A cast of 13 veterans of stage, film and television has been announced for the world premiere of FERGUSON by journalist and documentary filmmaker Phelim McAleer. Nick DeGruccio will direct four dramatized staged readings for Theatre Verité Collective as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre, April 26-29.
In the tradition of verbatim theater, FERGUSON reconstructs the controversial shooting of
Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson last August, using only actual witness testimony from the grand jury court transcripts.
Broadway actor
Philip Casnoff (Chicago, Shogun, Chess) has been cast in the role of prosecuting attorney Bob McCullough,
Deborah Puette (A Delicate Balance at the Odyssey) is assistant prosecutor Kathi Alizadeh and Antaeus company member
Veralyn Jones (Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White) plays lawyer Sheila Whirley. Portraying the witnesses are
Donzaleigh Abernathy (Gods and Generals, Don King: Only in America opposite
Ving Rhames, HBO's Miss Evers' Boys with Alfre Woodward) as Martha Jenkins,
Gigi Bermingham (Antaeus company member;
Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow,
Maria Callas in Master Class, both at ICT) as
Susan White, Carlease Burke (L.
Trey Wilson's All About Eve, Helen at the Getty Villa,
Romeo & Juliet at Theatre @ Boston Court) as
Mary Adams and Sydney A. Mason (recent graduate, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television) as Ciara Jenkins. The roles of
Mark Williams and Dorian Johnson, friends of
Michael Brown's who were with him at the time he was shot, will be taken on by M.C. Omete Anassi (title role in Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea at the Skylight) and
Charles McCoy (also seen in Dontrell). Joel Bryant (The Boomerang Effect at the Zephyr),
Barnaby Carpenter (Clybourne Park at the
Mark Taper Forum) and
Kevin McIntyre (The Max Factor Factor at the NoHo Arts Center) will each play multiple roles, including Darren Wilson's supervisor, FBI agents and other expert witnesses.
Dylan John Seaton (The Curse of Oedipus at Antaeus) plays police officer Darren Wilson. Please scroll down for complete bios.
Projections are by Fritz Davis; sound design is by
Cricket S. Myers; graphic design is by Daniel T. Richards; and casting is by
Michael Donovan, CSA. The stage manager is Marissa Drammissi, and Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners produces.
Four performances of FERGUSON take place on Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m., and on Monday, April 27; Tuesday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 29, all at 8 p.m. Tickets are $65. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information call
(310) 823-0500, or go to
www.FergusonThePlay.com.
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