Signature Theatre Announces Cast And Creatives For The World Premiere Of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' THE COMEUPPANCE

Signature Theatre announces the cast and creative team of its world premiere production of MacArthur Fellow Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' The Comeuppance, directed by Eric Ting. Concluding Jacobs-Jenkins' Premiere Residency-and Signature's 2022-2023 season of personal and profound works from its Resident writers-The Comeuppance runs May 16-June 25.

In The Comeuppance, reconvenes for the first time in years to pregame for their twentieth high school reunion. They refamiliarize themselves with new versions of old selves over alcohol, other substances and a not-so-innocent truth-telling game. Meanwhile, Death looms over and speaks through them, describing their disquieting and darkly comedic pasts and futures.

In The Comeuppance, America's stratified realities have geographically and socially separated people whose lives were once tightly intertwined: one is now the wife of a former politician; one is an overworked New York journalist; one is a veteran marine; one has spent a good part of her adulthood caring for her ailing grandmother; one is an artist and expat. None is particularly content. Embodying these disparate characters, whose common ground exists only in memory, is an ensemble Jacobs-Jenkins describes as "theater animals and some of my favorite actors ever." They include Brittany Bradford (Bernhardt/Hamlet, Wedding Band) as Ursula, Caleb Eberhardt (Choir Boy, On Sugarland) as Emilio, Susannah Flood (The Cherry Orchard, Plano) as Caitlin, Bobby Moreno (72 Miles to Go, Year of the Rooster) as Francisco, and Shannon Tyo (Regretfully, So The Birds Are; The Far Country) as Maryana. The creative team includes Arnulfo Maldonado (Set Design), Jennifer Moeller & Miriam Kelleher (Costume Design), Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design), Palmer Hefferan (Sound Design), Skylar Fox (Magic Designer), Ann C. James (Intimacy Coordinator), Amanda Nita Luke-Sayed (Production Stage Manager), Elizabeth Emanuel (Assistant Stage Manager), Kat Yen (Associate Director), and Caparelliotis Casting (Casting).

The Comeuppance marks the culmination of Jacobs-Jenkins' prolific decade as a Signature Premiere Resident playwright. Previously, Signature presented the world premiere of Everybody, Jacobs-Jenkins' bold contemporary approach, with "considerable intellect...and considerable heart" (The New Yorker), to the 15th-century The Somonyng of Everyman in 2017; and the New York premiere of Appropriate, a "remarkable and devious play...a ghost story, in the most profound sense" (The New York Times) in 2014.

Jacobs-Jenkins, who sees the rehearsal process as an opportunity to continue shaping the play, says, "For me, Signature has always been about putting the playwright's specific needs at the center of a production. It is a place where I get to do more than deliver a script: I get to have a rehearsal process that is fulfilling and stimulating and full of discovery. For this play, I wanted a room where it felt like anything could happen. And Eric Ting felt exactly like the right visionary and collaborator."

Jacobs-Jenkins continues, "I started my residency at Signature ten years ago. I was barely out of graduate school and if you'd come up to me and described my life now to me then, I'd probably file for a restraining order. I'd think you were crazy. But this is a testament to the unrivaled freedom, confidence, security, and inspiration this institution has brought into my life. This is the culmination of what has been a very significant gift of time, space, and encouragement."

Signature Theatre Artistic Director Paige Evans says, "The end of Branden's residency is bittersweet. We at Signature have been honored to support and engage with Branden's bold and fearless imagination over these years and to have his always surprising and profound work on our stages. The Comeuppance is a funny and slyly dark play about five people who remind each other of the schism of time's passage. It feels like the perfect end of an incredible decade of artistry for Branden."

About Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Playwright)

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is a Brooklyn-based playwright, producer and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. His plays include Girls, Everybody (Signature Theatre), War (Yale Rep; Lincoln Center/LCT3), Gloria (Vineyard Theatre), Appropriate (Obie Award; Signature Theatre), An Octoroon (Obie Award; Soho Rep, Theatre for a New Audience), and Neighbors (The Public Theater). Most recently he was the showrunner, executive producer, and writer for HULU/FX's drama series, Kindred, based on Octavia E. Butler's groundbreaking novel. A Premiere Resident playwright at Signature Theatre, his honors include USA Artists, Guggenheim, and MacArthur fellowships, the Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama, and the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award and he currently serves as Vice President of the Dramatists Guild council. He teaches at Yale University.

