Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater revealed Thursday the cast and creative team for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.”
The production will run from Sept. 6-Oct. 13. The director for the production will be Tony nominee Whitney White.
The comedy, written by Jocelyn Bioh, is about West African immigrant hair braiders in New York’s Harlem neighborhood and their experiences with life’s ups and downs.
The cast will include Melanie Brezill (Broadway’s “The Book of Mormon”) as Michelle/Chrissy/Laniece, Victoire Charles(Broadway’s “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”) as Jaja, Yao Dogbe(Round House Theatre’s “Topdog/Underdog”) as James/Franklin/Olu/Eric, Mia Kiri Ellis as Jennifer, Tiffany Renee Johnson (Goodman Theatre’s “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play”) as Aminata, Bisserat Tseggai (Soho Rep’s “For All the Women Who Thought They Were Mad”) as Miriam, Colby N. Muhammad (La Jolla Playhouse’s “Love All”) as Vanessa/Sheila/Radia, Jordan Rice (Ava DuVernay’s “Selma”) as Marie, Awa Sal Secka (Signature Theatre’s “Ragtime”) as Bea, and Aisha Sougou (The Marriott Theatre’s “Beehive,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”) as Ndidi.
Understudies will be announced at a later date.
Whitewill be joined by the creative team from Manhattan Theatre Club’s sold-out run, including three-time Tony-winning set designer David Zinn the first Black woman to win a Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play. Dede Ayite, Tony-nominated lighting designer Jiyoun Change (“Stereophonic,” Arena’s “Ride the Cyclone”), Tony-nominated original music and sound designer Justin Ellington (“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”), Tony-nominated projection designer Stefania Bulbarella (“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”) and 2024 Special Tony Award-winning hair and wig designer Nikiya Mathis (“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”).
This production will also include associate director Manna-Symone Middlebrooks, dialect and vocal coach Yetunde Felix-Ukwu, stage manager Mandisa Reed and assistant stage manager Jamie Berry. Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting, Kelly Gillespie and Erica Hart.
For information and tickets, go to arenastage.org/jajas.