210129_MCC_OnLove_Header_v01 (1)

by MFONISO UDOFIA
directed by AWOYE TIMPO

ON LOVE
A new play from playwright MFONISO UDOFIA and director AWOYE TIMPO

 

AN MCC VIRTUAL EVENT
NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM

Fire. Butterfly. Rollercoaster. How do you meaningfully connect? In this series of 7 short vignettes, poems and songs, ON LOVE, showcases the eight different types of love and the depths in which the human emotion can feel.

#ONLOVEMCC

This virtual event is a part of MCC’s LIVELAB series. We began our life at MCC almost 35 years ago with the One-Act Festival, so as we embark on another beginning – MCC Virtual Events – we wanted to pay homage to our roots, by hosting a series of One-Act play readings. Act readings will be between 25 – 45 minutes in length and will be read and live-streamed and will feature a talkback with the cast and creative team following the performance.

TAKE YOUR OWN JOURNEY THROUGH LOVE

Our production of On Love “takes us into the heart of 8 types of love.” There is always room in the world for more expressions of love, so we’re inviting you to explore, revel, and delight in the loves of your live, by taking a journey with us. Check out the prompts below and join us! Poems, notes, rants and raps are welcome. MCC may share your piece as an excerpt or in its entirety on our social media and web pages, reflecting our community’s journey at this time.

SHARE THE LOVE

 

Untitled design (18)

CREATIVE TEAM

MFONISO UDOFIA

Playwright

MFONISO UDOFIA

Playwright

MFONISO UDOFIA, a first-generation Nigerian-American storyteller and educator, attended Wellesley College, obtained her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater [ACT] and, while at ACT, co- pioneered, The Nia Project, which provided artistic outlets for youth residing in Bayview/Huntspoint.

Productions of her plays SojournersrunboyrunHer Portmanteau and In Old Age have been seen at New York Theatre Workshop, American Conservatory Theater, Playwrights Realm, Magic Theater, National Black Theatre, Strand Theater Company, and Boston Court. She’s the recipient of the 2017 Helen Merrill Playwright Award, the 2017-18 McKnight National Residency and Commission at The Playwrights’ Center, and is a member of New Dramatists.

Mfoniso’s currently commissioned by Hartford Stage, Denver Center, ACT, and South Coast Repertory. Her plays have been developed by Manhattan Theatre Club, ACT, McCarter Theatre, OSF, New Dramatists, PCS’s JAW Festival, Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor, The OCC, Hedgebrook, Sundance Theatre Lab, Space on Ryder Farm, Page 73, New Black Fest, Rising Circle and more.

She has worked as a television writer on: 13 Reasons WhyLittle AmericaPachinko and Away 

AWOYE TIMPO

Director

AWOYE TIMPO

Director

Awoye Timpo is a New York-based director. Her Off-Broadway credits include IN OLD AGE by Mfoniso Udofia (New York Theatre Workshop); GOOD GRIEF by Ngozi Anyanwu (Vineyard Theatre); THE REVOLVING CYCLES TRULY AND STEADILY ROLL’D by Jonathan Payne (Playwrights Realm); THE HOMECOMING QUEEN by Ngozi Anyanwu (Atlantic Theater Company); CARNAVAL by Nikkole Salter (National Black Theatre); NDEBELE FUNERAL by Zoey Martinson (59E59, South African tour, Edinburgh Festival); and SISTER SON/JI by Sonia Sanchez (Billie Holiday Theater). Her regional credits include SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), PARADISE BLUE (Long Wharf Theatre), PIPELINE (Studio Theater) and SKELETON CREW (Chester Theater). Awoye is the Founding Producer of CLASSIX, a collective exploring classic plays and performance by Black artists.

CAST

TẸMÍDAYỌ AMAY

Dale/Em/Jackie

TẸMÍDAYỌ AMAY

Dale/Em/Jackie

Tẹmídayọ Amay (they/them): Tẹmídayọ Amay is a genderfluid writer, actor, producer and healer born in Washington, DC. Some of their performance credits include: Coffeehouse Chronicles #124 (Ping Chong and Company at La MaMa ETC), School Girls: or, The African Means Girls Play (Round House Theatre, Helen Hayes Award: Outstanding Supporting Performer); Describe the Night (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company); A Curious Invasion: Governor’s Island (grand opening, PearsonWidrig DanceTheatre); She a Gem (world premiere, The Kennedy Center); The Ruby Sunrise (Shakespeare Theatre Company r.); The Interstellar Ghost Hour (Longacre Lea, Helen Hayes Award: Outstanding Supporting Actress n.). Upcoming: Fun Home (The Studio Theatre). Screen credits include: Bestie Picks Bae (Seventeen Magazine); Singled Out (MTV); The Green Room (CBS); The Infection (Longacre Lea). They have been featured in American Theatre MagazineThe Washington Post, and DC Theatre Scene among other publications. Tẹmídayọ Amay is the founder of PILOT. Instagram: @temidayoma.

