Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop has announced casting for its final production of the 2022-23 season, co-produced with American Repertory Theater. The Half-God of Rainfall by Hay Festival Medal for Poetry winner Inua Ellams (Barber Shop Chronicles) will begin previews July 13 and open July 31 for a limited engagement through August 20.
Starring in the work will be Jason Bowen (The Play That Goes Wrong) as Sàngó, Mister Fitzgerald (On Sugarland) as Demi, Patrice Johnson Chevannes (In Old Age) as Osún, Michael Laurence (Coal Country) as Zeus, Lizan Mitchell (On Sugarland) as Elegba, Jennifer Mogbock (Merry Wives) as Modúpé, and Alexandra Silber (Fiddler on the Roof) as Hera.
The Half-God of Rainfall tells the story of Demi, a half Nigerian-mortal, half Greek-god whose emotions can be read in the weather. But when he takes a shot on a basketball court for the first time, the deities of the land take notice. Ellams creates a new myth, interweaving poetry into the story which spans continents and millennia—including voyages to a small village in Nigeria, a NBA arena in the United States, and the mythic halls of Mount Olympus. And it is there that the mothers, daughters, and goddesses stand up.
Obie winner Taibi Magar, co-artistic director of Philadelphia Theatre Company, will direct the work. Joining Magar will be movement director Orlando Pabotoy, scenic designer Riccardo Hernandez, costume designer Linda Cho, lighting designer Stacey Derosier, sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman, and projection designer Tal Yarden. Ann James serves as intimacy director with Dawn-Elin Fraser as voice and dialect director.
The Half-God of Rainfall details but does not depict sexual violence.
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