BLOOD BE SWEET to Complete New York Theatre Workshop's 2026/27 Season
Cynthia Erivo, Lena Waithe, and Jamila Ponton Bragg helped develop the new ritual drama at the East 4th Street venue.
New York Theatre Workshop has announced the fourth and final production of their 2026/27 Season, Blood Be Sweet by Abigail C. Onwunali (Jewel), directed by Awoye Timpo(The Swamp Dwellers). Developed in partnership with Jamila Ponton Bragg; Tony, Emmy and 2x Grammy Award winner and 3x Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo; and Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Lena Waithe, Blood Be Sweet will begin performances at New York Theatre Workshop (79 E 4thStreet, New York, NY 10003) on Wednesday April 21, 2027, for a run through Sunday May 30, 2027.
In an otherworldly realm, three spirits breathe life into a young girl to protect her destiny. When Death comes for her too soon, the girl—along with her family and the spirits—must confront what it truly means to offer oneself in the name of love.
Obie Award winner Awoye Timpo directs this poetic ritual drama written by former NYTW 2050 Artistic Fellow Abigail C. Onwunali. From New York City to Nigeria, Blood Be Sweet is a conversation between the seen and unseen, duty and defiance, sacrifice and survival.
"NYTW has a long tradition of producing the Off-Broadway debuts of essential generative artists,” noted Artistic Director Patricia McGregor. “Abigail Onwunali joins that notable cohort with a modern take on epic Nigerian lore. Her voice bursts off the page with a vivid assuredness. Blood Be Sweet has a hunger in its belly. I can't wait for audiences to experience the riveting and intimate tale, helmed by the great Awoye Timpo."
Stated Jamila Ponton Bragg, “I'm thrilled to support this brilliant new playwright with her unforgettable play centering multiple generations of women that feels both timely and timeless.”
"I've been a fan of Abigail C. Onwunali for some time now as an actress, she possesses a gravitas that is afforded to very few people and when I was gifted the chance to read her latest work, I was blown away,” said Cynthia Erivo. “Her voice is equal parts lyrical and muscular. Her storytelling honors Wole Soyinka's legacy while embracing the 21st century. And she breathes life into the complexity, strength, and true vulnerability of us Nigerian women in ways I have rarely seen on any stage."
Added Lena Waithe, “Blood Be Sweet is a play that explores the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. It also forces us to grapple with our own demons and our own fears before they take over our lives. Abigail was in the very first season of the Hillman Grad mentorship lab and I've been following her journey ever since. What a joy it is to come on board her play. This feels like a full circle moment.”
The creative team for Blood Be Sweet will include composer Michael R. Dudley, Jr. (“A Heretic's Prayer”), choreographer Adesola Osakalumi (Syncing Ink), and dramaturg Arminda Thomas (The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window).
The performance schedule, casting, and additional creative team for Blood Be Sweet will be announced at a later date.
A variety of 2026/27 Season membership packages are now on sale at NYTW.org or by calling 212-460-5475 (Tuesday-Friday 1PM-curtain, Saturday-Sunday 12pm-curtain).
The NYTW 2026/27 season will begin September 9 with the return of In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat, created and performed by Roger Guenveur Smith (“All Rise”), following a sold-out run at NYTW earlier this year as part of Under the Radar. The season will continue in November with the US premiere of the new musical Wild Rose by BAFTA winner Nicole Taylor (One Day), directed by Tony and Olivier Award winner John Tiffany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Once) and choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) & Vicki Manderson (The Outrun), with music supervision by Tony Award winner Sarah Travis (Sweeney Todd) & Nadia DiGiallonardo(Real Women Have Curves: The Musical). In Winter 2027 NYTW will present The Grief Eater Near North Bender by Dylan Guerra, directed by Dustin Wills. The Grief Eater Near North Bender is produced in association with Roundabout Theatre Company and will be performed at the Laura Pels Theater in the Harold & Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre.
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