About Eric Ting (Director)

Eric Ting is an Obie Award-winning director whose recent directing credits include the world premieres of Lloyd Suh's The Far Country (Atlantic Theater Co) and Bina's Six Apples (Alliance, Children's Theater Co); Marcus Gardley's Lear (Cal Shakes, co-director); and Between Two Knees by the 1491s (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). New York: Manhattan Theatre Club, Public Theater Under the Radar, BAM Next Wave, Soho Rep. Regional: Yale Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, McCarter Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Philadelphia Theatre Co, Cincinnati Playhouse, Goodman, Victory Gardens, Denver Center, CTG, ACT, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. International: Singapore, France, UAE, Holland, Canada, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bali.

About the Cast

Brittany Bradford (Ursula) Broadway: Bernhardt/Hamlet. Off-Broadway: Wedding Band (Obie Award Winner, Theatre For a New Audience), Fefu and Her Friends (Theatre For a New Audience), Mac Beth (Hunter College), Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout/Fiasco Theater). TV: "Julia" (HBO Max), "The Watcher" (Netflix), "The Gilded Age" (HBO Max), "Dead Ringers" (Amazon), "Fire Country" (CBS), "Fear The Walking Dead" (AMC), "New Amsterdam" (NBC). Film: The Same Storm (dir. Peter Hedges). Classix member and HomeBase Theater Collective founder. Training: Juilliard.

Caleb Eberhardt (Emilio) is thrilled to be a part of The Comeuppance. Broadway: Choir Boy. Off-Broadway: On Sugarland (AUDELCO Nomination), Is God Is, Esai's Table. Regional: Choir Boy (NAACP Theatre Award). Select TV/Film: Betty, Judas & The Black Messiah, Manodrome, Black Christmas, What We Found, Love Beats Rhymes, Roxanne Roxanne, "The Deuce." Training: BFA from SUNY Purchase. Eberhardt is a notable musician, having released three projects under the moniker Rosehardt.

Susannah Flood (Caitlin) Broadway: Birthday Candles, The Cherry Orchard. Select Off-Broadway: Make Believe, Will Arbery's Plano, The Effect, Tribes, Ivo von Hove's Scenes From A Marriage, Love & Information, Mr. Burns, The Sonic Life of a Giant Tortoise, Fulfillment, As You Like It, Baby Screams Miracle. Select TV: Ann on "Life & Beth" (Hulu) and Kate Littlejohn on "For The People" (Shondaland/ABC). Radio: Julian Koster's Orbiting Human Circus of the Air (Night Vale Presents/WNYC). BA: UC Berkeley. MFA: Brown/Trinity.

Bobby Moreno (Francisco) most recently starred in 72 Miles to Go at Roundabout Theater Company. His other theater credits include Mankind and Grand Concourse at Playwrights Horizons, Fulfillment Center at MTC, Lazarus at NYTW, Alligator at New Georges, Year of the Rooster (Drama Desk Award Nomination) and Hand to God at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Tender Age at Studio Theatre and Invasion! at PlayCo. His film and television credits include Netflix's "Living With Yourself," HBO's "High Maintenance," Nat Geo's "The Hot Zone," CBS's and Showtime's "Homeland." He is a musician, emcee and producer. His band's debut album, We Are The US Open, is available on Spotify and later this year he will be releasing his debut solo album, Between You and Me, under his nom de plume Ol' Bob.

Shannon Tyo (Maryana) New York: Regretfully, So The Birds Are (Playwrights Horizons) (WP Theater), The MS Phoenix Rising (Soundstage podcast, Playwright Horizons), The Far Country (Atlantic), peerless (Primary Stages), The Chinese Lady (Ma-Yi at The Public; Lortel Award, Theater World Award, Drama Desk nom), Kentucky (EST), Bikeman (Tribeca PAC). Select regional: The Good Book (Berkeley Rep), Fun Home (Baltimore Center Stage), Broadway Bounty Hunter (Barrington Stage), Bright Half Life (Kitchen Theatre), The White Snake (Old Globe), Miss Saigon (Pioneer Theatre, MT Wichita). TV: "30 Rock" (NBC), "The Last O.G." (TBS), Rediscovering Christmas (Lifetime).

