GRACE AND GLORIE to Open Black Theatre Troupe Season in September

Black Theatre Troupe will open its 2025–2026 season with GRACE & GLORIE a warm and incisive two-character play by Tom Ziegler, directed by Chanel Bragg, running September 5–21, 2025 at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center.

Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, GRACE & GLORIE follows the unlikely pairing of Grace, a fiercely independent 90-year-old cancer patient determined to spend her final days at home, and Glorie, a hospice volunteer from New York with a sharply different worldview. What begins as a clash of personalities unfolds into a series of candid, often funny exchanges, revealing how humor can open the door to empathy, healing, and shared humanity.

Grace will be portrayed by Shari Watts, who has performed with Black Theatre Troupe in Black Pearl Sings and The Taste Test. Watts' favorite roles include Jeri Neal in Dixie Swim Club, Kate in All My Sons, and her ariZoni Award-winning turn as Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Theater Works.

Glorie will be played by Ryan Jenkins, who has appeared on BTT's stage in Sunset Baby and Barbecue. Jenkins has also performed with Southwest Shakespeare Company and Stray Cat Theatre, bringing a wide range of stage experience to the role.

Director Chanel Bragg returns to Black Theatre Troupe following last season's productions of The African Company Presents Richard III and Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. Bragg's regional directing credits include Waitress, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, and Looking Over the President's Shoulder at The Phoenix Theatre Company; The Glass Menagerie at Arizona Theatre Company and the The Hula-Hooping Queen at Childsplay.

Director Chanel Bragg said:

“I truly believe that Grace and Glorie beautifully captures the transformative power of intergenerational connection. In a world often divided by age, culture, race, and experience, this story reminds us that healing, understanding, and profound growth can occur when we simply take the time to listen.”

First staged in 1991 after development at the Shenandoah Valley Playwrights Retreat, the play received national attention with an off-Broadway run starring Estelle Parsons and Lucie Arnaz. A Hallmark Hall of Fame television adaptation featuring Gena Rowlands and Diane Lane went on to win the Christopher Award, which honors works that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.”

Since its premiere, GRACE & GLORIE has been staged by theaters nationwide, noted for its balance of humor and poignancy. Its enduring appeal lies in its portrayal of resilience, unlikely friendship, and the surprising moments that bridge even the widest divides.

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