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| Claudia Logan |
ROUNDABOUT UNDERGROUND Announces
The World Premiere Of
EXCEPTION TO THE RULE
By DAVE HARRIS
Directed by MIRANDA HAYMON
With
MAYAA BOATENG, MALIK CHILDS, MISTER FITZGERALD, TONEY GOINS,
AMANDLA JAHAVA, CLAUDIA LOGAN
Previews begin April 28, 2022
Official Opening May 18, 2022
Limited engagement through June 26, 2022
Off-Broadway at the Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre
Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) is pleased to announce full casting for the Roundabout Underground world premiere of Exception to the Rule by Dave Harris, directed by Roundabout Resident Director Miranda Haymon.
The cast includes MaYaa Boateng as “Erika,” Malik Childs as “Tommy,” Mister Fitzgerald as “Abdul,” Toney Goins as “Dayrin,” Amandla Jahava as “Mikayla,” and Claudia Logan as “Dasani.”
Exception to the Rule begins preview performances on Thursday, April 28, 2022, and opens officially on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at the Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, June 26, 2022. All tickets for Roundabout Underground productions are $30.
How do you make it through detention? In the worst high school in the city, six Black students are stuck in Room 111. They flirt. They fight. They tease. Should they follow the rules and stay put, or find an escape? Are the walls keeping them in, or are stronger forces at play? Dave Harris’s new work crackles with humor and suspense—confronting the tactics for surviving institutions that were not built for you.
This production of Exception to the Rule comes from a combination of several of Roundabout’s emerging-artist programs, including the New Play Initiative and the Roundabout Directing Fellowship.
Now in its 14th season, Roundabout Underground is part of Roundabout’s New Play Initiative, discovering new writers, producing their New York debuts, and providing them long-term development and production support. In addition to the Black Box production, every Underground playwright gets a commission for a future play. Roundabout’s Associate Artistic Director Jill Rafson serves as Artistic Producer.
Roundabout launched its Directing Fellowship in 2017, to create long-term relationships with a new generation of directors, and Miranda Haymon was its second Fellow, serving for the 2017-18 season. With Exception to the Rule, Haymon becomes the first participant to direct a full production—and is one of the youngest directors in the company’s history—for Roundabout. Haymon first directed this play for the 2019 Roundabout Underground Reading Series and is currently a Resident Director at Roundabout.
The playwrights who made their New York debuts at Roundabout Underground are Stephen Karam (Speech & Debate, 2007), Steven Levenson (The Language of Trees, 2008), Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, 2009), Kim Rosenstock (Tigers Be Still, 2010), David West Read (The Dream of the Burning Boy, 2011), Andrew Hinderaker (Suicide, Incorporated, 2011), Joshua Harmon (Bad Jews, 2012), Meghan Kennedy (Too Much, Too Much, Too Many, 2013), Jeff Augustin (Little Children Dream of God, 2015), Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone, 2015), Jenny Rachel Weiner (Kingdom Come, 2016), Mansa Ra (Too Heavy for Your Pocket, 2017), Martín Zimmerman (On the Exhale, 2017), Ming Peiffer (Usual Girls, 2018), Alex Lubischer (Bobbie Clearly, 2018), Selina Fillinger (Something Clean, 2019), Daniel Zaitchik (Darling Grenadine, 2020), Sanaz Toossi (English, 2022), Dave Harris (Exception to the Rule, 2022). Ra’s commission ….what the end will be will premiere at the Laura Pels Theater this spring, performances begin May 12 and opening is June 2, 2022.
The creative team for Exception to the Rule includes Reid Thompson and Kamil James (Sets), Sarita Fellows (Costumes), Cha See (Lighting), and Lee Kinney (Sound).
TICKET INFORMATION:
All tickets for Exception to the Rule are $30 General Admission tickets and are available by calling 212.719.1300, online at roundabouttheatre.org, in person at any Roundabout box office: American Airlines Theatre Box office (227 West 42nd Street); The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 W 46th Street) and Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street). For groups of 10 or more please call 212-719-9393 x 365 or email groupsales@roundabouttheatre.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Exception to the Rule plays Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:00PM with Saturday matinees at 1:30PM and Sunday matinees at 2:00PM.
BIOGRAPHIES:
MAYAA BOATENG (Erika) makes her Roundabout debut after being featured in The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park production of Merry Wives. A lover of theatre and the magic of the stage, MaYaa is most known for her starring role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning production, Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury. Other NYC credits include Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation, Or the Reeducation of Undine (Signature Theatre); Fairview originally at (Soho Rep); Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in the Park, Delacorte). On-screen, MaYaa recurs on Netflix’s "Orange is the New Black" and Showtime's "City on a Hill". Most recently, MaYaa starred in the culminating season of "High Maintenance" on HBO. MFA, NYU Graduate Acting.
MALIK CHILDS (Tommy) was born and raised in Detroit, MI. He is making his Off-Broadway debut with Roundabout Theatre. Graduated in May 2019 from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Alumni of Williamstown Theatre Festival, 2019. Recent productions include “soft” by Donja R. Love and “Orlando” by Sarah Ruhl produced by Williamstown Theatre Festival and “Brother Size” and “The Hairy Ape” at UNCSA. I am overjoyed to tell stories that celebrate, dismantle, and uplift the people of my community. So excited to share such a unique story with the people of New York and beyond.
