Director

It’s 1970s Ohio, and Lizzie has gathered a group of women in a rec center basement to change their lives and maybe the world. Decades later, Lizzie’s daughter delves into her mother’s history to find answers to the feminist revolution’s unanswered questions, reliving those necessary, messy, and impassioned meetings that asked: What does it mean for a woman to be free? Direct from its acclaimed Broadway run, Tony Award nominees Bess Wohl (Grand Horizons) and director Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) bring ferocious wit and emotional precision to this intensely relevant and bitingly funny memory play about what we inherit, what we forget, and what we’re still fighting to understand.

EPSG:4326

Liberation

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Becoming Miss Ghana 1986 would mean fame, fortune, and prosperity. At least, that’s what Paulina—the queen bee of Aburi Girls Boarding School—believes. When the pageant recruiter comes to school, Paulina and her crew pull out all the stops. But to their surprise, a new transfer student from America kicks the competition into a higher, far more personal gear. Arriving on Broadway for the first time nearly a decade after its Off-Broadway premiere, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play reunites the powerhouse team behind Jaja’s African Hair Braiding—Tony Award-nominated playwright Jocelyn Bioh and Tony Award-nominated director Whitney White—for this bright, biting comedy.

School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Saturday Church tells the story of Ulysses—New York City kid, devoted son and the fiercest tenor at his aunt’s church. A chance encounter on the subway introduces him to the world of Saturday Church, a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ youth. Caught between two worlds, Ulysses wrestles with family and faith as he strives to find the place where he can love and be loved—in all his fabulousness. This new musical captures the joy of embodied liberation and the profound power of faith, with a score that soars from the transcendence of gospel to the exhilarating vibrations of house music and pop. Saturday Church boldly asks, “is faith only for the Holy?” and, more importantly, “are there any queens in the house?!!!!”

Saturday Church

New York Theatre Workshop

THE LAST FIVE YEARS follows two New Yorkers, rising author Jamie (Grammy Award® and Golden Globe nominee Nick Jonas) and aspiring actress Cathy (Tony Award® winner Adrienne Warren), as they fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

The Last Five Years

Hudson Theatre

**Event Description: "Liberation" at Roundabout Theatre Company**

**Event Title:** Liberation

**Dates:** January 31 - March 30, 2025

**Venue:** Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, Laura Pels Theatre, 111 West 46th Street, New York, NY (between 6th and 7th Avenues)

**Event Overview:**
Roundabout Theatre Company proudly presents "Liberation," a provocative and revealing new play by Tony Award nominee Bess Wohl, directed by Roundabout’s inaugural Directing Fellow and Associate Artist Whitney White. This compelling production delves into the lives of six women who, in 1970, gather in a basement gymnasium at their local community center with the determination to shake up their lives and the world around them. Fifty years later, one of their daughters attempts to piece together the events that transpired. "Liberation" offers an irreverent jolt of insight into what really happens when women meet behind closed doors.

**Creative Team:**
- **Playwright:** Bess Wohl
- **Director:** Whitney White

**Additional Information:**
- The cast and additional creative team members will be announced at a later date.
- "Liberation" is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.

**Special Notes:**
- Tickets will go on sale to the general public at a later date. Subscribers and donors get first access to tickets and other special benefits.
- Sign up to get exclusive offers and to be notified when tickets go on sale.

**Acknowledgements:**
Roundabout Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the support of the Roundabout Leaders for New Works, including Alec Baldwin, James Costa and John Archibald, Linda L. D’Onofrio, Peggy and Mark Ellis, Carson Gleberman, Sylvia Golden, Jeanne Hagerty, Angelina Lippert, Iva Mills, K. Myers, Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, Mary Solomon, and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

For more information and to stay updated, follow Roundabout Theatre Company on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Threads.

Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre

**Event: Jaja’s African Hair Braiding at Chicago Shakespeare Theater**

**Dates:** January 14 - February 2, 2025  
**Location:** The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, 800 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611  
**Written by:** Jocelyn Bioh  
**Directed by:** Whitney White  
**Run Time:** Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission  
**Tickets:** Available for purchase later this summer. Subscribe for updates.

**About the Play:**  
Making its regional premiere straight from a twice-extended Broadway run, "Jaja’s African Hair Braiding" is a comedic play that offers a vibrant glimpse into the lives of a group of West African immigrant women in Harlem. Set in a bustling hair salon, this narrative unfolds over a sweltering summer day filled with love, dreams, and secrets. As the day progresses, the tight-knit community faces the boiling point of their uncertainties, challenging what it means to be an outsider on the edge of the place they call home.

**Why You Should See It:**  
Acclaimed playwright Jocelyn Bioh brings to life the vibrant women of Jaja's African Hair Braiding, offering audiences a unique opportunity to explore the rich diversity and universality of the immigrant experience in America. This play is a heartfelt tribute to the beauty of diversity, culture, and the sense of community that binds us all.

