Dobama Theatre Presents Regional Premiere Of Pulitzer Finalist STEW

Dobama Theatre's 2022/23 mainstage season continues with the regional Premiere of STEW by Zora Howard. This intimate, funny, and moving new play will run from January 27 - February 19, 2023 at Dobama, Cleveland's Off-Broadway Theatre.

The Dobama Theatre production will be directed by Nina Domingue and features a superb cast including Christina Johnson (MAMA), Nicole Sumlin* (LILLIAN), Adrionna Powell (NELLY), Logan Williams (LIL' MAMA), Maya Nicholson (Swing). *member Actors' Equity Association

Mama is up early to prepare a big meal for an important church function and, even with her family on hand to help, time is running short. Love, laughter, and tensions all simmer with three generations of Tucker women under one roof, but things come to a boil as the events hovering around the periphery of their lives begin to intrude upon the sanctity of Mama's kitchen.

"STEW is about four generations of Black women, mothers, daughters, and sisters, and how we relate. It's about the family patterns we see -and don't see- and how we respond to those patterns," said director Nina Domingue. "What I like about the play is the way it asks us to question our perception of the things in our lives. Why do I believe a certain thing? Did that thought come from me? Or is it just what I have always heard? Did the event happen the way I thought it did? Or do I just remember it that way? I would like the audience to walk away asking themselves about their own family mythologies, with the purpose of rediscovery."

Nina Domingue (she/ her) is a Black Woman, Griot, Actor, Playwright, Director, Cultural Memory Worker, #NOLAGirl4Life, Teaching Artist, Intimacy Advocate pursuing Choreographic certification, momof5, sister, daughter, friend, ever-becoming. She writes in the tradition of those women who explore the interior lives of Black women with love, curiosity and wonder. Kilroy's List 2020 "The Lost Plays", Cleveland Public Theater, Premier Fellow 2021, CPT Catapult Fellow 2019, Nord Family Foundation Playwriting Fellow 2019, Twelve Literary Arts Barabara Smith Fellow, 2019.

The creative team for the production includes Scenic Design by Laura Carlson Tarantowski, Lighting Design by Josee Coyle, Sound Design by Megan "Deets" Culley, Costume Design by Mia Jones, Props Design by Dred Geib, and Technical Direction by Marcus Dana. The show is stage managed by Faith Rousch and assistant stage managed by Barbara Kozlov.

Zora Howard is a Harlem-bred writer and performer. Plays include STEW (2021 Pulitzer Prize Finalist; Page 73 Productions); THE MASTER'S TOOLS (Williamstown Theatre Festival); BUST (2022 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalist; 2022 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award Finalist); HANG TIME (2022 Creative Capital Award Finalist); and GOOD FAITH. Her work has been developed at Ojai Playwrights Conference, SPACE at Ryder Farm, The Lark, Primary Stages, and Cape Cod Theatre Project, among others. In 2020, her film Premature (2020 Film Independent John Cassavetes Award nominee), which she co-wrote with director Rashaad Ernesto Green, opened in theaters following its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Zora is the inaugural Judith Champion Fellow at MTC, a 2022 Lilly Award and Helen Merrill Award recipient and is currently under commission from Seattle Rep, MTC, and Wessex Grove.

Performances are Thursday through Sundays. For a complete schedule, ticket prices, and reservations, call the Dobama Theatre Box Office at 216-932-3396. There will be one full "Pay-What-You-Can" performance on Sunday, January 29th. There will also be two COVID conscious performances where masking is required.

Dobama is committed to making live professional theatre accessible to everyone. PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN tickets are available for anyone that cannot afford a full price ticket. Any available seat can be purchased at a pay-what-you-can price beginning one hour prior to every performance. Simply visit the Box Office to purchase.

For more information on the production, visit: https://www.dobama.org/stew

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