Dobama Theatre To Present Cleveland Premiere Of THE COMEUPPANCE By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Regional debut of the award-winning play directed by Nina Domingue.
By: A.A. Cristi Feb. 10, 2026
The Dobama Theatre will present the Cleveland premiere of The Comeuppance by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins as the fourth production of its 2025–26 mainstage season. Directed by Nina Domingue, the production will run at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights.
Set in Fall 2022, The Comeuppance follows four former high school classmates who reunite on a front porch before their twentieth reunion. As the evening unfolds, the group—once known as the “Multi-Ethnic Reject Group”—revisits shared history while confronting how their lives have diverged. The play examines whether it is possible to escape the past and how personal choices shape the future.
The Comeuppance was among the most recognized plays of 2023, winning the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play and receiving an Obie Award Special Citation for Outstanding Ensemble. The play was also named a New York Times Critic’s Pick.
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
The Dobama Theatre production features Ananias J. Dixon* as Emilio, Mariah Burks* as Ursula, Roxana Bell as Kristina, Rachel Lee Kolis as Caitlin, and Carlos Cruz as Francisco.
The creative team includes Richard Morris Jr. (Set Design), Jeremy Paul (Lighting Design), Lainey Bodenburg (Costume Design), Richard Ingraham (Sound Design), and Tegan Wilson (Props Design). Barbara Kozlov serves as Stage Manager, with Chennelle Bryant-Harris as Assistant Director.
*Member of Actor’s Equity Association
FULL CIRCLE PROGRAM
As part of Dobama Theatre’s Full Circle Program, the production partners with Kevin Monaco, artist and Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Belonging Coordinator at Hawken Upper School, and Ayşe Selen Zarrelli, Director of the Center for Student Belonging at John Carroll University. Both will participate in post-show discussions focused on the themes of the play.
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