**Additional Information:**  
- **Parking and Directions:** Detailed information available on the Chicago Shakespeare Theater website.  
- **Dining Options:** A variety of dining options are available near the venue.  
- **Accessibility:** The theater is committed to accessibility for all patrons. For more information, visit the Chicago Shakespeare Theater website.

**Production Credits:**  
"Jaja’s African Hair Braiding" is a co-production of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Arena Stage, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, presented in association with Madison Wells Live and LaChanze.

**Contact Information:**  
- **Box Office:** 312.595.5600  
- **Website:** [Chicago Shakespeare Theater](https://www.chicagoshakes.com)

Don't miss this world premiere production that celebrates the spirit of community and the resilience of the human heart. Subscribe today for updates and ticket information.

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

The Queen is centerstage. In a stacked setlist of original pop, rock, gospel, and R&B bangers, OBIE Award winner Whitney White subverts one of Shakespeare’s most iconic tales. The arc of Lady Macbeth is reimagined as the story of an ambitious Black woman, told through her own contemporary perspective of femininity, desire, and power with a capital P. Dazzlingly theatrical, Macbeth in Stride brings Lady M’s herstory into the 21st century with energy, humor, and swagger to spare.

Macbeth In Stride

Yale University

Step into the vibrant world of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a beloved Harlem hotspot where West African immigrant braiders work their magic on the locals’ locks. Amidst the lively buzz of a scorching summer, love ignites, dreams soar, and secrets unravel. But beneath the surface lies a current of uncertainty, pushing this close-knit community to confront the challenges of being outsiders in their own neighborhood. From the pen of acclaimed Ghanaian American playwright Jocelyn Bioh (Goddess, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play) and directed by Obie winner Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding is “a play that is equally affecting as it is hilarious,” hails Entertainment Weekly.

Theatrical rising star and O’Neill finalist Amy Berryman brings us an “intelligent, soulful drama” (The Guardian) about how vast the space can be between two people.

In the near future, Stella and her fiancé, Bryan, are waiting at their remote cabin for Stella’s estranged twin sister, Cassie. Raised by their astronaut father to be NASA scientists, the twins have taken different paths: Cassie has just returned from a successful moon mission, while Stella has left NASA behind. When they reunite, old conflicts reignite, forcing the sisters to choose between staying on Earth or pursuing a future in space, as humanity’s fate hangs in the balance.

Walden

The Tony Kiser Theater

Step into the vibrant world of Jaja's African Hair Braiding. Set in the pulsating heart of Harlem, this comedic gem unravels the complexities of cultural identity, assimilation, and the pursuit of the American Dream within the African immigrant community. Follow the uproarious escapades of Maria, Bea, Miriam, Aminata, Ndidi, Jaja, and others as they navigate life and laughter in Jaja's bustling hair braiding salon. With humor as rich as its characters, this five-time Tony Award-nominated production weaves hilarious moments with profound insights, celebrating the indomitable spirit and interconnectedness that define us all.

Jaja's African Hair Braiding

Mead Center for American Theater

**World Premiere: JORDANS by Ife Olujobi**

This April 2024, The Public Theater is thrilled to present the world premiere of "JORDANS," a bitingly funny and wildly imaginative new play by Emerging Writers Group alumnus Ife Olujobi. Directed by Obie Award winner Whitney White, "JORDANS" offers a piercing exploration of assimilation, racial capitalism, success, and survival within the confines of an overwhelmingly white workplace.

The narrative unfolds around a long-suffering receptionist whose life spirals into personal, professional, and psychic jeopardy following the hiring of a hip new employee by her ruthless boss. This move, aimed at improving the company’s image and culture, forces two young, Black social climbers into a complex dance of competition and survival, tearing them apart and pushing them together through their race, ambition, and otherworldly circumstances.

"JORDANS" is more than a play; it's a story of mistaken identity, subverted power, and unleashed rage, offering a bold commentary on the true cost of diversity in the workplace.

**Ticket Information:**
All ticket access details will be announced in the Fall of 2023. To ensure you don't miss out on this groundbreaking production, sign up to stay updated and consider becoming a Public Theater Partner or Supporter. By doing so, you'll not only secure priority access and savings on tickets but also support the creation of art, music, and theater for the 23/24 season.

**Creative Team:**
- **Playwright:** Ife Olujobi
- **Director:** Whitney White

Don't miss this bold new play that challenges perceptions and invites conversation. Join us at The Public Theater in April 2024 for a performance that promises to be as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Jordans

Public Theater

A dazzling theatrical event created and performed by Obie Award-winning artist Whitney White, Macbeth In Stride examines what it means to be an ambitious Black woman through the lens of one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters. This 90-minute rock musical uses pop, gospel, and R&B to trace the fatalistic arc of Lady Macbeth while lifting contemporary Black female power, femininity, and desire. Directed by PTC’s artistic directors, Taibi Magar and Tyler Dobrowsky.

Director

Whitney White

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 23 - Nov 29, 2026

Liberation · Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Past events

Oct 23 - Nov 29, 2026

Liberation · Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Sep 8 - Nov 1, 2026

School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play · Manhattan Theatre Club

About

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