MCC casts School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play

MCC Theater has announced complete casting for the upcoming world premiere of Jocelyn Bioh's School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, directed by Tony winner Rebecca Taichman, which begins previews at off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre on November 2, 2017, before an official opening on November 19 and a limited run through to December 10, 2017.

The cast of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play includes (in alphabetical order) Nabiyah Be (as Ericka Boafo), MaameYaa Boafo (as Paulina Sarpong), Paige Gilbert (as Gifty), Obie Award winner Zainab Jah (as Eloise Amponsah), Nike Kadri (as Ama), Abena Mensah-Bonsu (as Nana), Mirirai Sithole (as Mercy) and Lortel Award nominee Myra Lucretia Taylor (as Headmistress Francis).

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

The creative team behind School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play has also been announced and features scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Palmer Hefferan, and dialect coaching by Deborah Hecht.

MCC Theater's 2017-2018 Off-Broadway season also includes the current New York premiere of Charm, written by Philip Dawkins and directed by Will Davis, the world premiere of Relevance, written by JC Lee and directed by Tony nominee Liesl Tommy, the world premiere of Lucy Thurber's Transfers, directed by Jackson Gay, and the world premiere of Neil LaBute's Reasons to be Pretty Happy - the final play of his 'reasons' trilogy - directed by Leigh Silverman.