Arden Theatre Company Brings Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Winner Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel–A Beautiful Portrait–To The Stage October 24
PHILADELPHIA, PA | October 2, 2024 –Philadelphia-based Arden Theatre Company (40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106) presents the second production of its 2024/25 season with two-time Pulitzer-winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel on the Arcadia Stage. Intimate Apparel is based on the life of Nottage’s great-grandmother, a seamstress at the turn of the 20th century. Directed by Amina Robinson, the first Black woman to win a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for The Color Purple, the powerful production unfolds with previews beginning October 24, opening night October 30, with performances through December 1.
The time is 1905. The place, the Lower East Side. Sewing beautiful lingerie gives Esther Mills, an African American seamstress, an intimate look at the lives of her clientele, but she yearns for a story of her own. The Arden returns to the work of Lynn Nottage after the popular 2023 run of Nottage’s sandwich shop comedy, Clyde’s, for this moving portrait of love, resilience, and the rich tapestry of life directed Barrymore Award-winner Amina Robinson.
“Lynn Nottage is one of the greatest playwrights of our generation,” says director Amina Robinson. “She writes with a skillfully poetic pen and penchant for creating fully realized, and beautifully intricate humans. Intimate Apparel is no exception. In fact, the language, story, characters, and structure of this piece itself, is an exercise in exploring the innermost complexities of desire, fear, and longing that drive us in life. Set in New York 1905, the story of Esther is equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, begging the question, ‘What are you willing to risk to get what you want out of life?’”
This stellar cast features Brandi Porter (Esther), Zuhairah (Mrs. Dickson), Akeem Davis (George), Julianna Zinkel (Mrs. Van Buren), David Pica (Mr. Marks), and Jessica Johnson (Mayme).
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES:
Lynn Nottage (Playwright) is a playwright, a screenwriter and installation artist. She is the first, and remains the only, woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice. Her plays have been produced widely in the United States and throughout the world including the Broadway show, MJ the Musical. She was commissioned by The Met to adapt her play Intimate Apparel into an opera which had a PBS Great Performances feature in 2022. Nottage’s acclaimed pieces include Sweat, which moved to Broadway after a successful run at The Public Theater, and Ruined, which garnered multiple awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. She co-founded Market Road Films, producing award-winning documentaries and series like Netflix’s revival of She’s Gotta Have It. A recipient of numerous prestigious honors, including a MacArthur Fellowship and a TIME 100 recognition, Nottage is also a professor at Columbia School of the Arts.
Amina Robinson (Director) is an actor, director, and professor of acting and musical theatre at Temple University. Robinsons has directed a number of shows at the Arden, including Once on This Island, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and 74 Seconds…To Judgement. Regionally, Robinson has directed productions at Theatre Horizon, Azuka Theatre, Queens Theatre, and The Lantern Theatre. Robinson is nominated for two Barrymore Awards for both Outstanding Direction of a Play for Fat Ham and a musical Once on This Island for the 2023-24 Season.
Philadelphia-based award-winning actor Akeem Davis (George) is well known to the Arden audience for his roles in the theatre’s recent production of The Lehman Trilogy (Mayer Lehman), A Streetcar Named Desire (Mitch), Tiny Beautiful Things (Writer #1), Gem of the Ocean (Citizen Barlow), and A Doll’s House (Krogstad), for which he won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Davis’ regional work includes roles at The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Folger Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, People’s Light, Theatre Horizon, and Simpatico Theatre. Davis was also the recipient of the 2015 F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist.
Zuhairah (Mrs. Dickson) is an award-winning actress who has previously appeared at the Arden in Radio Golf (Mame Wilks), A Streetcar Named Desire (Neighbor/Nurse), and Gem of the Ocean (Aunt Ester), for which she won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Ensemble. McGill has performed in shows at local theatres, including Bristol Riverside Theatre, Fulton Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Azuka Theatre, and Theatre Horizon.
Julianna Zinkel (Mrs. Van Buren) has performed numerous times at the Arden in As You Like It (Celia), Rabbit Hole (Izzy), Crime and Punishment (Sonya/Katarina/Lizaveta), Stick Fly (Kimber), Charlotte’s Web (Mrs Arable/Goose/Narrator), 74 Seconds… To Judgment (Kim), and Under the Skin (Raina). Regionally, Zinkel has starred in productions at People’s Light, Wilma Theatre, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, and Theatre Exile.
New York City-based actor and singer, Brandi Porter (she/her/hers) (Esther) makes her Arden debut. Porter’s been seen in various Broadway productions, including the 2023 revival of Purlie Victorious (Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins u/s), Clyde’s (OBC) (Letitia u/s), and A Bronx Tale (Swing & Jane u/s). Porter has performed in shows regionally, including the regional premiere of Ain’t No Mo’ (Passenger 4) in which she received a Helen Hayes Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor at Wooly (Woolly) Mammoth Theatre Company, Baltimore Centerstage, Bristol Valley Theatre, Playhouse on Park, and Fiddlehead Theatre Company.
Philadelphia-based actor and educator David Pica (he/him)(Mr. Marks) has previously appeared at the Arden in Macbeth (Understudy) and Every Brilliant Thing (Understudy). Pica’s regional work includes roles at Azuka Theatre, Lantern Theatre Company, Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company, and Theatre Exile.
Jessica Johnson (Mayme) is an award-winning actress who has performed a number of times at the Arden in POTUS (Chris), Once on This Island (Papa Ge), Ragtime (Sarah’s friend), and The Legend of Georgia McBride (Jo). Johnson’s regional work includes roles at Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA, for which she won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical as Celie in Theatre Horizon’s 2018 production of The Color Purple, Walnut Street Theatre, and Gretna Theatre in Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania.
The production design team includes Maureen Henighan Booker (Assistant Director), Alec E. Ferrell (Stage Manager), Alyssandra Docherty (Lighting Designer), Leigh Paradise (Costume Designer), Andrew Cohen (Set Designer), and Damien Figueras (Sound Designer).
Intimate Apparel begins October 24, opens October 30, and runs through December 1. The Opening Night sponsor is Harmelin Media, and our Honorary Producer is Rayenne Chen. Single ticket prices vary by performance and start at $37. Tickets are available online at ardentheatre.org, by phone at 215.922.1122, or at the box office at Arden Theatre Company (40 N. 2nd Street).
SPECIAL EVENTS AND PERFORMANCES FOR INTIMATE APPAREL INCLUDE:
Post-Show Talkback| Monday, November 11, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Join a member of Arden’s artist team for post-show talkbacks
Teen Night | Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 7 p.m.
$15 tickets and a post-show talkback for Teens 13 – 18 years old. Click here to purchase tickets.
Young Friends Night! | Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Use code: YFARDEN for $30 tickets (Arden Young Friends is designed for audience members 40 and under and includes a pre-show networking event). Click here to purchase tickets.
Post-Show Talkback| Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Join a member of Arden’s artist team for post-show talkbacks
Smart Caption Glasses | Starting Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Wearable, customizable Closed Captioning Glasses are available to reserve for performances. Click here to learn more.
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