THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF WORLD PREMIERE OF MFONISO UDOFIA’S THE GROVE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Jaques, Publicist
617-273-1520
PHOTOS available for download here
Members of the press, RSVP here
THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF WORLD PREMIERE OF MFONISO UDOFIA’S THE GROVE
Boston’s citywide Ufot Family Cycle continues with the second play in the series, now following Abasiama’s daughter as she grapples with questions of identity and heritage
(BOSTON) – The Huntington continues the sweeping nine-play Ufot Family Cycle and announces the cast and creative team of The Grove, the stirring and timely play written by Mfoniso Udofia and directed by Awoye Timpo (The Bluest Eye at The Huntington). A world premiere and the second play in Boston’s epic nine-play Ufot Family Cycle, The Grove runs from Friday, February 7 – Sunday, March 9, 2025 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St).
When Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco joined The Huntington in 2022, she brought with her a longstanding partnership and friendship with playwright Mfoniso Udofia, and a vision for producing the complete Ufot Family Cycle in the Boston area – a festival marked by radical collaboration with an unprecedented scale and scope across our city. After two years of planning and leadership from The Huntington, all nine of the Ufot Family Cycle plays are being produced in Greater Boston by 30+ partners over two seasons, starting with the Huntington productions of Sojourners and The Grove.
“Much like August Wilson’s cycle plays, each play within Mfoniso’s cycle stands brilliantly on its own, prompting new questions, ideas, and conversations,” says Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco. “The Grove leaps forward in time and invites us to Abasiama’s daughter, Adiaha’s grad school graduation party complete with the magnificently interwoven dreams and hopes of her parents, uncles, siblings, and friends.”
In The Grove, playwright Mfoniso Udofia tells the story of a family homecoming, asking how we draw on the wisdom and beauty of our ancestors when the bonds of family are stretched to the limit. Abasiama’s eldest daughter Adiaha believes that becoming a writer can make her family proud, but at her graduation party, she has to choose whether to fulfill her parents’ desires or stay true to her own dreams. Director Awoye Timpo (The Bluest Eye at The Huntington) reunites with longtime collaborator Udofia for this story of a young woman coming into herself, with the rich heart of a family drama against the thrilling theatrical backdrop of a Greek chorus of ancestors.
“The second play in the Ufot Family Cycle, The Grove, holds a special place in my heart as it was the first play I ever wrote,” says playwright Mfoniso Udofia. “Following Adiaha, Abasiama’s daughter, as she navigates coming of age, The Grove explores the delicate balance between personal desires and the traditions of the close-knit Nigerian community she holds dear.”
Director Awoye Timpo reunites with longtime collaborator Mfoniso Udofia for a play with the rich heart of a family drama told with the support of a theatrically thrilling chorus of ancestors. The story picks up a couple decades after the 1970s action of Sojourners, finding Nigerian immigrants Abasiama and Disciple Ufot living with their family in Worcester, Massachusetts. Whether audience members are continuing the Ufot family’s journey, or beginning it here, there are a host of multi-generational characters to enjoy meeting in The Grove.
The Grove was commissioned and developed by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company. The script also received development support at New Dramatists through the Bucket List Initiative, a program supported by a grant from Venturous Theatre Fund of Tides Foundation, and received a presentation as part of The Other Season at Seattle Repertory Theatre 2016-2017. The Huntington’s 2025 production marks the first time the piece will be fully produced and shared with audiences. The Huntington’s production of The Grove is supported in part by the Barr Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The cast of The Grove includes:
Patrice Johnson Chevannes as Abasiama Ufot, the Ufot family matriarch, holding a quiet strength. Credits include: Racing Demon and The Crucible on Broadway, and Endgame at Irish Rep.
Abigail C. Onwunali as Adiaha Ufot, Abasiama and Disciple’s eldest daughter, home from grad school and grappling with her identity. Credits include: Sojourners at The Huntington, JaJa’s African Hair Braiding on Broadway, and The Half-God of Rainfall at New York Theatre Workshop.
Joshua Olumide as Disciple Ufot, the Ufot family patriarch and Abasiama’s husband with intense faith and expectations of his family. Credits include: Sojourners at The Huntington, The Winter’s Tale at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, and A Raisin in the Sun at New Rep.
