Cast Set For BLACK CYPRESS BAYOU at the Geffen Playhouse

Geffen Playhouse has announced the full cast for its world premiere of Black Cypress Bayou, written by Kristen Adele Calhoun (HBO’s Sula, BLKNWS) and directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene (Hamilton: An American Musical, Rent).

The cast includes Amber Chardae Robinson (Judas and the Black Messiah, 80 for Brady) as Taysha Hunter; Brandee Evans (P-Valley, The Fabulous Four) as LadyBird “Lady” Manifold; Angela Lewis (Snowfall, Milk Like Sugar) as RaeMeka “Meka” Manifold-Baler; and Kimberly Scott (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Sweat) as Vernita Manifold.

Previews for Black Cypress Bayou begin Wednesday, February 7, 2024, in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at Geffen Playhouse. Opening night is Thursday, February 15, 2024.

On a hot summer night in Texas, Vernita Manifold summons her two daughters down to the bayou with a secret too big to keep. The richest, meanest man in town is dead, and the Manifold women know more than they’re saying. As secrets begin to surface, the bonds between the women, their town, and the legacy of their ancestors all come to a head. Black Cypress Bayou is a hilarious, suspenseful world premiere about loyalty, healing, and comeuppance.

Recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Major support for this world premiere production provided by the Edgerton Foundation New Play Production Fund. This production is made possible, in part, by support from Cast Iron Entertainment.

Photo Credit: Justin Bettman