in The True Adventures of Wolfboy alongside Jaeden (Lieberher) Martell and John Turturro. Late January of 2022 found Michelle in three feature films: the Adrien Brody led film, Clean; The 2022 Sundance film, A Love Song starring Dale Dickie and Wes Studi; and A Shot Thru the Wall, written and directed by Aimee Long.
JULIE HALSTON (Mrs. Soames). Miss Halston is one of New York’s busiest actresses and was the recipient of the 2021 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her advocacy on behalf of The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Her Broadway credits are numerous, including Tootsie, Hairspray, Gypsy, Anything Goes, and The Twentieth Century. She received the Richard Seff Award for her acclaimed performance in You Can’t Take it with You and has garnered four Drama Desk nominations for her Broadway and off-Broadway work. Miss Halston was a founding member of Charles Busch’s legendary theatre company and co-starred with Mr. Busch in many productions including The Divine Sister, Red Scare on Sunset, and The Lady in Question. They starred together in the independent feature film, The Sixth Reel. In addition, Miss Halston recently completed the independent feature films, Intermedium and Simchas and Sorrows and Chosen Family with Heather Graham. Television credits include a recurring role on the latest “Gossip Girl”, guest roles on “The Good Fight”, “Almost Family” and “Divorce”. In addition, she has reprised her role of the popular character, Bitsy Von Muffling on the Sex and The City reboot, “And Just Like That” on MAX. Miss Halston’s web series, Virtual Halston was a pandemic hit with over 40 YOUTUBE episodes.
DONALD WEBBER JR. (Simon Stimpson). Broadway: Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Ramp Through the Cotton Patch, Hamilton, Motown: the Musical (OBC), Holler If Ya Hear Me (OBC). TV/Film: “Severance” (AppleTV+), “The Punisher” (Netflix), “The WIZ: Live!” (NBC), “Da Bronx U.S.A.” (Music in Media nomination & Oscar short list), “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (Music in Media nomination). Off-Broadway/Tour: The Preacher’s Wife (World Premiere; Alliance Theatre), Children of Eden (Lincoln Center; Manhattan Concert Productions), Hamilton (‘Aaron Burr’), Jersey Boys, Born For This, Renascence, Whorl Inside A Loop, Bella: An American Tall Tale. University of Southern California, BFA Acting. “RC, for you always. We love you so much, D3 & LZ!”
EPHIE AARDEMA (A Woman From Among the Dead/Townsperson/Choir Member). Ephie played “Emma” and understudied the role of “Fanny Brice” in the revival of Funny Girl. She was in the original Broadway cast of The Bridges of Madison County and played Dawn on the 1st national tour of Waitress. She was nominated for a Jeff Award for her performance in Emma at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Off-Broadway credits include I Can Get it For You Wholesale (CSC), Parade (Lincoln Center), Songbird, Daddy Long Legs and Dear Edwina. Regionally she has played at the Old Globe, La Jolla, Papermill, PCLO, Goodspeed and St. Louis Rep among many others. She’s an international tap champion with a background in community organizing, and years of experience as an integrity professional with CrowdTangle. She was the youngest-ever graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School and holds a Congressional Gold Medal for Outstanding Youth.
HEATHER AYERS (Woman In The Balcony/Townsperson/Choir Member). Broadway: Young Frankenstein, A Little Night Music, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, Groundhog Day. Selected Off-Broadway: Five Course Love, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Forbidden Broadway. Selected Regional: Old Globe, Yale Rep, Goodspeed. Selected TV: “American Vandal”, “Brockmire”, “Scandal”, “No Activity”. Thank you to Jim Carnahan. Love to Becca and Joe. This one’s for Mom and Dad. IG: @breathoffreshayers.
