Malcolm x and redd foxx washing dishes at jimmy’s chicken shack in harlem
By Jonathan Norton
Performances
Sunday, JuNE 16 at 2pm–The medium
Sunday, JuNE 23 at 5pm–TheatreSquared
About the play
1943. Two young Harlemites—Little and Foxy—form a friendship over leftover fried chicken and dirty dishwater. But a long, hot summer of heartbreak, betrayal, and racial uprisings moves them closer to the men they will become and farther from each other. Commissioned by TheatreSquared.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Jonathan Norton (he/him)’s work has been produced and developed at Dallas Theater Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, LaJolla Playhouse, TheatreSquared, Primary Stages, Company One, National New Play Network, PlayPenn, Pyramid Theatre Company, Black and Latino Playwrights Conference, Kitchen Dog Theater, Undermain Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Soul Rep, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Jacob's Pillow and The Joyce Theater. Jonathan's play Mississippi Goddamn was a finalist for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award and won the 2016 M. Elizabeth Osborn Award. The play was commissioned and developed by the South Dallas Cultural Center. He is a member of The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages.
ABOUT the CAST & cREATIVE TEAM
Dexter J. Singleton (Director) most recently directed A Christmas Carol at TheatreSquared. He is a director, producer, activist, and educator from Detroit, MI. He is currently the Director of New Play Development at TheatreSquared and the Executive Artistic Director of Collective Consciousness Theatre (CCT), a multicultural theatre for social justice in New Haven, CT. Since 2007, Collective Consciousness Theatre has reached thousands of youth and adults with plays and workshops across the U.S. and Europe. They have produced the work of playwrights Dominique Morisseau, Idris Goodwin, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Katori Hall and many others. As a director, Dexter’s work has been seen at TheatreSquared, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Playhouse on Park, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, University of Michigan, University of Arkansas, Long Wharf Theatre, and many others. Recent credits include Detroit ‘67, Blood At The Root, Kill Move Paradise, Sweat, Skeleton Crew, North of Forbes, Baton, The Mountaintop, and Topdog/Underdog. He is a member of the Artistic Ensemble at Long Wharf Theatre and a former Visiting Assistant Professor of Performance at the University of Connecticut. He was recently awarded the 2021 BroadwayWorld Regional Award for Best Director of a Streaming Production for his work on Kill Move Paradise. He is also the recipient of the 2019 Artistic Excellence Award from the State of Connecticut and Distinguished Director of a Play for Black Book from The Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival.
Harlie Gann-Egan (Stage Manager) returns to Theatre Squared after working on Fat Ham (ASM). Previous TheatreSquared ASM credits include Cambodian Rock Band, A Christmas Carol, The Band’s Visit, and Violet. Other credits include: crew on FLEX (TheatreSquared); SM for Arrivals & Salidas (LatinX Theatre Project); SM for The Rivals and Guilt/Less (Bridges/Larson Theatre). She received their B.A. in theatre at the University of Central Arkansas, where they stage managed, assistant stage managed, and acted in various productions.
Edwin Green (Little) returns to TheatreSquared where he previously played Eli in At The Wedding and is currently playing Tucker in the world premiere production of Responders (running at T2 June 5th-30th). Edwin performed in New York City as Malcolm X in Primary Stages' staged reading of Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy's Chicken Shack in Harlem. Edwin's credits include Ejlert Lovborg in Hedda Gabler and Alan in God of Carnage (University of Arkansas) and Macbeth/Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (SHSU). In 2022, Edwin wrote and starred in his one-person show titled Memento Mori. He holds a BFA in acting and directing fronm Sam Houston State University and an MFA in acting from the University of Arkansas.
Trey Smith (Foxy) returns to TheatreSquared, where he previously played Effie in the staged reading of I Am Deliverd’t, Alex in Kim’s Convenience, and Trey in The Poe Show. Most recently, Trey performed in New York City as Redd Foxx in Primary Stages’ staged reading of Malcom X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem. Trey’s acting credits include JD in Heathers (Arkansas Sings); Tristan in This Bitch, Booth in Topdog/Underdog, Orcus in She Kills Monsters, Belize in Angels in America, and Dr. King in The Mountaintop (University of Arkansas). He holds a BA in theatre and an MEd in higher education from the University of Arkansas.