Alana Raquel Bowers, Will Cobbs and More to Star in COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE at MCC Theater
The cast also features Andy Lucien, Lizan Mitchell and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 30, 2025
MCC Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Page 73 have revealed the cast and creative team for Cold War Choir Practice, a play with music by Ro Reddick (Throwback Island) and directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams (English). Cold War Choir Practice will begin previews on Saturday, February 21 with an opening night set for Tuesday, March 10 and a limited run through Sunday, March 29, 2026 at MCC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater.
The returning cast of Cold War Choir Practice will include Alana Raquel Bowers (Chicken & Biscuits) as Meek, Will Cobbs (Is This A Room) as Smooch, Andy Lucien (Bad Kreyòl) as Clay, Lizan Mitchell (Ohio State Murders) as Puddin, with Suzzy Roche (The Wooster Group) and Nina Ross (To Kill a Mockingbird) as members of the Choir, and Ellen Winter (The Beastiary) as the Choir Leader. Crystal Finn (Deep Blue Sound) joins the company as Virgie. An additional cast member will be announced at a later date.
Cold War Choir Practice will feature Scenic Design by Afsoon Pajoufar (Five Models in Ruins, 1981), Costume Design by Brenda Abbandandolo (Good Night, and Good Luck), Lighting Design by Masha Tsimring (Staff Meal), Sound Design by Kathy Ruvuna (Have You Met Jane Goodall and Her Mother?), Music Direction by Ellen Winter, and Movement Direction by Baye & Asa (Cortège). Christina M. Woolardwill serve as the Production Stage Manager.
Dear Santa, for Christmas this year I want a Pound Puppy, a Speak + Spell, and a nuclear radiation detector. A young girl is embroiled in intrigue when her estranged uncle, a prominent Black conservative, brings his mysteriously ill wife home for the holidays. A fugue of Reaganomics, espionage, roller disco, and cults—underscored by the cryptic Syracuse, NY chapter of the Seedlings of Peace Children’s Chorus.
The performance schedule for Cold War Choir Practice is as follows: Mondays at 7pm; Wednesdays - Fridays at 7pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7pm; and Sundays at 1pm & 6pm. Exceptions: There will only be one performance on Sundays February 22, March 15, and March 29 at 3pm. There will be no matinee performance on Saturday February 21 and no evening performances on Mondays March 9, 16, and 23. There will be additional performances on Tuesday March 17 at 7pm, Tuesday March 24 at 7pm, and Thursday March 26 at 2pm.
Cold War Choir Practice is the first collaboration between MCC Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Page 73. All three companies are committed to extending the lives of their productions, allowing important voices in the theater to be shared with as wide an audience as possible.
Post-show discussions with the audience will take place on Thursdays February 26 and March 26. Post-show Cast Talkbacks will be held on Wednesday March 4 and March 18, and a post-show Author/Director Talkback will be held on Thursday March 5. There will be a pre-show community night on Thursday March 5 and a Community Forum following the 2pm performance on Saturday March 21. An open caption performance will be held on Friday March 27.