WILLA BOST (Lady In The Box/Townsperson/Choir Member) is a seasoned actor, singer, masterful interdisciplinary arts educator, and all-around renaissance woman from Lumpkin, GA. She has graced regional theatre stages across the country and recently made her Broadway debut in Purlie Victorious. Founder of www.innerartsproductions.com MFA: UNCG, IG: @willabost
BOBBY DAYE (Another Man From Among The Dead/Mr. Carter/Townsperson/Choir Member). Bobby Daye’s career has crossed into stage, film, tv and radio. As a songwriter, he is the music and lyricist to the new musical Love And Southern Discomfort with book by Monica L. Patton. He’s also proud of his work with http://www.JustOneStepForDemocracy.com, an organization founded by Arnetia Walker and Stephen Nachamie to promote voting through the arts. Hear his song “For America” as well as “This Voice” which was co-written by Sylvia McCalla and Yvette Cason. He also writes music for “The Young And The Restless” with writing partner Tom Kochan and he penned the theme song to the ABC-TV soap “Loving”, which was performed by Johnny Mathis. His Broadway credits include Moulin Rouge, Aladdin, After Midnight, Book of Mormon, Shrek the Musical, The Color Purple, The Lion King, Smokey Joe Cafe, Dreamgirls and The Wiz. He was a 9-time male vocalist winner on Ed McMahon Star Search where he used all of his own music and has appeared on television in “Chicago PD”, “Empire”, “Law and Order” and “ED” (‘mong others). Bobby has had the distinct ple’sure of teaching aa he developed with Alan Nusbaum at TVI Actor Studio. You can also catch Bobby in numerous television commercials, as well as hear his voice on many radio voiceovers.
SAFIYA KAIJYA HARRIS (Rebecca Gibbs) was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She is a proud alumna of Carnegie Mellon University. Last summer, Safiya was in the ensemble and under-studied “Ophelia” in Hamlet, Shakespeare in the Park. She also performed the role of “Viola” in Twelfth Night (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), “Rosalind” in As You Like It (Shakespeare Theater of NJ), “Sally Bowles” in Cabaret, “Bunny” in Detroit ‘67, “Marisol” in Marisol and many more. You can find her music on all streaming platforms under SAFIYA. Shoutout to her amazing team at Aperture Talent and Luber Roklin Entertainment. She is eternally grateful to her family and friends that have been a huge support in her living her most authentic life.
DORON JéPAUL (Sam Craig) is Creative Architect: using acting, writing, producing, and directing to tell innovative and thought-provoking stories that shift the entertainment climate. Doron JéPaul received his MFA from NYU’s Graduate Acting program and made his Broadway debut in Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill A Mockingbird alongside Jeff Daniels before returning to Broadway to join Latanya Richardson-Jackson’s directorial debut of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson starring Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks and John David Washington. Off the stage, Doron has starred in a wide range of award-winning film productions as well as serving as a producer and script consultant for film and television with clientele ranging from New York, LA, and the greater Southwest region. His production company Thermostat Media specializes in producing both scripted and unscripted content. His recent credits include “Self//Tape” (writer/producer) in association with CineReach LTD; the upcoming pilot sitcom, “Close Talkers”, and producer of the international film, Ben And Suzanne, a Reunion in 4 Parts, which premiered at 2024 SXSW in the Feature Narrative Competition. Doron uses his wide variety of artistic talents as a vehicle for expanding the joy, curiosity, and imagination of art in every story.
SHYLA LEFNER (Professor Willard). Recent credits include Between Two Knees (PAC NYC, Yale Rep, McCarter, Seattle Rep, OSF); Bulrusher (McCarter & Berkeley Rep); The Cymbeline Project, Alice in Wonderland, Henry V, The Way the Mountain Moved and Manahatta (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Bernhardt/Hamlet, The Door You Never Saw Before (Geffen Playhouse); Fairly Traceable, Off the Rails, The Frybread Queen (Native Voices at the Autry). Readings and workshops: Sovereignty (TFNA); Wonderland (Dramatists Guild); (w)holeness (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Film/TV: credits include Whatever It Takes, Woo, Lies & Alibis, Fashion House.
