Rehearsals for the new play (pray) by nicHi douglas are underway and producing companies National Black Theatre and Ars Nova are offering an inside look. The work will begin performances at Off-Broadway's Greenwich House September 23 and run through October 28.
(pray) is a new choreopoem dedicated to the complex relationship between Black womxn and their spirituality. Considered both "a celebration and a reckoning," the work combines the form of a Sunday Baptist Church service with the isolation of an ancestral forest to offer a communal space of healing.
The work is directed and choreographed by douglas and features music by S T A R R Busby and JJJJJerome Ellis.
The cast includes Ariel Kayla Blackwood, Busby, Ashley De La Rosa, Tina Fabrique, Amara Granderson, Taylor Symone Jackson, Ziiomi Louise Law, Aigner Mizzelle, Satori Folkes-Stone, Gayle Turner, Darnell White, and D. Woods.
Take a look at rehearsal photos in the gallery below.
Aigner Mizzelle, Taylor Symone Jackson, and Ziiomi Louise Law
Taylor Symone Jackson
Amara Granderson, Ariel Kayla Blackwood, and S T A R R Busby
S T A R R Busby and Darnell White
Taylor Symone Jackson, Amara Granderson, Aigner Mizzelle, S T A R R Busby, Ziiomi Louise Law, Darnell White, D. Woods, Tina Fabrique, and Satori Folkes-Stone
Tina Fabrique and Aigner Mizzelle
Gayle Turner, Tina Fabrique, Ziiomi Louise Law, Aigner Mizzelle, Ariel Kayla Blackwood, D. Woods, and Ashley De La Rosa
Aigner Mizzelle and D. Woods
Amara Granderson and S T A R R Busby
Ashley De La Rosa, D. Woods, Amara Granderson, Aigner Mizzelle, Gayle Turner, S T A R R Busby, and Darnell White
(pray) will also feature music direction by Busby, set design by dots, assistant set design by Colleen Murray, costume design by DeShon Elem, assistant costume design by Julia Squier, lighting design by Cha See, assistant lighting design by Taylor Lilly, sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman, props design by Noah Mease, wig and hair design by Nikiya Mathis, makeup design by Danielle Waugh, dramaturgy by Jadele McPherson, and casting by The Telsey Office/Destiny Lilly.
For tickets and more information, click here.
