Theater News

Activist Play As Much as I Can Announces Casting for New York Run

The piece, which explores the HIV epidemic in the black community, will offer 10 performances at Joe’s Pub.

Brandon Gill joins the principal cast of As Much as I Can for its run at Joe's Pub this September.
Brandon Gill joins the principal cast of As Much as I Can for its run at Joe's Pub this September.
(© David Gordon)

Harley & Co. has announced principal casting for As Much as I Can, a piece of activist, experiential theater by Sarah Hall and directed by James Andrew Walsh. As Much as I Can will play 10 performances at Joe's Pub from September 12-16 (two shows nightly at 7pm and 9:30pm).

The principal cast of As Much as I Can will feature Stephanie Berry (Gloria: A Life), Brandon Gill (Holler If Ya Hear Me), Cory Gibson (Tell It to the Judge), Dimitri Moïse (The Book of Mormon), Marquis Johnson (ART's Burn All Night), Vasthy Mompoint (The Prom), and Dawn L. Troupe (Moby Dick). The show will also feature Jason C. Brown, Christian O. Jiménez, Joel Hurt Jones, Jasmine Rush, P.J. Johnnie, and James Watson. Gibson, Johnnie, and Watson are all original cast members who have been part of the project for three years. Casting is by Stephanie Yankwitt, CSA, Margaret Dunn and Mary Baynard at TBD Casting.

As Much as I Can was created in collaboration with hundreds of gay and bisexual black men from Jackson, Mississippi, and Baltimore who shared their personal stories. Designed to mobilize communities to respond to the terrible fact that black men have, and continue to be, disproportionately infected and affected by HIV, the show's original staging was fully immersive. Audience members moved from room to room with the actors. At Joe's Pub, it will be staged to reflect the production's intent to blur the lines between theatricality and reality.

Following a day in the life of a group of friends, the play introduces the audience to a tight-knit community where the church is ever present, family is complicated, and history is hard to escape. It asks viewers to consider the power of belonging, the challenges of intimacy, and the repercussive effects of systematic prejudice.

Produced by Harley & Co., and supported by ViiV Healthcare, the production is designed by Harley & Co. Additional casting is to be announced.

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As Much as I Can

Closed: September 16, 2019