ANTHONY MICHAEL LOPEZ (Joe Stoddard). Broadway: Camelot. Off-Broadway/NY: Othello (New York Theatre Workshop, dir. Sam Gold); Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (NYTW, dir. Rachel Chavkin); The Artificial Jungle; The Unexpected Guest. Regional: Vanity Fair (Shakespeare Theatre Company D.C. and American Conservatory Theater, dir. Jessica Stone); Henry V (Hartford Stage); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (nat’l tour); Our Town (Pendragon). TV & Film: “Survival of The Thickest” (Bruce); “New Amsterdam”; “Homeland”; “Broad City”; “The Knick”; “Time After Time”; “The 76th Annual Tony Awards”; “Half Life”; “Desert In”; “Mapplethorpe”; “The Shallow Tale of A Writer Who Decided to Write About A Serial Killer”, starring Steve Buscemi (upcoming). Instagram: @flittergaggot
BRYONHA MARIE (Belligerent Person in the Auditorium/Townsperson/Choir Member). Broadway: Prince of Broadway; Book of Mormon; After Midnight; The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess; Ragtime (revival). Off Broadway/NY: A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet (DR2), Promenade (Encores); Candide (Carnegie Hall); Grapes of Wrath (MasterVoices), Running Man (American Songbook); NY Philharmonic’s Showboat and Sweeney Todd (Live @ Lincoln Center; National Tours: Falsettos (Dr. Charlotte). Concert: New York Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra (Bernstein’s MASS), Jacksonville Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, 92Y L&L. Regional: Sweeney Todd (Signature) *Helen Hayes Nomination; Life After (Goodman) *Jeff Award Nomination; Sister Act (Muny); Sound of Music (Muny); Dave (Arena Stage) *Helen Hayes Nomination; The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess (American Repertory Theatre); Ragtime (Kennedy Center); Civil War (Networks); Hair (Sacramento Music Circus); Dreamgirls (NorthShore); Little Shop of Horrors (Berkshire Theatre Group), and many more! Television: (Upcoming) “How to Die Alone”; “SpongeBob Musical LIVE”; “Madame Secretary”; “Showboat” and “Sweeney Todd LIVE @ Lincoln Center” for PBS (Emmy); “66th/68th Annual Tony Awards”; “The Today Show”. Twitter/Instagram: @BryonhaMarie
JOHN McGINTY (Howie Newsome). Broadway: Children of a Lesser God w/ Joshua Jackson directed by Kenny Leon, King Lear w/ Glenda Jackson. New York: The Orchard with Jessica Hecht and Baryshnikov, Fêtes de la Nuit, The Healing, Veritas, Movement of the Soul, and Broadway Backwards. Regional: Block Association (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Levity (Warren Miller PAC), Tribes (Guthrie, Steppenwolf, Everyman Theatre), Pippin (Center Theatre Group / Deaf West) and was the first Deaf actor to play Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Sacramento Music Circus and La Mirada Theatre) Film: Better Nate Than Ever, Wonderstruck, Sign, The First Purge. TV: “New Amsterdam,” “Lisey’s Story,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” “This Close,” “High Maintenance,” “Don’t Shoot the Messenger.” Workshop: Titus with Public Theater, Hamlet (Hamlet) with Deaf West/Fiasco Theater. @TheJohnMcGinty
KEVYN MORROW (A Man From Among The Dead/Townsperson/Choir Member). Broadway: Moulin Rouge, The Color Purple (revival), Bandstand, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Dream, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, A Chorus Line (1990 closing co), Dreamgirls (revival), Leader of The Pack. London West End: Ragtime (Olivier Best Actor Nominee), 125th St. Off-Broadway: Hadestown – Hades/1st National (Elliot Norton Best Actor Winner), Cornelia Street, A Man For All Seasons, While I Yet Live, Blue, Boys in the Band. Regional: The Lion in Winter, The First Wives Club (NAACP Best Actor Nominee), Driving Miss Daisy, Les Miserables, Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean, Pajama Game, The Three Musketeers, Tambourine to Glory (Helen Hayes Best Actor Nominee), Film: Complete Unknown, The Christmas Letter, Fair Market Value, Estella Scrooge, The Trade, Stayin Alive. Television: “Colin in Black and White” (Netflix), “When They See Us” (Netflix). Recurring: “East New York”, “FBI: Most Wanted”, “The Path” (Hulu), “Elementary”, “Hope and Faith”, “Ed”. Guest Star: “911”(double ep), “SVU”, “Blue Bloods”, “Instinct “, “Person of Interest”, “The Good Wife”, “Hostages”, “Law and Order”, ” Coach”, “Murphy Brown”. Video Games: “Red Dead Redemption II”, “Grand Theft Auto “, “Deathlock”.