Amani Kojo as Ekong Ufot, Abasiama and Disciple’s teenage son, very American. Credits include: Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Good Goods, and Titus Andronicus at SUNY Purchase.
Aisha Wura Akorede as Toyoima Ufot, Abasiama and Disciple’s daughter, the middle child, and very smart. Credits include: Sojourners at The Huntington, and Potus and A Doll’s House at Emerson College.
Paul-Robert Pryce as Udosen Udoh, a young, progressive, and charming friend of the Ufot family. Credits include: King Lear and Merchant of Venice at Compagnia de Colombari, and Pecong at the National Black Theatre of Harlem.
Maduka Steady as Godwin Inyang, friend of the Ufot family, older, verbose, and fiery. Credits include: Amy’s View on Broadway, Mud River Stone at Playwrights Horizons, and Scapin at Roundabout Theater.
Valyn Lyric Turner as Kimberly Gaines, Adiaha’s girlfriend, a passionate African American artist. Credits include: John Proctor is the Villain at The Huntington, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Gloucester Stage, and A Raisin in the Sun at New Rep.
Ekemini Ekpo, Janelle Grace, Patrice Jean-Baptiste, Chibuba Bloom Osuala, Dayenne Walters as Shadows, the women who comprise Adiaha’s ancestral line.
Understudies include: Rebekah Brunson, Maurice Emmanuel Parent, Kandyce Whittingham, and Sharmarke Yusuf.
The creative team for The Grove includes choreography by Adesola Osakalumi (Skeleton Crew on Broadway), scenic design by Jason Ardizzone-West (Sojourners at The Huntington), costume design by Sarita Fellows (Sojourners at The Huntington), lighting design by Reza Behjat (English on Broadway), and sound design and original music by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (Sojourners at The Huntington). The hair, wig, and makeup designer is Earon Chew Nealey (Sojourners at The Huntington). The assistant directors are Rebekah Brunson and Kandyce Whittingham. The dramaturgs are Charles Haugland and Donnetta Lavinia Grays. The intimacy coach is Dr. Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson, the fight director is Jesse Hinson, the vocal and dialect coach is Dawn-Elin Fraser, the language consultant is Emmanuel Sylvester, and the cultural consultant is Ademola Bello. The production stage manager is Emily F. McMullen and the stage manager is Lauren J. Burke. Casting is by Janet Foster.
This Cycle marks the first time all nine plays will be complete and performed in their intended order. In addition to producing the first three plays, The Huntington will also serve as a motherboard of resources and connection to bolster the creative process and success of the remaining six productions that will be mounted through 2026 by and with arts organizations, universities, social organizations, non-profits, and a host of community activation partners.
Each of the productions will be professionally filmed by partner Kligerman Productions to expand the reach of the Ufot Family Cycle and preserve it in perpetuity, allowing the Ufot Family Cycle to be taught in educational settings as part of the American theatrical canon.
Partners in the Ufot Family Cycle include: AfroDesiaCity, ArtsEmerson, The Barr Foundation, Boston Arts Academy, The Boston Foundation, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston Public Art Triennial, Boston Public Library, Boston Public Schools, Boston University, Central Square Theater, Coolidge Corner Theatre, DiasporaMass, Embrace Boston, Facing History & Ourselves, Front Porch Arts Collective, GBH, The Huntington, Kligerman Productions, The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Next Chapter Podcasts, Nigerian Professionals Group, Northeastern University, Prior Performing Arts Center, Reimagining Migration, Riverside Theatre Works, Roxbury Community College, Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, Wellesley College, Wellesley Repertory Theatre, West End House, Wheelock Family Theatre, and ZUMIX.
More information about the Ufot Family Cycle, including the 30+ partners and funders involved in bringing the Ufot story to life, can be found at bostontheatrescene.com/ufotboston
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Mfoniso Udofia (Playwright) a first-generation Nigerian American storyteller and educator, attended Wellesley College and obtained her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater (ACT). While at ACT, she co-pioneered The Nia Project which provided artistic outlets for San Francisco youth.