KEITH DAVID

Zander

KEITH DAVID

Zander

Keith David is a classically trained actor, winning 3 Emmys out of 6 nominations as well as being nominated for a Tony award. He starred in the recently concluded tv series “Greenleaf” for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. Upcoming films include “Horizon Line” with Allison Williams (“Get Out”) and “Black As Night,” for Amazon.

Theatre credits include his Broadway debut as Oscar in The Lady from Dubuque (Morosco Theatre), Victor in Hot Feet (Hilton Theatre), Floyd Barton in Seven Guitars (Walter Kerr Theatre, originated the role), Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler (Criterion Center Stage), Chimney Man in Jelly’s Last Jam (Virginia Theatre, TONY nomination), Macbeth in Macbeth, Jacques in As You Like It, and Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (Belasco Theatre); Off-Broadway, as Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, Aaron in Titius Andronicus, and Pirate/Policeman/Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance (Delacorte Theatre), and Othello in Othello, Tullus Aufidius in Coriolanus, and Coline in La Boheme (Anspacher Theater).

On the big screen, Keith co-starred with Chadwick Boseman in “21 Bridges”. Prior credits include “Night School” with Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish and “Tales from the Hood 2”. Additional titles include the Academy award-winning films “Crash” and “Platoon.” He is widely recognized for appearing in the highly-acclaimed films Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog”, “Requiem for a Dream”, “Men at Work”, “They Live”, “There’s Something About Mary”, and “The Thing.” Other recent TV credits include an upcoming appearance on “Creepshow,” “NCIS: New Orleans”, “Blackish,” MacGyver”, and “Fresh Off the Boat”. Earlier credits include “Community”, “Enlisted”, “ER”, and “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood”.

ANTWAYN HOPPER

Stuart/TonyRobbie

ANTWAYN HOPPER

Stuart/TonyRobbie

Antwayn Hopper (Actor 2 (Stuart/TonyRobbie): Broadway: Hair. Select Off-Bway/NY: This year’s Pulitzer Prize Winning A Strange Loop (Playwrights Horizons), The Loophole (NY Public), Civil War Christmas (NYTW), Yeastnation (NY Fringe-Best Musical) and This Ain’t No Disco (NYSF). Select Regional: Nick’s Flamingo Grill (Alliance), Camino Real (Goodman), The Brothers Size (Old Globe), Rent (Syracuse Stage), Jesus Christ Superstar (Lyric Opera House), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (New Theatre). Film/TV: Girl Most Likely, Lucy And The Impeding Climate Crisis, The Knick, Blacklist, Royal Pains, Z: The Beginning Of Everything, Girl Most Likely, Shades of Blue, A Gifted Man. In Concert: Voices In Ohio with The Bengsons (Ars Nova), Showboat (Carnegie Hall). Training: Carnegie Mellon. Rocks with HCKR!

CHIKÉ JOHNSON

ETHAN/CARL

CHIKÉ JOHNSON

ETHAN/CARL

Chiké most recently appeared as Luke in Amen Corner, a Shakespeare Theatre Company production. Other recent productions include: Runboyrun at New York Theatre Workshop, Two Trains Running, a co-production between Cincinnati Playhouse and Milwaukee Rep and Brucie in American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Sweat. His New York credits, Broadway; A Time To Kill and Manhattan Theatre Club’s Wit. Off Broadway; Lost In The Stars New York City Center’s Encores! and Ruined co-produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club and The Goodman Theatre. Chicago credits include; The Goodman’s Meet Vera Stark, Sizwe Banzi is Dead at Court Theatre. He was also in Steppenwolf’s productions of The Crucible, The Unmentionables and Huck Finn. Other Regional credits include a revival of The Unmentionables at Yale Repertory Theatre; Lincoln in Topdog/Underdog at Renaissance Theaterworks; Duke of Cornwall in King Lear at Milwaukee Repertory Theater; Cephus Miles in Home at In Tandem Theatre; Willie in Master Harold and the boys at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre; and Martin Luther King, Jr. in Smoldering Fires at First Stage Children’s Theater.

