Crystal Dickinson, Chaundre Hall-Broomfield & More to Star in COVENANT at Roundabout Underground

Roundabout Theatre Company has revealed the complete cast for the Roundabout Underground world premiere of Covenant by York Walker, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene.

 

The cast includes Crystal Dickinson as “Mama,” Chaundre Hall-Broomfield as “Johnny ‘Honeycomb’ James,” Ashley Hildreth as “Violet,” Jade Payton as “Avery,” and Lark White as “Ruthie.”

 

Covenant begins preview performances on Thursday, October 5, 2023, and opens officially on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at the Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, December 3, 2023. All tickets for Roundabout Underground productions are $30.

 

When a struggling guitarist returns to his small Georgia town a blues star, rumors begin swirling that he may have made a deal with the devil to attain his musical genius. Before long, however, it becomes clear he's not the only one with a secret. A mythic and suspenseful new play that delivers one devilish twist after another, York Walker's Covenant explores the power of belief and the thin line between rumor and truth.

 

A part of Roundabout’s New Play Initiative, Roundabout Underground is now in its 16th season. Its mission is focused on discovering new writers, producing their New York debuts, and providing them long-term development and production support. In addition to the Black Box production, every Underground playwright gets a commission for a future play.

 

The playwrights whose work has been featured as part of Roundabout Underground are Stephen Karam (Speech & Debate, 2007), Steven Levenson (The Language of Trees, 2008), Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, 2009), Kim Rosenstock (Tigers Be Still, 2010), David West Read (The Dream of the Burning Boy, 2011), Andrew Hinderaker (Suicide, Incorporated, 2011), Joshua Harmon (Bad Jews, 2012), Meghan Kennedy (Too Much, Too Much, Too Many, 2013), Jeff Augustin (Little Children Dream of God, 2015), Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone, 2015), Jenny Rachel Weiner (Kingdom Come, 2016), Mansa Ra (Too Heavy for Your Pocket, 2017), Martín Zimmerman (On the Exhale, 2017), Ming Peiffer (Usual Girls, 2018), Alex Lubischer (Bobbie Clearly, 2018), Selina Fillinger (Something Clean, 2019), Daniel Zaitchik (Darling Grenadine, 2020), Sanaz Toossi (English, 2022), Dave Harris (Exception to the Rule, 2022), Harrison David Rivers (the bandaged place, 2022) and upcoming: York Walker (Covenant, 2023).

 

The design team for Covenant will be announced at a later date.

 

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Covenant are $30 General Admission and go on sale August 2 at 12pm by calling 212.719.1300 or online at roundabouttheatre.org. For groups of 10 or more please call 212-719-9393 x 365 or email groupsales@roundabouttheatre.org.

 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Covenant plays Tuesday through Sunday evenings at 7:00PM with Saturday matinees at 1:30PM and Sunday matinees at 2:00PM.

 

Crystal Dickinson

(Mama). Broadway: the Tony Award Winning Play, Clybourne Park, and Tony Nominated Play, You Can't Take It With You; Recent Off -Broadway credits include: The Trees at Playwrights Horizons, Lessons In Survival:1971 at The Vineyard Theater,Cullud Wattah at The Public Theater, Wine in the Wilderness at Two River Theater, and most recently, Blues for an Alabama Sky at The McCarter Theater. She has also performed at Lincoln Center, Signature Theater, and The Atlantic; Film & TV credits: recurring roles on “The CHI” and “For Life”.

 

Chaundre Hall-Broomfield

(Johnny “Honeycomb” James) is a Newburgh, NY native and a graduate from the BFA Acting program at SUNY Purchase. His previous credits include BET’s “Kingdom Business,” “Law and Order,” “FBI”; Netflix’s “Luke Cage.” Broadway/National tour: Hamilton, workshop of Choir Boy at MTC. Off-Broadway: Pipeline at Lincoln Center (understudy). Regional: Raisin in the Sun at the Guthrie Theater.

 

ASHLEY HILDRETH

(Violet) is an actor born and raised in Houston, Texas. She is excited to be making her Roundabout Theatre debut! Off-Broadway: The Play That Goes Wrong (New World Stages); Regional (most recent): Protest, Plans, and Red Velvet Brownies (True Colors Theatre Company); The Wolves (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Or, What She Will (Hangar Theatre). She would like to thank her family, friends, and HCKR for their continued love and support. ashleynhildreth.com

 

JADE PAYTON

(Avery). Jade makes her New York theatre debut in Roundabout Theatre Company’s Covenant years after earning her degrees in Acting from UNLV and University of California, Irvine, respectively. Theatre: An Ideal Husband, King Lear (American Players Theatre); Or (Crash Acting). Television: “Glamorous”, “Dynasty”, “iZombie”. She looks forward to the storytelling yet to come.

