Jeremiah W. Birkett, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Jenny Jules, et al. Set for Ruined at Arena Stage

Arena Stage has announced casting for its production of Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Ruined, at the Mead Center for American Theater, April 22-June 5. Charles Randolph-Wright will direct.

The play is set in war-torn Congo, as Mama Nadi keeps the peace between customers on both sides of the civil war by serving everything from cold beers to warm beds. This shrewd matriarch both protects and profits from the women whose bodies have become battlegrounds “ruined” by the brutality of government soldiers and rebel forces alike.

The principal cast will include Jenny Jules as Mama Nadi, Jeremiah W. Birkett as Christian, Rachael Holmes as Sophie, Donnetta Lavinia Grays as Salima, Lawrence Redmond as Mr. Harari, Jamairais Malone as Josephine, and Psalmayene 24 as Fortune.

This production also includes an ensemble comprised of University of Maryland students from various areas of study. Performers will include Jamar Brown, Ellentinya I. Dodd, Thony Mena, Jason Phillips, David Samuel, Anastasia Stewart and Hectorlyne P. Wuor, with student coordination by Renee Nyack.

The production also features live music onstage, with cast members David Foreman on percussion, Mongezi Ntaka and Ralph Waldo Robertson on guitar, and Daniel Ssuuna on traditional African instruments.

The creative team will include set designer Alexander V. Nichols, costume designer ESosa, lighting designer Michael Gilliam, sound designer and composer Lindsay Jones, music director Mongezi Ntaka, and fight director Rob Hunter.

For tickets and more information, click here.