Soho Rep will honor two-time Pulitzer finalist, playwright, producer, and artist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at its 2023 Spring Fête gala May 1 at City Winery. Raja Feather Kelly (A Strange Loop), a friend and collaborator of Jacobs-Jenkins, will direct the evening which is set to kick off at 6 PM.
The performer lineup for the evening has also been announced. Original cast members from Jacobs-Jenkins' play An Octoroon Jocelyn Bioh (In the Blood), Amber Gray (Hadestown), Ben Horner (Thunderbodies), Austin Smith (Hamilton), Zoë Winters (Succession), Mary Wiseman (At the Wedding), and Danny Wolohan (Camelot) are set to perform music from the show, composed by César Alvarez. Tony nominee Gabby Beans and Carmelite Tropicana are also set to perform, along with An Octoroon musician Lester St. Louis.
In addition to An Octoroon, Jacobs-Jenkins penned Girls, Gloria, Appropriate, and Everybody. He is the creator, showrunner, writer, and producer of Hulu's Kindred which adapts Octavia E. Butler's novel of the same name.
READ: To Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Slavery Is a Family Story
Also performing or appearing at the gala will be César Alvarez, Alex Bechtel, and Amber Tamblyn.
Jacobs-Jenkins has strong ties with Soho Rep, which produced the world premiere of his play An Octoroon, and where he currently serves on the board. He said in a statement, “I have been proud to call this place an artistic home since 2008, when I participated in its Writer Director Lab, an incredible incubator program. You probably would not have met me without Soho Rep—a place that has given many artists their first meaningful opportunity...I’m now on their Board because I want to ensure that more artists like me get supported at critical moments of their lives and their artistic journeys and the theatre ecosystem is maintained."
Kelly is joined on the event's creative team by scenic designer Deb O and lighting designer Riva Fairhall. Funds raised by the event help Soho Rep deliver quality productions while keeping attending the Off-Broadway theatre avoidable and prioritizing a living wage for artists working with the organization.