 

Lark White

(Ruthie) is a New York based actor. Having received her BFA in Acting from Juilliard in May of 2023, her training has spanned from theatre, film & television, as well as performance art and experimental theatre. She was seen in the Shakespeare in the Park's production of Hamlet directed by Kenny Leon in the summer of 2023 in her professional debut. 

 

York Walker

(Playwright) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is the inaugural recipient of the Vineyard Theatre's Colman Domingo Award. He is also a member of Marcus Gardley's New Wave Writer's Workshop. His work includes Holcomb & Hart (Victory Garden's New Plays For A New Year Festival), The Séance (Winner of the John Singleton Short Film Competition, 48 Hours... in Harlem), Covenant (Colman Domingo Award, Fire This Time Festival, Access Theatre’s 4 Flights Up Festival, Arizona Theatre Company's Digital Play Series), White Shoes (Fire This Time Festival), Summer Of ’63 (American Conservatory Theatre’s New Play Series, Actors Company Theatre’s New TACTics Festival), and Soul Records (Manhattan Theatre Club's Groundworks Lab). York received his MFA in Acting from The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and is currently developing work with Roundabout Theatre Company and South Coast Repertory Theatre.

 

Tiffany Nichole Greene

(Director) was the original resident director of Hamilton: An American Musical (Philip Tour). Recent directing credits include the off-Broadway premiere of Steph Del Rosso’s 53% OF at Second Stage Theater; Christina Ham’s Nina Simone: Four Women at Arizona Theatre Company; the world premiere of Vichet Chum’s High School Play: A Nostalgia Fest at The Alley Theatre; the world premiere of Invincible at The Wallis, featuring the music of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo; the world premiere of Deneen Reynolds-Knott’s Shoebox Picnic: Route One at Alabama Shakespeare Theatre; Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders for The Goodman Theatre’s Live series; and Something Grim(M) for Dallas Theatre Center, a devised outdoor theatrical experience that she also wrote. During the pandemic, Tiffany directed the world premieres of Lydia Diamond’s Whiterly Negotiations and Lynn Nottage’s What Are The Things I Need To Remember? for Theatre For One: Here We Are, produced by Octopus Theatricals (NYT Critic’s Pick); Stacey Rose’s As Is: In Conversations With Big Black Women In Confined Spaces for Manhattan Theatre Club (Digital Production); Alice Childress’ Wine In The Wilderness for Portland Center Stage (Digital Production); and Battle Cry by Bianca Sams for Cleveland Play House Theatre (Digital Production). Additional directing credits include work for The Guthrie Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Trinity Repertory Company, The JACK in Brooklyn, and many more. She is a Lincoln Center Directors Lab Alum, a Soho Rep Directors Lab Alum, a Two-time Drama League Director Finalist, and a proud member of SDC. She holds an MFA from Brown University/Trinity Rep. Upcoming: Jonathan Larson’s RENT at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. tiffanynicholegreene.com

 

The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre opened in March 2004 with an acclaimed premiere of Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel starring Viola Davis, directed by Dan Sullivan. Since that landmark production, the center has expanded beyond the Laura Pels Theatre to include the Black Box Theatre and now a new education center. The Steinberg Center continues to reflect Roundabout’s commitment to produce new works by established and emerging writers as well as revivals of classic plays. This state-of-the-art off-Broadway theatre and education complex is made possible by a major gift from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. The Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg to promote and advance American Theatre as a vital part of our culture by supporting playwrights, encouraging the development and production of new work, and providing financial assistance to not-for-profit theatre companies across the country. Since its inception, the Trust has awarded over $70 million to more than 125 theatre organizations.

 

Roundabout Underground’s home is a 62-seat Black Box Theatre, which is also used year-round by Roundabout’s education department for its activities including student productions and professional development workshops.

 

Roundabout Theatre Company has been working to prioritize and actively incorporate anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and accountability throughout the institution. Read more about the company’s social justice progress and timeline atwww.roundabouttheatre.org/socialjustice

Roundabout Theatre Company celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history.

 

Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays and musicals on its five stages: Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre, Studio 54 and Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and Off-Broadway’s Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre.

 

American Airlines is the official airline of Roundabout Theatre Company. Roundabout productions are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

 

Roundabout’s current and upcoming productions include: Primary Trust by Eboni Booth, directed by Knud Adams; The Refuge Playsby Nathan Alan Davis, directed by Patricia McGregor; Covenant by York Walker, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene; I Need That by Theresa Rebeck, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel; Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Scott Ellis; Home by Samm-Art Williams, directed by Kenny Leon; and Jonah by Rachel Bonds, directed by Danya Taymor.

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