About the Creative Team

Arnulfo Maldonado (Set Design) Broadway: A Strange Loop (Tony Nominee); Topdog/Underdog; Trouble In Mind. Off-Broadway: Shhhh (Atlantic); Nollywood Dreams, School Girls... (MCC); The New Englanders, Sugar in Our Wounds [Lucille Lortel Award] (MTC); Dance Nation, Wish You Were Here (Playwrights Horizons); To My Girls (Second Stage); A Case for the Existence of God, Fires in the Mirror (Signature). Regional: Alley Theatre, Berkeley Rep, CTG, Guthrie, Steppenwolf, Woolly Mammoth. International Tour: The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir. 2020 Obie Sustained Excellence in Set Design, Princess Grace Fabergé Theater Award, Henry Hewes Design Award nominee. IG: arnulfo.maldonado.design arnulfomaldonado.com

Jennifer Moeller (Costume Design) Broadway: Camelot, Pictures From Home, Clyde's (Tony nomination, Drama Desk Award), Sweat. Off-Broadway: The Wrong Man (MCC); Mlima's Tale (Lucille Lortel nomination), Tiny Beautiful Things (The Public); Aubergine (Playwrights Horizons), Love's Labor's Lost (Shakespeare in the Park). Regional: Guthrie, Goodman, Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company; Arena Stage; The Old Globe; Williamstown Theatre Festival; McCarter; Oregon Shakespeare Festival. TV: "Dickinson" (Apple TV+).

Miriam Kelleher (Co-Costume Design) works between New York City and Ireland. She designs for both theatre and film. Most recently her credits include Short Films: Metanoia, Resignation, and Xenos. Theatre Productions: The Unbelieving with The Civilians at 59e59, SOMS at Samuel Beckett Theatre and Stellar Remnants at The Trickle. Also, feature length film Empire of Dirt which is in post-production. Miriam has also worked on several Broadway productions, including Camelot, Jagged Little Pill and Tony award-winning The Ferryman.

Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Design). Amith's work has been featured at The Public Theatre, Second Stage, Theatre for a New Audience, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Ars Nova, Soho Rep, Berkeley Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Steppenwolf Theatre Co., The Atlantic, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera Colorado, and The Glimmerglass Festival. New Dance works by Alexander Ekman, Liz Gerring, Benoit Swan- Pouffer, Sidra Bell, and Rennie Harris. Recipient of the Drama Desk and Henry Hewes awards. Assistant Professor of Lighting Design at The University of Maryland's school for Theatre Dance and Performance Studies.

Palmer Hefferan (Sound Design) Select credits include Broadway: The Skin of Our Teeth (Tony nomination, Lincoln Center); Grand Horizons (Second Stage); The Lifespan of a Fact (Studio 54). Off-Broadway: Fabulation, The Death of the Last Black Man... (Signature Theatre); what the end will be, Something Clean, Bobbie Clearly (Roundabout Theatre); Merry Wives, shadow/land, Shipwreck, Wild Goose Dreams (The Public); Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA); Becky Nurse of Salem, Marys Seacole (Lincoln Center); Nollywood Dreams, BLKS, Collective Rage, Charm, School Girls (MCC); The New Englanders, Sugar in Our Wounds, Important Hats... (MTC). AWARDS: 2019 Obie Award (Sustained Excellence in Sound Design).

Skylar Fox (Magic Designer) he/him. Broadway: Fat Ham (Illusions Designer), Harry Potter & the Cursed Child (Illusions & Magic Associate), A Beautiful Noise (Assoc. Designer). Off-Broadway: co-artistic director of Nightdrive, where he's directed, co-written, and designed The Grown-Ups, Alien Nation, Providence, RI, Apathy Boy, Thank You Sorry; director & designer for Pussy Sludge (Less than Rent), Juliet & Romeo (The Brick). He's also created and directed magic for You Will Get Sick (Roundabout), Wicked (Sao Paolo), and Damn Yankees (Shaw Festival). TV: magic for The Tonight Show, The Tony Awards, NBC's One Night Only. www.skylarfox.com

Ann C. James (Intimacy Coordinator) made her debut as the first Black Intimacy Coordinator of Broadway in 2021 for Antoinette Nwandu's Pass Over. James serves as an intimacy and sensitivity consultant for Hamilton (USA) and Hamilton (UK), and is an Intimacy/Cultural consultant in New York City for Parade, Sweeney Todd, White Girl in Danger, How to Defend Yourself, and at LaJolla Playhouse for The Outsiders, Love All and The Untitled, Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical. Ann has served as Intimacy Director and Sensitivity Specialist for the provocative Off-Broadway productions of Moises Kaufman's Seven Deadly Sins and Here There are Blueberries by Tectonic Theatre Project, Seize the King produced by Classical Theatre of Harlem, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and Dominique Morisseau's compelling play, Confederates at Signature Theatre. Her company, Intimacy Coordinators of Color, has partnerships with Adelphi University, New York University, Columbia University, American Conservatory Theater, Brown University, Trinity Repertory Theater, A.R.T./New York, and The American Repertory Theater at Harvard.

