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Rick Miramontez / Morgan Zysman
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

THE FLEA
ANNOUNCES
FULL CAST AND DESIGN TEAM FOR
THE NATIONAL TOUR OF
THE FLEA’S
HANG TIME
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ZORA HOWARD

PERFORMING AT ASU GAMMAGE, ARTSEMERSON,
NORTHWESTERN’S WIRTZ CENTER FOR THE PERORMING ARTS,
AND THE APOLLO

FEATURING KAMAL BOLDEN, BRIAN D. COATS, AND BRYCE FOLEY

SCENIC DESIGN BY NEAL WILKINSON
LIGHTING DESIGN BY REZA BEHJAT
COSTUME DESIGN BY DOMINIQUE FAWN HILL
SOUND DESIGN BY MEGAN CULLEY
MOVEMENT DIRECTION BY CHARLIE OATES
ASSOCIATE COSTUME DESIGN & NYC WARDROBE SUPERVISION BY CARLA THOMAS

DOWNLOAD PHOTOS HERE

New York, NY (April 15, 2025) – Today, The Flea announced a national tour for their world-premiere production of HANG TIME, by Zora Howard, which originally ran at The Flea in Spring 2023. The tour company features Kamal Bolden as ‘Slim’, Brian D. Coats as ‘Bird’, and Bryce Foley as ‘Blood.’ Confirmed tour dates include April 19^th at ASU Gammage (Tempe, AZ), October 6^th – 12^th at ArtsEmerson (Boston, MA), October 13^th – 19^th at the Wirtz Center (Chicago, IL), and from November 3rd – 16th the show will return to New York City at The Apollo Theatre.

Tour production photos and key art can be found HERE. Photos are by Maria Baranova.

“HANG TIME had been haunting me for years. When I first shared the work and my intention to direct with Niegel and Martin at the Flea, I was met with not only enthusiasm but also a commitment to center my vision for its production. Now, as we look to HANG TIME‘s first tour, I feel that commitment has only deepened. I am thrilled to be embarking on this journey with the Flea to share HANG TIME with new audiences across the country,” said writer and director, Zora Howard.

Niegel Smith, The Flea’s Artistic Director, said, “I am thrilled that our production of Zora’s stunning work will reach a national audience. Her command of all theatrical tools – from her witty and deft writing to her inventive visual poetry – needs to be experienced by everyone interested in our American story.”

HANG TIME was originally developed and produced in 2023 by The Flea in partnership with Zora Howard and in association with W.A.C.O. (Where Art Can Occur) Theater Center. The National Tour of The Flea’s HANG TIME has been Commissioned by ASU Cultural Affairs and its division of ASU Gammage, The Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance.

“The excellence of The Flea and its commitment to new work and exceptional playwrights, such as Pulitzer Prize finalist Zora Howard, underscore ASU Gammage’s mission of connecting communities. Communities of creators, producers, supporters, and audiences who keep theatre innovative, inclusive, and inspiring the game changers of tomorrow worldwide,” said Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Executive Director of ASU Gammage.

“We are thrilled to partner with such an important NYC cultural anchor, The Flea, to support one of the most exciting voices in theater and performance, Zora Howard. This partnership and work further speak to our commitment to New Work Creation,” said Kamilah Forbes, Executive Producer of The Apollo.

ABOUT HANG TIME

Three men chew the fat under an old, wide tree. In HANG TIME, we peek into the interiority – the great loves and bitter blues – of Black men in America. Setting the romantic and the macabre in sharp relief, HANG TIME invites the viewer to envisage the living Black body triumphant over the legacy of violence that it holds.

Written and directed by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Zora Howard in her directorial debut, HANG TIME is a deeply moving and subversive work not to be missed.

To view photos of all lead artists as well as Flea logo, please click here.

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ABOUT THE FLEA

The Flea is an established institution, newly transformed. Refounded in 2021, The Flea is a downtown hub for culture, creativity, and community with a mission to support and invest in experimental art by Black, brown, and queer artists. We provide space, financial support, and producing partnerships so that artists at any stage in their career or project may develop and share their vision in community with audiences. The Flea owns and operates a state-of-the-art, LEED-certified performance center in Tribeca that houses three distinct, intimate theaters designed to encourage creativity while supporting production economies of scale. Recent world premieres include BATHHOUSE.PPTX by Jesús I. Valles and HANG TIME by Zora Howard.

