George Street Playhouse Presents HAVING OUR SAY - Previews Begin November 28

George Street Playhouse presents Having Our Say, the Tony Award-nominated play by Emily Mann (A Streetcar Named Desire, Anna and the Tropics). Having Our Say is adapted from the book by Sarah (Sadie) L. Delany & A. Elizabeth (Bessie) Delany with Amy Hill Hearth and is directed by Laiona Michelle (Her Portmanteau). Having Our Say begins previews Tuesday November 28, 2023, with opening night set for Friday December 1 for a limited run through Sunday December 17, 2023.

Having Our Say centers around the remarkable lives of African-American sisters, Sadie and Bessie Delany, both of whom surpass the age of 100. Their extraordinary journey unfolds as they share their personal experiences, which include growing up as the daughters of a former slave who became a respected professor, establishing successful careers, and integrating a New York suburb.

The original memoir inspired the 1995 Broadway play, and the Peabody Award-winning TV movie of the same title starring Diahann Carroll and Ruby Dee.

Having Our Say stars stage and screen veterans Rosalyn Coleman (The Piano Lesson with Samuel L. Jackson; To Kill A Mockingbird; The Mountaintop) as Bessie, and Inga Ballard (Ragtime, Hairspray, Romeo & Juliet) as Sadie.

“Directing Having Our Say is truly personal to me,” said director Laoina Michelle. “Being a Black woman, I often struggled with my identity and my worthiness in this country. For that reason, I am deeply drawn to this play. The early American history books were not written by my ancestors therefore I often questioned their accuracy. In Emily Mann's Having Our Say you get a first-hand account of a century of living told through two eyewitnesses, Sadie and Bessie Delany, who lived and experienced it.”

Having Our Say features scenic design by Shoko Kambara (GSP's Her Portmanteau; Little Girl Blue; Midwives), costume design by Ari Fulton (A Wonderful World: A New Musical About The Lives and Loves of Louis Armstrong), lighting design by Jason Lynch (Chicago's Goodman Theatre), sound design by Karin Graybash (GSP's Little Girl Blue), projection design by Zavier A.L. Taylor (Keegan Theatre), wig design by Leah Loukas (The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window; Escape to Margaritaville), casting by McCorkle Casting - Pat McCorkle and Rebecca Weiss, CSA, and production stage management by Samantha Flint.

Having Our Say began its development at The McCarter Theatre Center, where Emily Mann served as Artistic Director and Resident Playwright from 1990–2020, and which was honored by the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre during her tenure. The play was first presented in 1995 before moving to Broadway's Booth Theatre and playing for 317 performances. In its New York debut, the show was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Play, Best Direction, and Best Leading Actress in A Play (Mary Alice - original Bessie). Following its Broadway run, Having Our Say embarked on a U.S. tour (1996-1997), and has been performed by various major regional theatre companies such as Goodman Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Philadelphia Theatre Company and Georgia Ensemble Theatre.

The production is sponsored by The Karma Foundation and supported by Philip Kirstein & Melinda Raso Kirstein.

The performance schedule for Having Our Say is as follows: Wednesday – Saturday at 8pm; Thursday, Saturday & Sunday at 2pm. Exceptions: there will be an added performance on Tuesday November 28 at 8pm; there will be no 2pm performance on Thursday November 30. Tickets to Having Our Say begin at $25 and are available at georgestreetplayhouse.org.

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