Phylicia Rashad Will Help Chair Opening-Night Celebration for New Katori Hall Play

Tony winner Phylicia Rashad will serve as honorary chair for the opening-night celebration of Katori Hall's The Blood Quilt on May 7 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, D.C. Rashad will serve in the title alongside event chair Shawna Watley.

Kamilah Forbes directs the world premiere of the comedy-drama, which runs from April 24-June 7. Arena Stage describes the play as follows: "Welcome to the Jernigan Gals’ Quilting Corner. Gathering at their childhood island home off the coast of Georgia, four disconnected sisters meet to create a family quilt to honor their recently deceased mother. When their reunion turns into a reading of their mother’s will, everyone must grapple with a troubling inheritance. Stitched with history and ritual, laughter and tears, will their 'blood quilt' bind the family together or tear them apart forever?"

Additional information about the production will be released in the coming months. Rashad is best known for her longtime role as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She earned a Tony Award in 2004 for her performance in A Raisin in the Sun and has also appeared on Broadway in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cymbeline, Gem of the Ocean (Tony nomination), Jelly's Last Jam, Into the Woods, Dreamgirls, and The Wiz.

For tickets to see The Blood Quilt, click here.