HAGAN OLIVERAS (Wally Webb). Hagan is overwhelmed with gratitude to be making his Broadway debut in Our Town. Hailing from South Florida, Hagan began acting at JP Taravella High School, where his second show was Our Town! — he’s thrilled to be reprising his role as “Wally Webb”! He sends heartfelt appreciation to his mentors and teachers: Mrs. Sessions, Rick Edinger, and the late Michael Larsen. These early mentors — along with his parents and friends — gave him the love and support he needed to find his voice. Recent credits include Roundabout’s production of Jonah, and “American Horror Stories”. He sends thanks to his manager, John Mara Jr., for his continued support, and his team at Artists and Representatives.
NOAH PYZIK (Understudy). Broadway: Purlie Victorious. NYC: The Chimera (Lincoln Center), Addy & Uno (Off-Broadway Alliance Award nom), Liz Swados’ Nightclub Cantata (York Theatre), Alex & Eugene (NY Innovative Theatre Award), Other Than We (La MaMa), The American Nightmare (Teatro Latea), Botticelli In The Fire. Regional: The Tempest, As You Like It, The Seagull, Hand To God, Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Film: I’ll Never Forget (Amazon), Loud & Longing, Higher Calling. @noahpyzik
SKY SMITH (Joe/Si Crowell). Broadway debut! Off-Broadway: Regretfully, So the Birds Are (Playwrights Horizons), The Lucky Star (59E59). Regional: The Chinese Lady (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); Twelfth Night, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Book of Will (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival/Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis). TV: “The Blacklist” (NBC), ABC Discovers: Talent Showcase. BFA: NYU Tisch School of the Arts/Atlantic Theater Company. IG: @sky.smi
BILL TIMONEY (Constable Warren). Broadway: Purlie Victorious, All The Way, Network. Off-Broadway: The Irish Curse (Soho Playhouse). Regional: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Arkansas Rep, NJ Rep, Cape May Stage (NJ), Penobscot Theatre Company (ME), Mill Mountain (VA). Film: Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman, Bryan Cranston’s Last Chance, Nadir Saribacak’s Gazelle. TV: “12 Monkeys,” “Orange is the New Black,” “The Blacklist,” “Blue Bloods,” “Billions,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Person of Interest,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Hunters,” “FBI,” “Person of Interest,” and “All My Children.”
MATTHEW ELIJAH WEBB (Understudy) is a Detroit-raised actor, writer, and creative. Theatre credits include Fat Ham (as “Larry”) The Geffen Playhouse in LA, and Studio Theatre in DC, and Fat Ham (u/s “Juicy,” “Larry,” and “Tio”) on Broadway and off-Broadway at The Public Theatre. He has developed new works with playwrights a.k. payne, Rudi Goblen, and Jeremy O. Harris. He holds his in Acting from the Yale School of Drama. Instagram: matthewelijahwebb.