MISTER FITZGERALD (Abdul). Mister Fitzgerald, hailing from Baltimore, MD, is excited to be making his Roundabout debut. He is recently coming off his run in On Sugarland at NYTW as the Rowdy. His other Off-Broadway credits include Blue Man Group, Rio Uphill (York). Regional: Rent, The Wiz, Electra, Raisin in The Sun. He’ll be starring in the upcoming film The Last Deal as Bobby coming in the fall. Film & TV: Boogie, 30 Weeks, “Power Book ll: Ghost,” “FBI,” “The Blacklist” and “Blue Bloods.” He thanks his friends and family for the endless love and support!
TONEY GOINS (he/him) (Dayrin). Toney Goins, a Philadelphia native, made a name for himself by winning local theater awards for Best Choreographer in 2012, '13, and '14. In 2018, he graduated from The Juilliard School for Drama and received the Career Advancement Grant upon graduation. He made his New York acting debut in the Off-Broadway production of Toni Stone. He then transitioned to film and television where he can be seen on the ABC series "For Life," The Russo Brothers' film Cherry, and the SHOWTIME series "Billions," in which he is a series regular. Toney is thrilled to make his return to the stage.
AMANDLA JAHAVA (Mikayla) is a first-generation Kenyan-American actor, writer, and director based out of New York. She passionately creates and advocates for African stories from an African perspective for African people. She will be seen in Issa Rae’s new HBO show "Rapsh!t." Other credits include Ava Duvernay’s "DMZ" and "How to Make Love to a Black Woman" produced by Lena Waithe. Regional theater credits include Geffen Playhouse, Arizona Theater, Denver Theatre Club. She received her MFA in Acting from the fka Yale School of Drama ‘19 and a BFA in Acting from CalArts.
CLAUDIA LOGAN (Dasani) hails from the city of hustle, Detroit, MI, and is a current resident of Brooklyn, NY. She thanks Mother/Father God for her gifts, talents, & purpose. She is eternally grateful to be a vessel for the Almighty. She thanks her family, loved ones, and agents for endless support. Credits Include: “Harlem” (Amazon), “The Equalizer” (CBS), “Hightown” (Starz), “Tales of the City” (Netflix), “Random Acts of Flyness” (HBO), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (2021), Penny Candy (Dallas Theater Center), Don Juan (Westport Country Playhouse) “Spread Love, Pack Light.”
DAVE HARRIS (he/him) (Playwright) is a poet and playwright from West Philly. He is the Tow Playwright-in-Residence at Roundabout. Selected plays include Tambo & Bones (Playwrights Horizons, Center Theatre Group, 2022), Exception to The Rule (Roundabout Theatre Company, 2022), and Everybody Black (Humana Festival 2019). His first feature film, Summertime premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Selected honors include the Ollie Award, The Lorraine Hansberry Award and Mark Twain Award from The Kennedy Center, The International Commendation for The Bruntwood Prize, and a Cave Canem poetry fellowship. Dave is currently writing the feature adaptation of The Fortress of Solitude amongst several other feature and television projects.
MIRANDA HAYMON (Director) is a Princess Grace Award-winning writer, director, and curator currently developing several projects in theatre, podcasts, and TV/film and with their production company The Hodgepodge Group. Currently, Miranda is a Resident Director at Roundabout Theatre Company. Miranda is a graduate of Wesleyan University where they double majored in German Studies and Theater and were awarded the Rachel Henderson Theater Prize in Directing.
The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre opened in March 2004 with an acclaimed premiere of Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel starring Viola Davis, directed by Dan Sullivan. Since that landmark production, the center has expanded beyond the Laura Pels Theatre to include the Black Box Theatre and now a new education center. The Steinberg Center continues to reflect Roundabout’s commitment to produce new works by established and emerging writers as well as revivals of classic plays. This state-of-the-art off-Broadway theatre and education complex is made possible by a major gift from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. The Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg to promote and advance American Theatre as a vital part of our culture by supporting playwrights, encouraging the development and production of new work, and providing financial assistance to not-for-profit theatre companies across the country. Since its inception, the Trust has awarded over $70 million to more than 125 theatre organizations.
Roundabout Underground’s home is a 62-seat Black Box Theatre, which is also used year-round by Roundabout’s education department for its activities including student productions and professional development workshops.
Dave Harris was Roundabout’s 2020–21 Tow Foundation Playwright in Residence.
We gratefully acknowledge the Roundabout Leaders for New Works: Alec Baldwin, James Costa, and John Archibald, Linda L. D’Onofrio, Peggy and Mark Ellis, Sylvia Golden, Jeanne Hagerty, Angelina Lippert, K. Myers, Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, Ira Pittelman, Mary Solomon, Lauren and Danny Stein, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and The Tow Foundation.
Roundabout has been working to prioritize and actively incorporate anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accountability throughout the institution. Read more about the company’s social justice progress and timeline at www.roundabouttheatre.org/
Roundabout Theatre Company celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences, and archiving over five decades of production history.
Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals, and new works on its five stages: Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and Off-Broadway’s Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre.
American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Hochul, and the New York State Legislature.
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