Brenda Braxton Joins Production Team of PAY THE WRITER

NAACP Theatre Award winner and Tony Award nominee Brenda Braxton(Chicago, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Jelly’s Last Jam) has joined the production team of Pay the Writer as a co-producer. This marks Braxton’s first time in a producer role.
 
“In the never-ending journey of trying to stay relevant in this business, as a woman of color and “of a certain age,” this opportunity just seemed like the perfect next step to take. Once I read the play, it was a no brainer! The writing is superb and shines under the helm of a wonderful director and great cast. I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason and at the right time. So, when producers Sandy Marshall and Mitchell Maxwell approached me (that was awesome in itself), I figured it was the Universe saying, ‘here you go.’ I didn't have to find the perfect project . . . It found me!”
-Brenda Braxton
 
The world premiere of the new comedy-drama by New York Times Bestselling Author Tawni O’Dell (Back Roads) stars Ron Canada (Network, Wedding Crashers, “The West Wing”), Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Marcia Cross (“Desperate Housewives,” “Melrose Place”), and Bryan Batt (“Mad Men,” 12 Years a Slave, Jeffrey). Pay the Writer opens August 21, 2023 Off-Broadway at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). The seven-week limited engagement is directed by Karen Carpenter (Love, Loss, and What I Wore).
 
Braxton is joined by Weird Sisters Productions (Pictures From Home), Big Dawg Productions, Kati Meister (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, for colored girls…), and Robin Carus as Co-Producers.
 
Pay the Writer debuts on August 13, 2023, with a special benefit performance for the Writers Guild of America.
 
Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/PayTheWriterTickets 
 
The production also features Steven Hauck (Broadway: The Velocity of Autumn, Irena’s Vow) as Jean Luc, Miles G. Jackson (Broadway: Chicken & Biscuits, TV: “Hunters,” “The Last O.G.”) as Young Bruston/Taz, Garrett Turner (Broadway: TINA — The Tina Turner Musical, Thoughts of a Colored Man) as Young Cyrus, Danielle J. Summons (Off-Broadway: Baby) as Gigi, and Stephen Payne (Broadway: Of Mice And Men, Superior Donuts, August: Osage County) as Homeless Man.
 
Focusing on the complicated relationship between a legendary literary agent and his best friend-turned-most-successful client, Pay the Writer explores how an artist’s life is controlled by their calling and talent.
 
Bruston Fischer (Bryan Batt) is a young gay man suffering from social persecution while trying to make it in publishing when he first meets Cyrus Holt (Ron Canada) some 40 years earlier. Cyrus is a gifted Black writer trying to get his talent noticed in a world that wants to ignore his existence. Through their unique friendship, the pair find literary success and the most stable relationship either will ever have. Yet, when talent, business, and love intertwine, missteps occur and, inevitably, regrets often follow. Triumph and loss become blurred as we sort through the challenges of the human condition. Pay The Writer is a heartrending and funny exploration of personal and artistic legacy while navigating life’s final chapter.
 
Scenic design is by Tony Award winner David Gallo (The Drowsy Chaperone, Jitney, Radio Golf), costume design is by Tony Award nominee David C. Woolard (The Rocky Horror Show, The Who’s Tommy), lighting design is by Tony Award winner Christopher Akerlind (Indecent, Light in the Piazza), and sound design and production management are by Bill Toles (Off-Broadway’s The Rat Trap, Sowa’s Red Gravy). Props are by Yuki Nakamura (The Producers China Tour, Off-Broadway’s La Bohème, A Small Oak Tree Runs Red). Casting is by Robin Carus. General management is by Aaron Grant Theatrical.
 
Pay the Writer is produced by Tony Award-nominated producers Alexander “Sandy” Marshall (Hangmen, American Buffalo), Mitchell Maxwell (Dinner with Friends, Jeffrey, Damn Yankees), and Giles Cole (After All These Years, The Art of Concealment, The Dover Road).

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