BLOOMING IN DRY SEASON Will Make New York Premiere in Rolling World Premiere Model
Eljon Wardally's Caribbean family drama, directed by Jackie Alexander, plays WP Theater with music by Etienne Charles.
As nonprofit theaters search for sustainable pathways to develop and circulate new work, Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre and North Carolina Black Repertory Company are advancing a collaborative producing model through the rolling premiere of "Blooming in Dry Season," a new play by Eljon Wardally directed by Jackie Alexander featuring an original Calypso score by acclaimed Trinidadian musician Etienne Charles.
The play will take stage for its NY premiere May 28-June 28, 2026 (opens May 30) at WP Theater, 2162 Broadway at 76th Street, having launched last year at North Carolina Black Repertory Company in Winston-Salem. It will continue to the 2026 International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC (July 27-August 1, 2026), completing a three-city “Rolling World Premiere” designed to extend the life, visibility, and audience reach of new Black theatrical work.
The production is a recipient of the Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin Rolling World Premiere Award, an initiative created to foster long-term collaboration among Black theater institutions by allowing multiple producing organizations to share the debut life of a new play. Rather than a traditional single-city premiere followed by licensing opportunities, the model enables successive productions to build momentum, deepen audience engagement, and strengthen producing partnerships across regional markets. Previous recipients of the award include "Phenomenal Woman: Maya Angelou" by Angelica Cheri and "Coconut Cake" by Melda Beaty.
"Blooming in Dry Season" centers on a Grenadian family navigating artistic ambition, migration, and generational disappointment inside a weathered rum shop on the island. Fitz, a failed Calypsonian, clashes with his wife Rose over the future of their gifted teenage daughter Garland, a talented steel pan musician offered the opportunity to tour with one of the Caribbean's leading Calypso groups. As old wounds surface and competing visions of success collide, the family confronts questions of sacrifice, legacy, and whether dreams deferred can ever be reclaimed.
Wardally's play blends intimate family drama with Caribbean musical traditions, exploring the emotional tension between staying rooted and pursuing opportunity abroad.
The production features Nikyla Boxley as Garland, Melanie Matthews as Rose, and Brian Richardson as Fitz. For the role, Boxley learned to perform steel pan, the pitched percussion instrument developed from oil drums in Trinidad and Tobago.
Etienne Charles, who composed the production's original Calypso score, is a Guggenheim Fellow and Creative Capital Award recipient who was named Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France in 2024.
Director is Jackie Alexander, Producing Artistic Director of North Carolina Black Repertory Company and Executive Producer of the International Black Theatre Festival. Scenic design is by Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay, lighting design is by Antoinette Tynes, costume design is by Gregory J. Horton, sound design is by Lee Martinez Cruz, dialect coaching is by Robin Christian-McNair, and dramaturgy is by Melissa Joyner.
Author Eljon Wardally, a Grenadian Italian-American playwright and filmmaker, is a graduate of the Fordham University/Primary Stages MFA program and has developed work through multiple National O'Neill Theater Conference selections. Her credits include the web series "Docket 32357" and the multimedia concert narrative for Etienne Charles' "San Juan Hill: A New York Story," which was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for the reopening of David Geffen Hall.
Founded in 1970 by Woodie King Jr., New Federal Theatre has served as a launching ground for generations of Black artists, including Denzel Washington, Phylicia Rashad, Samuel L. Jackson, Chadwick Boseman, Debbie Allen, and Issa Rae. North Carolina Black Repertory Company, founded in 1979 by Larry Leon Hamlin, is the producer of the International Black Theatre Festival, one of the nation's leading showcases for Black theater.
Elizabeth Van Dyke, Producing Artistic Director of New Federal Theatre, said “North Carolina Black Repertory Company's initiating a partnership with New Federal Theatre to co-produce 'Blooming in Dry Season' during these arduous times strengthens both organizations by sharing expenses and resources, combining our experiences and skills, broadening our audiences, creating community and establishing life-long artistic comrades and friendships.”
Videos
|
LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA Repertorio (11/15-12/31) |
|
THE DEATH CHRONICLES (portraits)|S&F Summer Season at Marist Marist University Symphonic Hall (8/01-8/01) |
|
EN EL TIEMPO DE LAS MARIPOSAS Repertorio (1/07-12/31) |
|
International Human Rights Art Festival 30th Street theater (6/05-6/07) |
|
UNMOORED | Stage & Film Summer Season at Marist University Marist University Symphonic Hall (7/12-7/12) |
|
TRIP AROUND THE SUN | Stage & Film Summer Season at Marist University Marist University Symphonic Hall (7/26-7/26) |
|
bala.fruta./bullet.fruit | Stage & Film Summer Season at Marist Marist University Symphonic Hall (7/11-7/11) |
|
LA GRINGA Repertorio (2/08-12/31) |
|
Hadid 59E59 Theatres (7/10-7/21) |
|
The Dylan & Bella Show LATEA Theater (5/26-5/30) |
| VIEW ALL SHOWS ADD A SHOW | |