Amanda Nita Luke-Sayed (Production Stage Manager) is a freelance, Indigenous Producer and Stage Manager. She has worked across the country at many theatres including Primary Stages, McCarter Theatre, Seattle Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Yale Rep, Syracuse Stage, The Old Globe, Red Bull Theater, the Houston Ballet and many more. She has produced Drag Shows, Festivals, and other large-scale events. She is based in New York City where she freelances focusing on advocating for Stage Managers as Artistic Collaborators and increasing the visibility of Native Theater Artists. Yale School of Drama MFA.

Elizabeth Emanuel (Assistant Stage Manager) (she/her) Previously at Signature: Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Cambodian Rock Band; Octet; Boesman and Lena; and Thom Pain, based on nothing. Broadway: Death of a Salesman, Linda Vista. Other selected off-Broadway credits include: Toni Stone (Roundabout Theatre Company); Notes from Now (Prospect Theater Company); Everyone's Fine with Virginia Woolf (Elevator Repair Service); Do You Feel Anger? (Vineyard Theatre); Theatre for One (Octopus Theatricals); King Lear (New York Classical Theatre); 1969: The Second Man (Next Door at New York Theatre Workshop).

Kat Yen (Associate Director) is a Taiwanese-American theater director, born and raised in NYC. She has directed at Atlantic Theater Company, Ars Nova, and The Bushwick Starr, amongst others. Recent productions include Heart Strings by Lee Cataluna, Happy Life by Kathy Ng, Marisol by José Rivera, and The Juniors by Noah Diaz. Kat is currently the inaugural Directing Fellow at La Jolla Playhouse, a former Resident Director at The Flea Theater, the 2016-2017 Van Lier Directing Fellow at Second Stage Theater and the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Spookfish Theatre Company. M.F.A. Directing: Yale School of Drama.

Caparelliotis Casting (Casting) Recent & Select Broadway: Ohio State Murders, Cost of Living, Macbeth, The Minutes, Skeleton Crew, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, King Lear, Hillary and Clinton, Ink, The Waverly Gallery, and The Boys in the Band. Additional Theatre: MTC, Atlantic, Ars Nova, CTG, The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, The Goodman. TV: New Amsterdam (NBC).

Signature Theatre is an artistic home for storytellers. By producing several plays from each Resident Writer, Signature offers a deep dive into their bodies of work.

Signature serves its mission by hosting distinctive resident playwrights and cultural communities at its permanent home at The Pershing Square Signature Center, a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects. At the Center, which opened in January 2012, Signature continues its original Playwright-in-Residence model with Spotlight Residency (formerly Residency 1), an intensive exploration of a single writer's body of work. The Premiere Residency (formerly Residency 5), the only program of its kind, supports playwrights as they build a body of work by guaranteeing each writer three productions over a five-year period. The Legacy Program, launched during Signature's 10th Anniversary, invites writers from both residencies to premiere or restage earlier plays. In 2020, Signature launched SigSpace, to bring free artistic programming to the Center's public spaces and more fully activate Signature's lobby as a free public workspace and social hub for New York artists.

The Pershing Square Signature Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape. The Center supports and encourages collaboration among artists, cultural organizations and local communities by providing free, public access throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, a rehearsal studio and a public café, bar and bookstore.

Founded in 1991 by James Houghton, Signature Theatre is now led by Artistic Director Paige Evans and Executive Director Timothy J. McClimon. Signature's Resident Playwrights include: Edward Albee, Annie Baker, Lee Blessing, Martha Clarke, Will Eno, Horton Foote, María Irene Fornés, Athol Fugard, John Guare, Stephen Adly Guirgis, A.R. Gurney, Katori Hall, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Kenneth Lonergan, Dave Malloy, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Dominique Morisseau, Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Sarah Ruhl, Sam Shepard, Anna Deavere Smith, Regina Taylor, Paula Vogel, Naomi Wallace, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, Lauren Yee, The Mad Ones, and members of the historic Negro Ensemble Company: Charles Fuller, Leslie Lee, and Samm-Art Williams.

Signature and its artists have been recognized with Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur "Genius" grants, and Lucille Lortel, Obie, Drama Desk, AUDELCO, and Artios Awards as well as the 50/50 Award for Gender Parity in Theatre, among many other distinctions. In 2014, Signature became the first New York City theatre to receive the Regional Theatre Tony Award for its body of work and accomplishments as an institution. For more information, please visit signaturetheatre.org.

The groundbreaking Signature Access (formerly the Signature Ticket Initiative), which in 2019 celebrated its one millionth ticket sold, guarantees affordable tickets to every Signature production through 2032. Serving as a model for theatres and performing arts organizations across the country, the Initiative was founded in 2005 and is made possible, in part, by Lead Partner The Pershing Square Foundation.

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