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May 5 - 27, 2018 , Outcalt Theatre

The Royale

Written by Marco Ramirez
Directed by Robert Barry Fleming

Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Advisory: Strong language

It’s 1910, and Negro Heavyweight Champion Jay “The Sport” Jackson is determined to prove he is equal to his white counterpart—in the ring and in life. Challenging his rival to “The Fight of the Century,” Jay knows that even if he wins the bout, the battle for acceptance won’t end. Inspired by groundbreaking sports legend Jack Johnson, The Royale is an electrifying adrenaline rush that packs an unforgettable punch as it takes you inside Jim Crow America, inside the ring, and inside the head of this remarkable fighter.

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Join us for a CPH Season Extra: Taking A Knee on Sunday, May 27 at 4:00pm, when director Robert Barry Fleming will engage three-time Super Bowl Champion Je'Rod Cherry in a post-show discussion exploring the last century of the African-American professional athlete and how simply by participating in the professional arena, they are perceived as making a political statement.

Photos & Videos Download Hi Res Photos

Foreground: Johnny Ramey (Fish) Background: Preston Butler III (Jay). Photo Credit Scenic Designer Jason Ardizonne-West.

Leo Marks as Max. Photo Credit Scenic Designer Jason Ardizonne-West.

Preston Butler III as Jay Jackson. Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

Nikkole Salter as Nina. Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

From left to right: Leo Marks (Max), Brian D. Coats (Wynton), Preston Butler III (Jay). Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

Preston Butler III as Jay Jackson. Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

From left to right: Preston Butler III (Jay), Brian D. Coats (Wynton), Johnny Ramey (Fish). Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

From left to right: Preston Butler III (Jay), Johnny Ramey (Fish). Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

Preston Butler III as Jay Jackson. Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

Leo Marks as Max. Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

From left to right: Johnny Ramey (Fish) Preston Butler III (Jay). Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

Nikkole Salter as Nina. Photo Credit Roger Mastroianni.

Preston Butler III as Jay Jackson. Photo credit Roger Mastroianni.

Artists

Preston Butler III

Preston Butler III

(Jay) engaging in acting, filmmaking, and music, Preston Butler III has worked with an array of extraordinary artists, including Insecure’s creator and star, Issa Rae, award-winning Chinese director and playwright, Stan Lai, and Def Poetry's, Dahlak Brathwaite. He recently toured with the World Premiere of FORE!, a new play more(Jay) engaging in acting, filmmaking, and music, Preston Butler III has worked with an array of extraordinary artists, including Insecure’s creator and star, Issa Rae, award-winning Chinese director and playwright, Stan Lai, and Def Poetry's, Dahlak Brathwaite. He recently toured with the World Premiere of FORE!, a new play written by the 2017 Relentless Award-winner, Aleshea Harris. Butler garnered international acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his co-creation and performance in the eerily exciting "concert drama" Dead Awaken. Credits include: Gem of the Ocean (South Coast Repertory), FORE! (International Tour), Hecuba (Stella Adler Theater), and Cotton Patch Gospel (American Coast Theater). He is a graduate of the MFA Acting Program at the California Institute of the Arts. Phil 4:13

Brian D. Coats

Brian D. Coats

(Wynton) Off-Broadway includes: La Ruta (Working Theater); The First Noel (CTH/ The Apollo); On the Levee (Lincoln Center/ LCT3); The Merry Wives of Windsor, Two Gentlemen of Verona (Public). Regional: The Nest (Denver Center Theatre); Seven Guitars, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Two River Theater); Fences, A Raisin in the more(Wynton) Off-Broadway includes: La Ruta (Working Theater); The First Noel (CTH/ The Apollo); On the Levee (Lincoln Center/ LCT3); The Merry Wives of Windsor, Two Gentlemen of Verona (Public). Regional: The Nest (Denver Center Theatre); Seven Guitars, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Two River Theater); Fences, A Raisin in the Sun (Geva Theater); Distant Fires (People's Light and Theater); The Wedding Gift, pen/man/ship (Contemporary American Theatre Fest); Count (PlayMakers Rep); and A Christmas Carol (Actors Theatre of Louisville). TV includes: Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, JAG, Blue Bloods, The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Luke Cage, and The Blacklist. Upcoming: Co-Star in Independent Feature Film All The Little Things We Kill.

