Rehearsals Have Begun For SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY At Kirk Douglas Theatre

Rehearsals have begun for the hit MCC Theater production of "School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play" by Jocelyn Bioh. Directed by Rebecca Taichman, the production will begin previews September 2, open September 8 and continue through September 30, 2018, at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Following the Los Angeles run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, the MCC production of "School Girls" will have an encore run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York from October 16 through November 25, 2018.

The cast for "School Girls" includes, in alphabetical order, MaameYaa Boafo, Latoya Edwards, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole and Myra Lucretia Taylor. Due to scheduling conflicts, Zainab Jah will no longer be part of this production. Zenzi Williams will now play the role of Eloise Amponsah.

The creative team includes set design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Palmer Hefferan, dialect coaching by Deborah Hecht and casting by Telsey + Company/Adam Caldwell, CSA, William Cantler, CSA, Karyn Casl, CSA. Laura Wilson is the production stage manager and Ayisha Hunt is the stage manager.

Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter-and Paulina's hive-minded friends. Jocelyn Bioh's buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus