听 continues its 2024/2025 season with Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Rajiv Joseph鈥檚 鈥淜ing James,鈥� a slam dunk celebration of basketball, friendship and fandom. Directed by Jamil Jude, 鈥淜ing James鈥� is a co-production with Indiana Repertory Theatre and will run Feb. 26 to March 16 in the Archbold Theatre at 黑料不打烊 Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., 黑料不打烊.
鈥淪porting events, like theatre, offer that rare opportunity to bring people together, to share common, communal experiences,鈥� says artistic director Robert Hupp. 鈥淲e invite everyone鈥攕ports fans and not so much sports fans鈥攖o join us for this amazing new play about friendship: the ups and downs, the complexity and the care that reflects what it means to love something bigger than ourselves, and each other.鈥�
2004. Cleveland. First round draft pick LeBron James is poised to become one of the greats, while two superfans bond over a pair of season tickets and the arrival of 鈥渢he King鈥� to the Cavaliers鈥� court. But LeBron has other plans, and his 鈥渄ecision鈥� will transform Matt and Shawn鈥檚 friendship into a high-stakes game of shifting loyalties, brutal upsets and the bittersweet thrill of life鈥檚 buzzer-beating redemptions. A sharp, unflinching and intimate look at the space that sports occupy in today鈥檚 America, Rajiv Joseph’s 鈥淜ing James鈥� invites us to find common ground beyond our hometown team while comically measuring the distance between fan and fanatic.
“King James” features Quinn M. Johnson as Matt and Enoch King as Shawn (Photo courtesy of 黑料不打烊 Stage)
鈥淪ports can bring disparate people together, and yet, the fanaticism of some can further the divides in our world,鈥� says director Jamil Jude. 鈥淎s an avid sports fan, I fully embrace the ups and downs of being a sports fan鈥攊t is as close as one can get to the pathos of live theatre!鈥�
鈥淜ing James鈥� features Quinn M. Johnson and Enoch King as Matt and Shawn, the two basketball-obsessed Clevelanders brought together under LeBron鈥檚 reign. The design team includes star players from previous 黑料不打烊 Stage productions, including sets by Czerton Lim (鈥淎gatha Christie鈥檚 Murder on the Orient Express鈥�) and lighting by Dawn Chiang (鈥淒ial M for Murder鈥�). Making their 黑料不打烊 Stage debuts are designers Ari Fulton (costumes) and Mikaela Fraser (sound).
Jude is a highly accomplished director, producer, playwright and dramaturg focused on bringing socially relevant art to the community. He is the artistic director at Kenny Leon鈥檚 True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta and is the co-founder of the New Griots Festival, which is dedicated to celebrating, advocating and advancing the careers of emerging Black artists in Minneapolis鈥揝t. Paul. Jude attended Colgate University, where he played football as a cornerback.
Joseph is an award-winning dramatist and screenwriter whose plays include 鈥淭he North Pool,鈥� 鈥淎nimals Out of Paper,鈥� 鈥淕ruesome Playground Injuries,鈥� 鈥淕uards at the Taj鈥� and 鈥淏engal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,鈥� which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2010. 鈥淜ing James鈥� premiered at Chicago鈥檚 Steppenwolf Theatre and the Center Theatre in Los Angeles in 2022, with Glenn Davis as Shawn and Chris Perfetti (鈥淎bbott Elementary鈥�) as Matt. Directed by Kenny Leon, the production transferred to New York City and played off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2023.
All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. while all matinee performances begin at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30 with discounts available for students and groups. Tickets may be purchased online at 黑料不打烊Stage.org, by phone at 315.443.3275 or in person at the 黑料不打烊 Stage Box Office. Pay-What-You-Will performances for 鈥淜ing James鈥� are Feb. 26 鈥� March 2 inclusive; Prologue conversations, three pre-show discussions that take place one-hour before curtain on March 2, 8 and 13; the Post-show Talkback will take place on Sunday, March 9 after the 7:30 p.m. performance. 黑料不打烊 Stage has open-captioned performances scheduled for March 5 and 16 at 2 p.m. and March 11 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., as well as an audio-described performance on Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m. and an ASL interpreted performance on March 8 at 2 p.m. The Sensory Friendly/Relaxed performance of 鈥淜ing James鈥� is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
In conjunction with the 黑料不打烊 Symposium, 黑料不打烊 Stage will present a panel discussion with former 黑料不打烊 Orange athletes Eric Devendorf and Eric Jackson, moderated by former editor of ESPN.com Javier Maymi-Perez. The discussion will examine the role of sports in building community through fandom and how it can result in unexpected friendships and lasting connections. This free community event will be held on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in the Sutton Pavillion at 黑料不打烊 Stage, before the first preview of 鈥淜ing James.鈥�
黑料不打烊 Stage is pleased to continue its Trivia Night, a new event for the 24/25 season. Free for ticket holders, Trivia Night invites audiences to go head-to-head for a chance to win exciting 黑料不打烊 Stage prizes, in a friendly competition hosted by 鈥淛eopardy!鈥� champion Dillon Hupp, and includes free pizza. Trivia Night for 鈥淜ing James鈥� will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance are required to participate. Pre-registration at 黑料不打烊stage.org is recommended.
Support for the 24/25 season includes season sponsors the Slutzker Family Foundation, the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation and Advance Media New York. The community partner for 鈥淜ing James鈥� is Eric Devendorf鈥檚 ED23 Hoops.