Leo Marks

Leo Marks

(Max) has performed at leading theaters including A.C.T.’s The Strand, Houston’s Alley Theatre, San Diego’s Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, The Shakespeare Theatre in D.C., Berkeley Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Actors Theater of Louisville, Pasadena Playhouse, Ahmanson Theatre, The Kirk Douglas Theater, The Intiman, Playwrights Horizons, Boston Court, and as more(Max) has performed at leading theaters including A.C.T.’s The Strand, Houston’s Alley Theatre, San Diego’s Old Globe, South Coast Repertory, The Shakespeare Theatre in D.C., Berkeley Repertory, Seattle Repertory, Actors Theater of Louisville, Pasadena Playhouse, Ahmanson Theatre, The Kirk Douglas Theater, The Intiman, Playwrights Horizons, Boston Court, and as Hamlet in Jessica Kubzansky’s acclaimed production. He’s a company member of LA’s Antaeus Theatre Company, and a founding member of New York’s Elevator Repair Service. Awards include an Obie for Heather Woodbury’s Tale of 2 Cities: An American Joyride on Multiple Tracks, and a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Performer of the Year. TV/Film includes the lead in The Maestro, a period feature film set in 1940s LA and the season finale of The Last Tycoon on Amazon. Upcoming projects include Patrick Marber’s Three Days in the Country at Antaeus, and the world premiere of Everything That Never Happened at Boston Court.

Johnny Ramey

Johnny Ramey

(Fish) since graduating from the Juilliard School, Johnny Ramey has had the fortune to be a part of several great projects as an actor, producer, writer, and director working with Cinestories.com, Fusion Cinema, and King Margot Productions. His latest projects: Fatality, Work Party, and Negus he directed, produced, wrote, more(Fish) since graduating from the Juilliard School, Johnny Ramey has had the fortune to be a part of several great projects as an actor, producer, writer, and director working with Cinestories.com, Fusion Cinema, and King Margot Productions. His latest projects: Fatality, Work Party, and Negus he directed, produced, wrote, and starred in, have been, and will show at major North American & international festivals. Johnny won the highly sought after Helen Hayes Award for Superior Donuts, The Irene Diamond Excellence in Acting Award, and recently the Lead Actor Award for his film Laser Wolf at the Philadelphia Film Festival. Also, for his role in The Whipping Man, he was nominated by Broadway World. He recently made his Broadway debut with The Liquid Plain, and his Los Angeles debut of The City of Conversation at the Wallis Anneberg Theater this past year. His latest TV/Film credits include: Forever, Twelfth Night, Rage Room, Royal Pains, Most Likely to Die, and New Year’s Eve. Stay updated with Johnny @jramesjr

Nikkole Salter

Nikkole Salter

(Nina) is an Obie Award-winning actress and writer who arrived onto the professional scene with her co-authorship and co-performance (with Danai Gurira) of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play In the Continuum, for which she received Obie and Outer Critics Circle Awards, among others. It was pronounced by New York Times, more(Nina) is an Obie Award-winning actress and writer who arrived onto the professional scene with her co-authorship and co-performance (with Danai Gurira) of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play In the Continuum, for which she received Obie and Outer Critics Circle Awards, among others. It was pronounced by New York Times, Newsday, and New York Magazine as one of the best plays of 2005, and was featured in numerous esteemed media outlets including Essence Magazine, American Theatre Magazine, the LA Times, and NPR. Ms. Salter has written six full-length plays, been commissioned for full-length work by six institutions, been produced on three continents in five countries, and been published in 12 international publications. Her work has appeared in over 20 Off-Broadway, regional, and international theatres, and the Crossroads Theatre production of her play Repairing a Nation (directed by Marshall Jones III) was regionally aired on TV in New York. The National Black Theatre production of her play Carnaval was nominated for seven Audelco Awards and won for Best Ensemble Performance. Ms. Salter is a 2014 MAP Fund Grant recipient, Eugene O'Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference semi-finalist, USA Fellowship nominee, and two-time Playwrights of New York Fellowship nominee. She is currently working on commissions from Woolly Mammoth and the National New Play Network/Cleveland Public Theatre, and was selected to write the television adaptation of Claude Brown's New York Times Bestselling novel, Manchild in the Promised Land. Ms. Salter can currently be seen onstage in Cleveland Play House’s production of The Royale.

Jason Ardizzone-West

(Scenic Designer) is an Emmy Award-winning set & production designer based in New York. Recent work includes: The Royale (CPH); Good Grief (The Vineyard); Uncle Vanya (Old Globe & Hunter Theatre Project); Jesus Christ Superstar Live (NBC – Emmy Award & ADG Nomination); One Thousand Nights and One Day more(Scenic Designer) is an Emmy Award-winning set & production designer based in New York. Recent work includes: The Royale (CPH); Good Grief (The Vineyard); Uncle Vanya (Old Globe & Hunter Theatre Project); Jesus Christ Superstar Live (NBC – Emmy Award & ADG Nomination); One Thousand Nights and One Day (Prospect Theater); Illyria, The Gabriel Family Plays (The Public Theater, with Susan Hilferty); Lana Del Rey (World Tour); Circus, Wandering City (BAM Next Wave); Next To Normal and Caroline, Or Change (Tantrum Theater); Bullets Over Broadway (National Tour, NETworks Presentations); Adele, Live in NYC (NBC, with Es Devlin). Jason received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University, College of Architecture, Art & Planning, a Masters of Fine Arts from New York University, Department of Design for Stage & Film, and is a member of USA 829. Visit ardizzonewest.com for recent work and more information.

Ananias J. Dixon

Alan C. Edwards

(Lighting Designer) selected light and/or set design credits include: The Royale, The Mountaintop (Cleveland Play House). Regional: Chad Deity (Asolo Rep, Miami New Drama); Lights Out: Nat King Cole (People’s Light); Stagger Lee (Dallas Theater Center); Henry IV p2, Fingersmith (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Twisted Melodies (Centerstage Baltimore); Proud To more(Lighting Designer) selected light and/or set design credits include: The Royale, The Mountaintop (Cleveland Play House). Regional: Chad Deity (Asolo Rep, Miami New Drama); Lights Out: Nat King Cole (People’s Light); Stagger Lee (Dallas Theater Center); Henry IV p2, Fingersmith (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Twisted Melodies (Centerstage Baltimore); Proud To Present (The Guthrie); Sweeney Todd (Connecticut Repertory Theatre); Detroit '67 (Chautauqua Institute); The Piano Lesson, A Delicate Balance (Yale Rep); Hedwig & the Angry Inch (Yale Cabaret); Maria de Buenos Aires (Mill City Opera); Acis & Galatea (Madison Opera); Carmen (Tri-Cities Opera). Off-Broadway in New York: Harry Clarke (Vineyard) [Lucille Lortel Award]; Kill Move Paradise [Drama Desk Nom.], Crowndation, Carnaval (National Black Theatre); The First Noel, Antigone, Macbeth, The Tempest, Dutchman (Classical Theatre of Harlem). Broadway: Assoc. LD to Jennifer Tipton: The Testament of Mary. He received his MFA in design from the Yale School of Drama. alancedwards.com

Robert Barry Fleming

Robert Barry Fleming

(Director) formerly the Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage, currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director at Cleveland Play House and has been named the incoming Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville (June 1, 2019). Some of his most recent directing/choreography credits include: Ken Ludwig's Sherwood: The more(Director) formerly the Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage, currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director at Cleveland Play House and has been named the incoming Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville (June 1, 2019). Some of his most recent directing/choreography credits include: Ken Ludwig's Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Royale, Between Riverside and Crazy (CPH); Next to Normal and Caroline, or Change (Tantrum Theater); and Destiny of Desire (OSF). Arena Stage world-premieres commissioned, developed, and/or championed under his watch include the 2017 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Dear Evan Hansen; Mary Kathryn Nagle’s Sovereignty; John Strand’s The Originalist; Katori Hall’s Blood Quilt; Karen Zacarías’ Destiny of Desire; 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner, Sweat by Lynn Nottage; and the upcoming Roundabout production of Toni Stone by Lydia Diamond. He directed the 2018 CPH New Ground Theatre Festival reading of the new musical, Minton's Place, by acclaimed contemporary music composer, Nolan Williams, Jr. with libretto by Pulitzer-Prize-nominated playwright, Nikkole Salter. Robert was an Associate Producer for the Off-Broadway premiere of The Two Character Play by Tennessee Williams. He was also an Associate Professor (tenured) and Chair of the University of San Diego Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Department. Select acting credits include Broadway: Ragtime directed by Frank Galati, Stand-up Tragedy directed by the late Ron Link; Off-Broadway: Insurrection: Holding History by Robert O'Hara at The Public, and joining AEA with the national tour of Cats (Original Bus and Truck and German companies). Regional: The Old Globe, The Guthrie, A Contemporary Theater, The Mark Taper Forum with the world premiere of George C. Wolfe's Jelly's Last Jam. TV: The Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel series Adventures in Wonderland, Family Matters, The George Carlin Show. Film: The Oscar Award-winning L.A. Confidential and Twilight of the Golds. robertbarryfleming.com