Productions of her plays runboyrun, Her Portmanteau, and In Old Age have been seen at New York Theatre Workshop, American Conservatory Theater, Playwrights Realm, Magic Theatre, National Black Theatre, Strand Theater Company (MD), and Boston Court. She received the 2021 Horton Foote Award, the 2017 Helen Merrill Playwright Award, the 2017-18 McKnight National Residency and Commission, and is a member of New Dramatists.
She is currently commissioned by The Huntington, Hartford Stage, Denver Center, ACT, and South Coast Repertory. Her plays have been developed by Manhattan Theatre Club, ACT, McCarter Theatre, OSF, New Dramatists, Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor, Hedgebrook, Sundance, Space on Ryder Farm, and more.
Since 2018, Mfoniso has been working extensively in television; she has worked on such acclaimed shows as 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, A League of Their Own on Amazon, Let the Right One In on Showtime, and Pachinko (Peabody Award), Little America, and Lessons in Chemistry (WGA Nomination) all on Apple TV+. She also has developed films for HBO, Legendary, and Amazon.
Awoye Timpo (Director) The Huntington: The Bluest Eye. Off Broadway: In Old Age (New York Theatre Workshop); Elyria, The Homecoming Queen (Atlantic Theater Company); Wedding Band (Theatre for a New Audience); Carnaval (National Black Theatre) Good Grief (Vineyard Theatre and Audible). Regional: Studio Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkeley Rep, Marin Theatre Company. Other: concert performances for independent artists as well as for the NBA; Ndebele Funeral (59E59, Edinburgh, South African Tour); Black Picture Show (Artists Space/Metrograph); Bluebird Memories (Audible). Awoye is a Creative Arts Consultant for the African American Policy Forum and a member of Classix, theclassix.org.
INSPIRATION FOR THE UFOT FAMILY CYCLE
When nationally acclaimed playwright Mfoniso Udofia grew up in Southbridge, Massachusetts and attended Wellesley College, she rarely saw stories about Africans and African Americans that felt like her family. Inspired in part by August Wilson’s Century Cycle, she set out to create an emotionally engrossing cycle of nine plays that follows one Nigerian American family through three generations: parents, children, grandchildren. Each play stands alone brilliantly, yet together forms a stunning tapestry that will resonate with everyone.
“I’m writing these plays for myself, for my immediate family, for my extended family, for the Ibibio community,” says Udofia. “I’m writing us — so we can see us. I believe my work incites community action. When one cares about a character so much they are crying for them, they usually cannot meet a similar person in life and instantaneously judge them. A dramatic telling of an immigrant story, when done well, can cause an audience to change irrevocably in the moment. These audience members will then leave the building and enter their own communities with newfound empathy.”
Mfoniso’s own experience informs the Cycle as her parents immigrated to Texas from Nigeria in the 1970s, had children, and then moved to the Boston area because of the educational opportunities available. Mfoniso went to Wellesley College, during which time she had her first experience with The Huntington through her Africana Studies class when Professor Selwyn R. Cudjoe took students to see Gem of the Ocean and introduced her to playwright August Wilson (1945-2005). To see herself onstage, reflected in Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle, with each set in a different decade of the 20th century about Black American life, was influential years before she would pursue her career in playwriting and return to Wellesley as a faculty member of the Albright Institute.
The New York Times states, “While building empathy is important to Ms. Udofia, as she continues to work on the rest of the ‘Ufot’ plays, she is also unapologetic about the fact that she isn’t writing the Cycle for a traditional theatre audience.” Mfoniso spoke about this during several Boston community meetings in 2023, stating her intentions to be an active participant in meeting community members where they are to inform the making of the remaining Cycle plays.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FOR THE GROVE
WHEN
Performances: February 7 – March 9, 2025
Evenings: Tues – Thurs at 7pm; Fri and Sat at 7:30pm
Matinees: Select Wed, Fri, Sat, and Sun at 2pm
Days and times vary; see complete schedule above.
Press Opening: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 7pm (RSVP here)
WHERE
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
527 Tremont St, Boston
TICKETS
Tickets start at $29. Season ticket packages and FlexPasses are also now on sale:
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- online at huntingtontheatre.org
- by phone at 617-266-0800;
- or in person at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave) or Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street)
Select discounts apply:
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- $10 off: season ticket holders
- $40 “HYPE” tickets (Huntington Young Patron Events) for patrons 40 years-old and younger (valid ID required)
- $25 student and military tickets (valid ID required)
- Limited number of Pay-What-You-Wish tickets (not available online, please call or visit the box office to inquire using the contact info above)
Please note that a digital recording of this production will be available for online viewing. More information to be shared online at a later date.
The Huntington asks that any patron experiencing illness stay home and contact ticketing services for more information about exchanges.
ACCESS PERFORMANCES FOR THE GROVE
Tickets are $20 for each patron and their guests. To reserve tickets please email access@huntingtontheatre.org, call ticketing services at 617-266-0800, or visit in person at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston or the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St, Boston.
Accessible performances are supported in part by the Liberty Mutual Foundation.
OPEN CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE: Tuesday, February 25 at 7pm. The Huntington offers open captioning at designated performances for any patron who benefits from having the text of spoken dialogue visible in time with the play.
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE: Saturday, March 8 at 2pm. The Huntington offers audio description for patrons who are blind or low-vision at designated performances. Please visit huntingtontheatre.org/visit/accessibility for information.
Large Print and Braille Programs will also be available for patrons at performances.
THE GROVE SPECIAL EVENTS
“Stage & Screen” Pariah at Coolidge Corner: Monday, January 13 at 7pm
The Huntington and Coolidge Corner continue their “Stage & Screen” collaboration with an event on Monday, January 13 at Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA. After a 7pm showing of Pariah (directed and screenplay by Dee Rees, 2011), guests from The Huntington’s production of The Grove will introduce the film.
Tickets to the Stage & Screen film and post-screening discussion can be purchased here: coolidge.org/programs/stage-screen
Blackout Performance: Sunday, February 16 at 7pm
The Huntington will host a Blackout Boston evening for those who identify as members of Africa’s Global Diaspora (persons who identify as descendants of Africans dispersed throughout the world).
The Blackout performance will take place on Sunday, February 16 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). More information will be announced soon.
Blackout Boston is an opportunity for Black identifying audiences to experience live theatre that feels resonant to the Black experience in a space where their community is the majority. If you have questions about this event or other community events, please contact Huntington Community Engagement Manager Oz Pereira: opereira@huntingtontheatre.org.
Tickets to this performance are Pay What You Wish.
Humanities Forum: Sunday, February 23 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a post-show discussion after the 2pm matinee performance on Sunday, February 23 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St).
Student Matinee performance: Thursday, February 27 at 10am
The Huntington Education Department hosts a student matinee of The Grove on Thursday, February 27 at 10am at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Student tickets are $20 each, chaperones attend at no cost, and one chaperone is required for every 15 students.
To reserve your school group and learn more information, please email Manager of Education Operations Bec Lowe at education@huntingtontheatre.org.
Actors Forum: Friday, February 27 at 7pm
The Huntington hosts a moderated, post-show discussion with members of the cast after the 2pm matinee performance on Friday, February 27 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Hear actors from The Grove reflect on their roles and nuances of each character.
Student Matinee performance: Friday, March 7 at 10am
The Huntington Education Department hosts a student matinee of The Grove on Friday, March 7 at 10am at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Student tickets are $20 each, chaperones attend at no cost, and one chaperone is required for every 15 students.
To reserve your school group and learn more information, please email Manager of Education Operations Bec Lowe at education@huntingtontheatre.org.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
Any members of the media who are interested in speaking with the artists of The Grove, please contact Publicist Gabrielle Jaques at gjaques@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1520.
Press night for critics is Wednesday, February 19 at 7pm. Please RSVP here for press night or other available performances.
Production photos will be available for download online, and b-roll footage can be requested.
PHOTOS available for download here
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s theatrical commons and leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination of audiences and artists and amplify the wide range of voices in our community.
Under the leadership of Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington is committed to welcoming broad and diverse audiences, provides life- changing opportunities for students through its robust education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, has acted as the host organization for a multi-year residency of The Front Porch Arts Collective, a Black theatre company based in Boston, and serves the local arts community through our operation of The Huntington Calderwood/BCA.
The Huntington reopened the historic Huntington Theatre in fall of 2022 after its transformational renovation, and is currently in phase two of the project; the renovation and building project of this storied venue with a bold vision for the future will allow us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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