Broadway NewsBroadway's Pass Over Will Require Proof of Vaccination for Audience MembersSafety protocols have been announced for the month of August for the Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu drama.
By
Andrew Gans, Dan Meyer
July 16, 2021
Jon Michael Hill and Namir Smallwood in Pass OverJeremy Daniel
Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s Pass Over, which begins previews August 4 prior to a September 12 at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre, has announced safety policies for the month of August.
Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with an FDA or WHO-authorized vaccine will be required for entry. Guests under the age of 16 who are unvaccinated and those who are unvaccinated due to a disability or religious belief will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within six hours of the performance.
Masks will be required until audience members reach their seats, at which point they are optional. Whenever audiences are moving within the theatre or in lobby or restroom spaces, masks will be required.
The production will continue to revisit its policies and will revise in September or sooner, if necessary. Additional information on the vaccination requirement and safety protocols is available by clicking here.
As previously announced, the entire Off-Broadway cast will reunite for the Broadway production: Tony nominee Jon Michael Hill, Namir Smallwood, and Tony winner Gabriel Ebert. The staging will mark the Broadway debuts of Nwandu, Smallwood, and director Danya Taymor.
Inspired by both Waiting for Godot and the Exodus saga, the play follows Moses and Kitch, two young Black men who dream of an existence beyond their street corner. After premiering at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the play opened Off-Broadway in 2018 as part of Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3 programming. A few months prior, a film version of the Chicago staging, directed by Spike Lee, debuted at Sundance Film Festival. It is now available to stream as an Amazon Prime original.
Nwandu has modified the play between its iterations. "Though much about Pass Over remains a lament over the lives of Black people stolen too soon, I am happy to confirm that my team and I, along with our producers, are presenting a new version that centers the health, hope, and joy of our audiences, especially Black people,” the playwright said in an earlier statement. “We are reuniting to envision this play again, to tell a version of the story on Broadway where Moses and Kitch both survive their encounter with white oppression.”
Returning creative team members include scenic designer Wilson Chin, costume designer Sarafina Bush, lighting designer Marcus Doshi, and sound designer Justin Ellington. Casting is by Erica A. Hart, Camille Hickman, and Daniel Swee.
Pass Over will be produced on Broadway by Matt Ross, Jujamcyn Theaters, Lincoln Center Theater, Concord Theatricals, Renee Montgomery, Blair Underwood, Madeleine Foster Bersin, Imagine Equal Entertainment, Madison Wells Live, Shelly Mitchell, Tyler Mount, Olympus Theatricals & Firemused Productions, Eric Cornell, Sierra Lancaster, Vasthy Mompoint, Ayanna Prescod, Nina Ward, and Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu.
The play comes on the heels of a broader cultural conversation about Dahl's work and the prejudice that was embedded in many of his most beloved stories.