PATRICE JOHNSON

Dottie

PATRICE JOHNSON

Dottie

Patrice is an award-winning actress who most recently was seen in HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN at the Atlantic Theatre Company and RUNBOYRUN & IN OLD AGE which garnered her nominations for both a Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award this past season. Broadway credits include RACING DEMON and THE CRUCIBLE (starring Liam Neeson). Off-Broadway: THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, HENRY V, TAMBURLAINE, PERICLES. Regional: STEEL HAMMER, OTHELLO (Desdemona, opposite Sir Patrick Stewart). Her television credits include recurring roles on the Netflix series, CHAMBERS, SHRILL on Hulu, and on the upcoming season of EVIL, as well as a memorable guest lead on POSE. Patrice has written and directed three award-winning independent feature films: Kings County, NY’s Dirty Laundry, and Hill and Gully.

MIZZ JUNE

Stage Directions/Cupid

MIZZ JUNE

Stage Directions/Cupid

Mizz June (Equity Actor, Singer, Rapper, Producer, Playwright) started her career as a child actor in the 90’s & the lead singer for a Teen Theater troupe that performed all over NYC during the Y2K era. She’s the protégé of Black Transwomen icons- Heavenly Angel Octavia St Laurent-Blahnik, and Stonewall vet Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. She owns her own production company (The Royal Order of Oshun-Ra) and is the Founder/ Executive Director of The Heavenly Angel Fund (H.A.F) Project (https://linktr.ee/mizzjune), a Community Organization that supports the holistic health and well being of Black & Brown Transwomen during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. She has appeared in music videos, television (All My Children,The Deuce-Season 2), film, (Upcoming- Shrapnel) and various regional and Off-Broadway productions (LaMama, BAM, ZSpace,Playwrights Horizons, The Public, and more)
www.facebook.com/the1theonlymizzjune;
www.instagram.com/theonetheonlymizzjune
www.theonetheonlymizzjune.com

ZONYA LOVE

Brianna/Shireen/Dottie

ZONYA LOVE

Brianna/Shireen/Dottie

Zonya Love, a fan of Mfoniso Udofia’s work, is grateful to be a part of MCC’s Live Labs.
Broadway: Color Purple (Celie). Some Musical Theater Credits: First National Tour of Avenue Q, The Devil’s Music @ Milwaukee Rep, Dreamgirls @ Theater Under the Stars, Lights Out: Nat King Cole @ People’s Light & The Geffen Playhouse, , The Parchman Hour @ The Guthrie, Sister Act, The Wiz, Les Miserables, Kiss Me Kate, Show Boat, and the Wizard of Oz @ Broadway at Sacramento. Plays: Emma and Max & Intimate Apparel. Television: Bull, Blue Bloods, Smash, The David Letterman Show. Zonya is also a proud and active member of BOLD, Broadway Inspirational Voices, and one of the founding members of the newly developed event band, House OV Mahogany. Romans 8:38! Twitter and IG: @lovezonya @iamaboldwoman @bivoices @house_ov_mahogany

ANASTACIA MCCLESKEY

Ada/Stella

ANASTACIA MCCLESKEY

Ada/Stella

Anastacia McCleskey- a true renaissance woman from the south. She has been sharing her gifts with the world since the age of Ten. B’way- Caroline of Change (Upcoming), Waitress (Nurse Norma), Violet (Mabel),The Book of Mormon, PQD (Diva), HAIR (Abraham Lincoln), Tarzan. Off B’way/NYC- The Secret Life of Bees (May), Mighty Real, a Fabulous Sylvester Musical (Izora Rhodes/Off B’way Alliance Award nom, Audelco Award Nom. for her choreography), Radio City (Tracy), York Theater: Last Dance (Gaynor). Tours- Waitress (Becky), Hairspray (1st national), Menier Chocolate Factory: What’s It All About (London), West End: Close To You. Regional- Baltimore Center Stage: STAX(Deanie Parker) & Marcus Gardley’s “A Wonder in My Soul” (Cherry Hill/ Young Swann) Studio Theater: Murder Ballad (Narrator/Helen Hayes nom. Best Supporting Actress), & much more. Film/TV – New Amsterdam, The Good Fight, Madam Secretary, Marvel’s Daredevil, Public Morals, I Take Thee Zoe, SNL, Sex and the City 2. She’s Sung w/ Burt Bacharach and Patti LaBelle; back-up for Phil CollinsMartha WashBette Midler, & Mariah Carey.

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