1st Stage's Co-Production Of THE ROYALE Opens In Tysons

Jay "The Sport" Jackson dreams of being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but in the racially segregated world of boxing in 1905, the odds are stacked against him. When a crooked boxing promoter hatches a plan for "the fight of the century," "The Sport" might land a place in the ring with the reigning white heavyweight champion. Inspired by the real-life experiences of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight world champion, The Royale is an "arresting production....a stylized blow by blow of a fight that still rages today." (The Washington Post).

The 1st Stage and Olney Theatre Center co-production of The Royale by Marco Ramirez features James J. Johnson, Chris Genebach, Lolita Marie, Clayton Pelham Jr., and Jaysen Wright. Paige Hernandez directs the production with fight choreography by Cliff Williams III.

The design team includes: set and costume design by Debra Kim Sivigny, lighting design by Sarah Tundermann, sound design by Kenny Neal, and projection design by Kelly Colburn.

The Royale will run at 1st Stage from January 30 through February 23 with show times as follows: Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

General admission tickets are $42. Senior (65+) tickets are $39. Student and military tickets are $15.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.1ststage.org or by calling the 1st Stage box office at 703-854-1856.

The run time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission. Captions and audio description will be offered for select performances. Check www.1stStage.org for the schedule. Assistive listening devices are available upon request at every performance.

The Royale is the third production in 1st Stage's 12th Season. Following The Royale will be A New Brain by William Finn and James Lapine directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer (March 26- April 19, 2020), and The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan directed by Alex Levy (May 7-June 7, 2020). The 4th Annual Logan Festival of Solo Performance featuring nationally celebrated solo performers will run from July 16-26, 2020.