Cast Announced for CHICKEN & BISCUITS at Asolo Repertory Theatre

Asolo Repertory Theatre will present Douglas Lyons' CHICKEN & BISCUITS as the third play in its 2023 repertory season. Bianca LaVerne Jones, who served as associate director of the 2021 Broadway production, will direct. CHICKEN & BISCUITS begins previews on Feb. 15, opens on Feb. 17, and runs through April 13, in the Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

"When I saw this play on Broadway, I knew that our community would be dying to see it," said Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. "Douglas Lyons' CHICKEN & BISCUITS is a hilarious, heart-warming, joyful story about a tight-knit Black family that will delight our audiences from start to finish."

CHICKEN & BISCUITS introduces us to the Jenkins family, as they gather to celebrate the life of their beloved and recently deceased father and grandfather, the Revered Bernard Jenkins. When an unexpected guest reveals a secret, they all discover that nothing brings a family together like a big side of drama. This side-splitting new Broadway comedy explores the tenderness of family, the joy of reconciliation and the nourishing power of love.

Jones returns to Asolo Rep after performing in Disgraced in 2016 and directing Eureka Day last season. In 2021, she made her Broadway debut as associate director for Chicken & Biscuits. She has directed productions for Syracuse Stages, Baltimore Center Stage, NJPAC, Pittsburgh Public, Classical Theater of Harlem and Teatro Latea, among others, as well as episodes 108 and 109 of the Emmy®-nominated The Gaze: No Homo web series. Jones is the first African American woman to graduate with a master's degree in directing from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

"I am delighted to direct CHICKEN & BISCUITS so we can LAUGH and heal together!" Jones said. "My approach as I uncover the play is to expose the legacy of the characters in CHICKEN & BISCUITS; what each character embraces about themselves and who they are hoisting themselves into becoming, when it really matters."

The design team for CHICKEN & BISCUITS includes Antonio Troy Ferron (Scenic Design); Dede Ayite (Costume Design); Jared Gooding (Lighting Design); UptownWorks: Bailey Trierweiler, Daniela Hart, Noel Nichols (Sound Design); Rasean Davonté Johnson (Projection Design); and Michelle Hart (Hair/Wig & Make-Up Design).

The cast features La Shawn Banks as Reginald Mabry, Dreaa Kay Baudy as La'Trice Franklin, Rasell Holt as Kenny Mabry, Tracey Conyer Lee as Baneatta Mabry, Dean Linnard as Logan Leibowitz, Candice McKoy as Brianna Jenkins, Jasmine Rush as Beverly Jenkins and Imani Lee Williams as Simone Mabry.

The understudies are Jasmyn Ackah, Joe Ayers, Kathy-Ann Hart, Ashley McCauley Moore and Ibukun J. Omotowa.

"I am looking forward to our hilarious journey in rehearsal," said Jones. "Asolo Rep has been a home base for my career, and I know Sarasota will LOVE THIS!"

CHICKEN & BISCUITS contains mature content and language.

CHICKEN & BISCUITS runs Feb. 15 - April 13. Previews are Feb. 15 - 16. Visit asolorep.org for a full performance schedule. Orchestra and Mezzanine seats start at $65 and Balcony seats start at $33. Tickets are available now in person at Asolo Rep's Box Office at 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, by phone at 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, or online at asolorep.org.

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