Photo Flash: First Look at Tonya Pinkins, Cherise Boothe, et al. in La Jolla's MILK LIKE SUGAR

La Jolla Playhouse presents the world premiere of Milk Like Sugar, by Kirsten Greenidge, directed by Rebecca Taichman (Playhouse's Sleeping Beauty Wakes), running through September 25 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre (media night: Wednesday, September 6 at 7:30 pm) Milk Like Sugar is a co-commission with Theatre Masters, produced in association with Playwrights Horizons and The Women's Project. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office: (858) 550-1010 or online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org. 

The cast of Milk Like Sugar features Cherise Boothe as "Talisha," Angela Lewis as "Annie," Nikiya Mathis as "Margie," LeRoy McClain as "Antwoine," J. Mallory-McCree as "Malik," Adrienne C. Moore as "Keera" and Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins (Playhouse's Thoroughly Modern Millie) as "Myrna."

The creative team includes: Rebecca Taichman, Director; Mimi Lien (Playhouse's Cankerblossom), Scenic Designer; Toni-Leslie James, Costume Designer; Justin Townsend, Lighting Designer; Andre Pluess (Playhouse's 33 Variations, after the quake), Sound Designer; Gabriel Greene, Dramaturg.

Being stuck in a dead-end town hasn't diminished the dreams of 16-year old Annie and her friends. But when they decide to create their own future by entering into a life-changing pact together, Annie begins to question what she really wants. With savage humor and gritty poetry, Kirsten Greenidge's new play explores the challenges of choosing between the safety of the life you know and the danger of the life you desire.

"Milk Like Sugar presents a stark and startling portrait of a group of indomitable young women for whom life offers few options," said Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. "Kirsten's is a singular American voice, and this moving story will resonate with audiences of all backgrounds."

Milk Like Sugar is a recipient of a 2011 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award. Granted to TCG member theaters across the U.S., the awards allow theatres the opportunity for extra time in the development and rehearsal of new plays with the entire creative team. Directed by Brad and Louise Edgerton, the program was launched nationally in 2007 and has supported 128 plays to date in 50 different theatres across the country.

The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. The Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and is considered one of the most well-respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including the currently running, Tony Award-winning musicals Memphis and Jersey Boys, as well as Big River, The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Farnsworth Invention and 33 Variations. Located on the UC San Diego campus, La Jolla Playhouse is made up of three primary performance spaces: the Mandell Weiss Theatre, the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre and the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse, a state-of-the-Art Theatre complex which features the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. La Jolla Playhouse is led by Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.

Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz.

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