The Old Globe has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of The XIXth (The Nineteenth), written by Golden Globe Award winner Kemp Powers and directed by NAACP Award winner Carl Cofield.
After their critically acclaimed and award-winning world premiere of the stage performance One Night in Miami… for Rogue Machine Theatre in Los Angeles, Miami New Drama, and Denver Center, Powers and Cofield once again work together. Opening night is on Thursday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage at the Old Globe Theatre, a division of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Performances start on March 17 and run through April 23, 2023. Tickets can be purchased right now at www.TheOldGlobe.org.
1968 in Mexico City. The two Black American sprinters, the fastest men on Earth, raise their fists in opposition. This thrilling world premiere drama explores the convergence of athletics and activism and illustrates the life-altering consequences of being a champion who chooses to speak out. It is inspired by actual events from the historic 19th Olympic Games.
“The Nineteenth takes one of the most famous images in the history of sports and asks what makes it so indelible,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Playwright Kemp Powers, one of the most exciting storytellers working onstage and on screen today, looks at that image and sets his significant imagination to work. The result is the kind of play I love: driven by passion, full of drama, and focused on big American themes. Directed with verve and insight by Carl Cofield, it’s a striking evening in the theatre, and I’m thrilled to share it with Globe audiences.”
The cast for The XIXth includes Patrick Marron Ball as Pete, Christian Coulson as Neville, Michael Early as Jesse Owens, Biko Eisen-Martin as John Carlos (Los), Korey Jackson as Tommie, Kimberly Scott as Dora, and Nick Wyman as Avery.
Understudies include Manny Fernandes as Avery, Sarah Joyce as Dora, Jeffrey Rashad as John Carlos (Los), Vandous Stripling II as Tommie, Jude Tibeau as Jesse Owens, and Michael Underhill as Pete and Neville.
In addition to Kemp Powers and Carl Cofield, the creative team includes Riw Rakkulchon (Scenic Design), Mika Eubanks (Costume Design), Allen Lee Hughes (Lighting Design), David R. Molina (Original Music and Sound Design), Caparelliotis Casting (Casting), Marie Jahelka (Production Stage Manager), and Kendra Stockton (Assistant Stage Manager).
Major production sponsors Ann Davies and Hal and Pam Fuson provide assistance for The XIXth. The City of San Diego donates money in support of The Old Globe. The Old Globe receives year-round leadership assistance from The Theodor and Audrey Geisel Fund.
You can learn more at www.TheOldGlobe.org/Press-Room.
