Jocelyn Bioh to Join Cast of Her Play School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play for Four Performances

Actor and Tony Award-nominated playwright Jocelyn Bioh will join the cast of her own play School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play for four performances only, October 9-11, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Bioh will step into the role of pageant recruiter Eloise Amponsah while Tony Award winner Patina Miller, who usually plays the role, is out due to a pre-planned commitment.

Bioh’s acting credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and the Branden Jacobs-Jenkins play Everybody, for which she received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination.

School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play is directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Whitney White, who also directed Bioh’s play Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.

In addition to Miller, the cast includes Lucia Aremu as Ama, Tony Award nominee Denée Benton as Paulina Sarpong, Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Award nominee Erin Morton as Nana, Nia Otchere-Sarfo as Gifty, Jordan Rice as Mercy, Tony Award nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers as Ericka Boafo, and Obie Award winner Heather Alicia Simms as Headmistress Francis.

The creative team includes scenic designer Teresa L. Williams, Tony Award-winning costume designer Qween Jean, Tony Award-nominated lighting designer Stacey Derosier, Tony Award-winning sound designer Cody Spencer, wig, hair, and makeup designer Nikiya Mathis, and dialect coach Dawn-Elin Fraser.