The cast of ‘Choir Boy,’ top row, from left: Jordan Barrow, Wigasi Brant, Josh Fulton and Alex Michell. Second row: Jeffrey Rashad, Peter Van Wagner, Christopher Washington and Director Jamil Jude.

Joyous coming-of-age play with gospel music will set spirits soaring in Denver and Seattle

The DCPA Theatre Company, in association with ACT – A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) in Seattle, have announced the full casting and creative team for their upcoming co-production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy.

McCraney won the Academy Award for co-writing the 2016 film Moonlight. DCPA Theatre Company Artistic Director Chris Coleman says McCraney’s deeply human storytelling illuminates the chaotic collision of masculinity, tradition and self-discovery on the path to adulthood.

“Tarell Alvin McCraney is one of the most talented writers in film and theatre,” Coleman said. “The work he creates allows audiences to see themselves within the characters and relate to the circumstances they face.”

Coleman calls Choir Boy, which features live gospel music, both unique and inspiring. The story follows Pharus, who doesn’t fit in at The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, a prestigious academy dedicated to the education of young black men. Despite embodying the strong, ethical morals the school promotes, being gay has made him an outsider within its hallowed halls. But this year, his talent and perseverance have paid off with a chance to lead the prestigious choir, a position where he may finally shake the dogged bullying by his fellow classmates.

“I first saw Choir Boy in New York when it was on Broadway, and I thought, ‘I haven’t seen this story on stage before,’ ” Coleman said. “It was an invitation into somebody’s journey to express himself, and I am thrilled that the Theatre Company will be producing this beautiful story to end the season.”

The co-production will begin previews on April 10 (opening April 17) in the Denver Center’s Space Theatre, where it will run through May 10, then transfer to Seattle. Previews at ACT will begin June 5 (opening June 11), with the full cast and creative team intact.

The director is Jamil Jude, who in 2017 directed Curious Theatre Company’s Denver staging of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate.

Read more: Take a deeper dive into Choir Boy

Choir Boy: Cast

• Jordan Barrow (“Pose” on FX) as Pharus Jonathan Young
• Wigasi Brant (The Blind Side) as Headmaster Marrow
• Josh Fulton (Pipeline, Actors Theatre) as Junior Davis
• Alex Michell (Nell Gwynn, Folger Theatre) as Robert “Bobby” Marrow III
• Jeffrey Rashad (Dreamgirls, Modjeska Theatre Company) as David Heard
• Peter Van Wagner (The Post directed by Steven Spielberg) as Mr. Pendleton
• Christopher Washington (Guys and Dolls, Bucks County Playhouse) as Anthony Justin “AJ” James

Choir Boy: Creatives

• Director: Jamil Jude (Artistic Director of Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre)
• Scenic Designer: Tony Cisek (Sweat, DCPA)
• Costume Design: Trevor Bowen (True West, Steppenwolf Theatre Company)
• Lighting Design: Jeanette Yew (Vietgone, DCPA)
• Sound Design: Cricket Myers (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Richard Rogers Theater)
• Music Direction: Mark Meadows (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Creative Cauldron)
• Choreography: Paige Hernandez (Queen Girl Repertory, Everyman Theatre)
• Dramaturg: Lynde Rosario (You Lost Me, DCPA)
• Casting by Harriet Bass (You Lost Me, DCPA) and Grady Soapes, CSA (twenty50, DCPA)
• Stage management: Erin B. Zatloka (True West, Seattle Repertory Theatre) and Heidi Echtenkamp (You Lost Me, DCPA).

Read our 2017 DCPA NewsCenter interview with Director Jamil Jude

Choir Boy: Ticket information

• Presented by: The DCPA Theatre Company, in association with ACT – A Contemporary Theatre of  Seattle
• Dates: Denver performances April 10 through May 10 (Opens April 17)
• Where: Space Theatre
  
• Genre: Drama with music
• Tickets: Start at $30 and can be purchased at 303-893-4100 or in person in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex at 14^th and Curtis streets or online by clicking here:
  
  BUY TICKETS
• For information on the Seattle staging, to be held June 5-28 in The Allen Theatre, call 206-292-7676 or go to acttheatre.org

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter