Complete Casting Announced for School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play
(© David Gordon)
The complete cast and creative team have been announced for School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play, an MCC world premiere written by 2017-18 Tow Playwright-in-Residence Jocelyn Bioh, and directed by Tony Winner Rebecca Taichman (Indecent). Performances will begin November 2 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in advance of a November 19 opening.
The cast will feature Nabiyah Be (Black Panther, Hadestown), MaameYaa Boafo (Untamed), Paige Gilbert (Street Children), Obie Award winner Zainab Jah (Eclipsed), Nike Kadri (The Death of the Last Black Man…), Abena Mensah-Bonsu (Ragtime on Ellis Island), Mirirai Sithole (The Death of the Last Black Man…), and Lortel Award nominee Myra Lucretia Taylor (Familiar).
The play is described as follows: "Paulina, the reigning Queen Bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the mid-year arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter — and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe. How far would you go to be queen bee?"
The creative team includes scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Palmer Hefferan, and dialect coaching by Deborah Hecht.
Bioh is a Ghanaian-American writer and performer currently appearing in Suzan-Lori Parks's In the Blood at the Pershing Square Signature Center.
