THE NACIREMA SOCIETY to be Presented at Guthrie Theater
Previews begin Saturday, April 19.
The Guthrie Theater has revealed the cast and creative team for The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years by Pearl Cleage, directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton. Set in 1964 Alabama and featuring clever storytelling and scandalous plots, this lighthearted comedy winds its way to an ending as charming as its characters. The show begins previews on Saturday, April 19 and will play through Sunday, May 25.
Grande dames Grace Dunbar and Catherine Green prepare for the Nacirema Society’s 1964 centennial cotillion — the event of the season in Montgomery, Alabama. The elegant African American debutantes include Grace’s granddaughter Gracie, escorted by Catherine’s grandson Bobby, and the two grandmothers hope the young couple will soon be engaged. But Gracie and Bobby have other ideas. As the young ladies prepare for their debuts, a blackmail scheme brews behind the scenes and subterfuges unfold, all under the nose of a skeptical reporter covering the ball.
The Guthrie previously produced Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky during its 2022–2023 Season, marking the debut of the playwright’s work at the theater.
The cast of The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years includes Charla Marie Bailey (Guthrie: debut) as Jessie, Aimee K. Bryant (Guthrie: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, My Fair Lady) as Alpha Campbell Jackson, Joy Dolo (Guthrie: Twelfth Night) as Janet Logan, Nubia Monks (Guthrie: A Raisin in the Sun) as Gracie Dunbar, Darrick Mosley (Guthrie: A Raisin in the Sun, Choir Boy) as Bobby Green, Greta Oglesby (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Into the Woods, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) as Grace Dubose Dunbar, Essence Renae (Guthrie: debut) as Lillie Campbell Jackson, Regina Marie Williams (Guthrie: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, Into the Woods) as Catherine Adams Green and Dedra D. Woods (Guthrie: debut) as Marie Dunbar.
The creative team includes Pearl Cleage (Playwright), Valerie Curtis-Newton (Director), Takeshi Kata (Scenic Designer), Trevor Bowen (Costume Designer), Mary Louise Geiger (Lighting Designer), Larry Fowler (Sound Designer/Composer), Carla Steen (Resident Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Vocal Coach), Annie Enneking (Intimacy), Jennifer Liestman (Resident Casting Director), Lori Lundquist (Stage Manager), Kathryn Sam Houkom (Assistant Stage Manager), Vanessa Brooke Agnes (Assistant Director) and McCorkle Casting, Ltd. (NYC Casting Consultant).
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