Toni-Leslie James

(Costume Designer) Broadway: Come From Away, Amazing Grace, Lucky Guy, The Scottsboro Boys, Finian’s Rainbow, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, King Hedley II, One Mo’ Time, The Wild Party, Marie Christine, Footloose, The Tempest, Twilight: Los Angeles, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Perestoika, and more(Costume Designer) Broadway: Come From Away, Amazing Grace, Lucky Guy, The Scottsboro Boys, Finian’s Rainbow, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, King Hedley II, One Mo’ Time, The Wild Party, Marie Christine, Footloose, The Tempest, Twilight: Los Angeles, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Perestoika, and Jilly’s Last Jam. Awards: Tony nomination, three Drama Desk nominations, six Lucille Lortel nominations, Hewes Design Award, Irene Sharaff Young Masters Award, and the 2009 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Costume Design.

KJ Johnson

Lisa Langford

Michael Morgan

(Dialect Coach) is currently a studio professor at UCSB where he teaches voice, speech, stage dialects, scansion, and text. He has taught and coached productions at Penn State, Yale School of Drama, Yale Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Temple University, La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare and Company, Walnut Street Theater, more(Dialect Coach) is currently a studio professor at UCSB where he teaches voice, speech, stage dialects, scansion, and text. He has taught and coached productions at Penn State, Yale School of Drama, Yale Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Temple University, La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare and Company, Walnut Street Theater, Theatre Conservatorium in Brussels, Royal Conservatoire in Liege, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Arena Stage, Neighborhood Playhouse, University of Hawaii, American Academy of Dramatic Art, UCSD, Pepperdine University, and Cal Arts. He is a Fitzmaurice Associate teacher, and a designated Linklater teacher. He is also the creator of applied theater initiatives that support the voices of marginalized populations including The Odyssey Project with incarcerated youth and The Going Home project with homeless youth.

Maryann Morris

(Stage Manager) is a Cleveland native who also proudly Stage Manages. Recent mainstage works include Every Brilliant Thing, Pipeline, CPH’s Borderlight reading of Our Dad is in Atlantis, Native Gardens, An Iliad, The Royale, The Diary of Anne Frank, ASM’ed The Good Peaches, hand-over SM’ed A Christmas Story and more(Stage Manager) is a Cleveland native who also proudly Stage Manages. Recent mainstage works include Every Brilliant Thing, Pipeline, CPH’s Borderlight reading of Our Dad is in Atlantis, Native Gardens, An Iliad, The Royale, The Diary of Anne Frank, ASM’ed The Good Peaches, hand-over SM’ed A Christmas Story and Sweat, and ASM’ed How I Learned to Drive, as well as Stage Managing several CPH New Ground Theatre works such as Grand Concourse and Fairfield. Other current and recent collaborations include Letters from Zora featuring Vanessa Bell Calloway at Karamu House, Havana Hop with Paige Hernandez, Eric Schmiedl’s stage adaptation of the graphic novel Incognegro by Mat Johnson, My Mother Has 4 Noses with Jonatha Brooke, The Dazzle Awards at Playhouse Square, and May 4th Voices presented by The Maltz Museum of Jewish History and Kent State University's Democracy Symposium.

Jane Shaw

(Sound Designer) for Cleveland Play House: Sweat; The Royale; Shakespeare in Love (original music); All the Way; Steel Magnolias; The Crucible; The Little Foxes; Grounded; A Carol for Cleveland; and In the Next Room, or the vibrator play. Her credits include Engagement Party (Hartford Stage), Actually (MTC), Annie Get more(Sound Designer) for Cleveland Play House: Sweat; The Royale; Shakespeare in Love (original music); All the Way; Steel Magnolias; The Crucible; The Little Foxes; Grounded; A Carol for Cleveland; and In the Next Room, or the vibrator play. Her credits include Engagement Party (Hartford Stage), Actually (MTC), Annie Get Your Gun (Bay Street), They Promised Her the Moon (Old Globe), Oo Bla Dee (Two River), and productions at Theatre for a New Audience, New York Theatre Workshop, the Mint Theater, Asolo, Northern Stage, Dorset Theater Festival, and American Repertory Theater. Ms. Shaw’s sound designs have earned a Drama Desk, Bessie Award, Henry Award, Connecticut Critics Circle Awards, Premios ACE 2012, Meet the Composer grant, Theatre Communication Group's Career Development Program and nominations for two Lortels, Henry Hewes and Elliot Norton awards. She was born in Kansas and lives in Brooklyn.

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