NIMENE SIERRA WUREH (Understudy). (NIM-in-knee) Broadway debut!!!! Off-Broadway: The Apiary (Second Stage) TV: “FBI: Most Wanted” (CBS), “That Damn Michael Che” (MAX), “Inside Amy Schumer” (Hulu). Thank you God, Penny and Jordan, Kenny Leon, Jim Carnahan, Jocelyn, Bigmomma, my mom, The Tribe, my brother, my love Kalonjee, and my angel, Sandy. www.nimene.com @nimenesierrawureh
THORNTON WILDER (1897–1975) was a pivotal figure in the literary history of the twentieth-century. He is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and drama. He received the Pulitzer for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) and the plays Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1942). His other best-selling novels include The Cabala, The Woman of Andros, Heaven’s My Destination, The Ides of March, The Eighth Day and Theophilus North. His other major dramas include The Matchmaker (adapted as the musical Hello, Dolly!) and The Alcestiad. The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, Pullman Car Hiawatha and The Long Christmas Dinner are among his well-known shorter plays. Wilder’s many honors include the Gold Medal for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Book Committee’s Medal for Literature and the Goethe-Plakette Award (Germany). Wilder was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 17, 1897. He spent part of his boyhood in China and was educated principally in California, graduating from Berkeley High School in 1915. After attending Oberlin College for two years, he transferred to Yale, where he received his BA in 1920. His post-graduate studies included a year spent studying archaeology and Italian at the American Academy in Rome (1920-21) and graduate work in French at Princeton (Master’s degree, 1926). In addition to his talents as a playwright and novelist, Wilder was an accomplished essayist, translator, research scholar, teacher, lecturer, librettist and screenwriter. In 1942, he teamed up with Alfred Hitchcock on the classic psycho-thriller Shadow of a Doubt. Versed in foreign languages, he translated and adapted plays by Ibsen, Sartre and Obey. He read and spoke German, French and Spanish, and his scholarship included significant research on James Joyce and Lope de Vega. Wilder enjoyed acting and played major roles in several of his plays in summer theater productions. He also possessed a life-long love of music and wrote librettos for two operas, one based on The Long Christmas Dinner (composer Paul Hindemith) and the other based on The Alcestiad (composer Louis Talma). One of Wilder’s deepest passions was teaching. He began this career in 1921 as an instructor in French at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. During the 1930’s he taught courses in Classics in Translation and Composition at the University of Chicago. In 1950–51, he served as the Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard. During WWII, Wilder served in the Army Air Force Intelligence. He was awarded the Legion of Merit Bronze Star, the Legion d’honneur and the Order of the British Empire. In 1930, with the royalties received from The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Wilder built a home for himself and his family in Hamden, Connecticut. Although often away from home, restlessly seeking quiet places in which to write, he always returned to “The House The Bridge Built.” He died here on December 7, 1975. More information on Thornton Wilder and his family is available in Penelope Niven’s definitive biography, Thornton Wilder: A Life (2013).
KENNY LEON (Director) is a Tony Award winning director who also has been honored with The Actors Fund Medal of Honor, an Obie Award and an NAACP Image Award. Mr. Leon is also a proud honoree of the George Abbott Lifetime Achievement for American Theatre. Mr. Leon is on the producing team of Some Like It Hot, the musical directed by Casey Nicholaw. Upcoming Broadway: Home, Roundabout Theatre Company. Broadway: Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy, Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog; A Soldier’s Play; American Son; Children of a Lesser God; Holler If Ya Hear Me; A Raisin in the Sun; The Mountaintop; Stick Fly; August Wilson’s Fences, Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. Off-Broadway: The Underlying Chris, Everybody’s Ruby, Emergence-See! (The Public); Smart People (Second Stage). Television: Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia; Colin in Black & White; 4400; Amend: The Fight for America; American Son (adapted for Netflix); Hairspray Live!; The Wiz Live!; Steel Magnolias; Dynasty; In My Dreams. Author: Take You Wherever You Go. Artistic Director Emeritus, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company. Senior Resident Director: Roundabout Theatre Company.
