Nikki E. Walker (Dead & Breathing) will lead the company of the world premiere of The Great Novel at The Flea this spring. The new play by Amina Henry debuts Off-Broadway in a production from New Light Theater Project, helmed by Artistic Director Sarah Norris.

The Great Novel is the story of writer Bertha (Walker), who works as a housekeeper while struggling to honor the promise she made to her grandmother: to write the next great American novel. But as she drafts her story, she can only see the imprints of the Brontë sisters, Dickens, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and most of all, the Brennans—the family for which she has worked most of her adult life. Spurred on by recurring visits from her Granny in the afterlife, Bertha seeks a new language for a narrative that only she can tell, uninhibited by the ghosts of literary convention.

The Great Novel is presented at The Flea as part of its Anchor Program. Performances will run June 7–29 with a June 16 opening.

Rounding out the cast are Michael Aguirre (Richard II and The Bald Soprano at the Pearl Theater), Joshua Bermudez (The Ballad of Brightwater at the Wallis Annenberg Center), Tabatha Gayle (Misogynoir at Ars Nova), Oghenero Gbaje (Downtown Race Riot), Cleo Gray (These Seven Sicknesses and She Kills Monsters at The Flea), and Madeline McCray (Amina Henry’s Hunter John & Jane at Jack).

The design team for the world premiere is made up of An-lin Dauber (scenic design), Christina Tang (lighting design), Mari Taylor (costume design), Carsen Joenk (sound design), and Leila Ben-Abdallah (prop design). The production stage manager is Daricel Calcano.

Henry's plays include Ducklings; The Animals; and Hunter John and Jane, seen at JACK; Happily Ever; An American Family Takes a Lover; Water; and The Minstrel Show.

To purchase tickets visit NewLightTheaterProject.com.