APPROPRIATE Comes to the Olney Theatre
Olney Theatre brings an intimate rendition of the acclaimed play APPROPRIATE this season
By: Stephi Wild Feb. 19, 2026
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' comedy Appropriate gets an intimate production in Olney Theatre Center's 148-seat Multiz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, directed by the theatre's artistic director, Jason Loewith, in an alley configuration with audience on both sides of the action. Several performances are already sold-out for this revival, which begins previews on March 18, 2026. Press is invited to request two tickets for the Opening Night performance on Saturday, March 21 at 8:00 pm (limited availability) or for the 1:30 pm performance on Sunday, March 22. Email sstraub@olneytheatre.org with the preferred performance date, number of tickets, and press affiliation to reserve. The show is scheduled to run through Sunday, April 19.
Cody Nickell (Ink), Kimberly Gilbert (Angels in America), and Jamie Smithson (Disney's Frozen) star as siblings Bo, Toni, and Franz who gather with their partners, spouses, and children at their deceased father's crumbling Southern plantation to arrange the estate sale and auction that will settle old debts and perhaps provide some profit for the future. What they stumble upon there brings to light a more sinister patrimony. In the wickedly funny debates that follow about how to handle the uncovered burden, lies a conversation about whiteness and history that playwright Jacob-Jenkins unfurls so skillfully that its full impact sneaks up on the audience. Also joining the cast are Dina Thomas as Bo's wife, Rachael, Brigid Wallace Harper as Franz's much younger girlfriend, River, and Cole Alex Edelstein as Toni's teenage son, Rhys. Rachael and Bo's children, tween-aged Cassidy and younger brother Ainsley are played on a rotating basis by Kirsten Cocks (Cassidy) and Ruby Spencer (Cassidy), and David Snyder (Ainsley) and Bennett Johnstone (Ainsley). Understudies include Ari Benjamin Post (Bo and Franz), Carly Dagilis (River and Cassidy), Alison Weisgall (Toni and Rachael), Jeremy Allen Crawford (Rhys), and Harrison Morford (Ainsley). The 2024 Broadway production of Appropriate won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
Joining Loewith's creative team are a group of Olney veterans, including Set Designer Nadir Bey (Red Pitch), who once again uses the traverse configuration of the black box Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab in an “alley style” with audience seated on both sides. Regarding the set, Loewith says in his director's note, “I knew at Olney Theatre we could provide a thrilling version of this play, which is usually staged in a large proscenium house, by producing it at an intimate scale in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. You'll soon be just feet away from the best actors in the business, and as an added bonus, you'll be aware of how your fellow audience members are experiencing the play by looking across the stage.” Max Doolittle (Fiddler on the Roof) design lights, Danielle Preston (Little Miss Perfect) is the Costume Designer, and Matthew Nielson (The Joy That Carries You) creates the cicada-filled soundscape of the crumbling plantation. Casey Kaleba serves as the Intimacy and Fight Choreographer, and Lisa Nathans as the Dialect Coach. Kam Henderson does double-duty as the dramaturg and assistant director. Erika L. Placencia is the Stage Manager, and Samba Pathak is the Assistant Stage Manager.
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