BIOGRAPHIES

Download artist photos here

Zora Howard (Playwright / Director) is a Harlem-bred writer and director. Plays include BUST (The Alliance/Goodman), THE MASTER’S TOOLS (Wiener Festwochen; WTF), STEW (2021 Pulitzer Prize Finalist; P73 Productions), THE MOTIONS, and GOOD FAITH. Her work has been developed at Ojai Playwrights Conference, Stillwright, Mercury Store, and Cape Cod Theatre Project, among others. In 2020, her feature film Premature, which she co-wrote with director Rashaad Ernesto Green, opened in theaters following its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Zora is a Lilly Award and Helen Merrill Award recipient, a former MTC Judith Champion Fellow and Lark Van Lier New Voices Fellow and alumna of the P73 I-73 Writers Group. She is currently under commission from Seattle Rep and Chautauqua Theatre Company. zoramakes.com.

Brian D. Coats (Bird) New York credits include Broadway’s tour of August Wilson’s Jitney, The Best We Could (a family tragedy) (Manhattan Theatre Club), On the Levee (LCT3), La Ruta (Working Theater), The Brothers Paranormal (Pan Asian Rep), Travisville (Ensemble Studio Theatre), The Bacchae and The First Noel (Classical Theater of Harlem), The Merry Wives of Windsor and Two Gentlemen of Verona (The Public Theater). Other Regional/Touring credits include productions at The Acting Company, Two River Theater, Mark Taper, Old Globe, Arena Stage, Seattle Rep, Shakespeare and Co, Pittsburgh Public, Huntington, Cincinnati Playhouse, Denver Center, Williamstown Theater Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geva Theatre and others. Television credits include: “Queens,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Luke Cage,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “JAG,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Sopranos.” Mr. Coats is a graduate of the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts.

Kamal Bolden (Slim) Off-Broadway: Reparations (Billie Holiday Theatre – AUDELCO Award for Best Actor), The Opponent (59E59St), Hands Up (National Black Theater). Regional: ’Troy’ in Fences (American Blues Theater – JEFF Award for Best Actor), ‘The Scottish King’ in Macbeth (A Noise Within Theatre), ‘Hero’ in Father Comes Home From The Wars… (Goodman Theatre), Immediate Family (Mark Taper Forum), The Bluest Eye (A Noise Within), The Misanthrope, Jitney, Home, and Man in the Ring (Court Theatre), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Victory Gardens/Actors Theatre of Louisville), Coriolanus (Nashville Shakespeare Festival), Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare). Television: “The Endgame” (Series Regular), “61st Street,” “Chicago Fire,” “Insecure,” “The Resident,” “Law & Order,” “Rosewood,” “NCIS,” “Major Crimes,” “Betrayal,” “Low Winter Sun,” “Boss,” “Lights Out.” Film: The Night Before, Ravers, Keys to the City, Elvis & Nixon, Consumed, Vacation Friends.

Bryce Foley (Blood) is an Ypsilanti, MI born actor based out of Brooklyn, NY. He holds a BA in Drama from the University of Michigan and is a graduate of the Terry Knickerbocker Studio. Recent credits include: On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco and Other Substances (TheatreLab), The Great Gatsby (premiered at the United Palace), Pass Over (14th St Y), and The Stu (Short Film).

Beatrice Perez-Arche (Production Stage Manager) is a Cuban American theatre artist focused on creating community through her work in the arts. She has primarily worked at the Public Theater on Shakespeare in the Park, the Under the Radar Festival, and the Public Shakespeare Initiative. She is an Associate Artist at Sanguine Theatre Company and has collaborated with a range of institutions including The Flea, The Civilians, Tectonic Theater Project, One Whale’s Tale, Women’s Project, La Mama, Little Island, Chelsea Factory, and Ballet Collective. She received her BFA in Theater Arts from Boston University and currently freelances as a stage manager, director, and dramaturg.

Neal Wilkinson (Scenic Design) is a set designer, visual artist, and production manager. His most recent set design was the American Vicarious production of Shooting Celebrities by John Ransom Phillips, which was presented at the Flea in 2022. Previously, Neal’s design work has been presented at venues such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center, the Finnish National Opera, and

Spoleto Festival, as well as other theater festivals internationally. As a member of the Builders Association from 2003 to 2019, he designed works including House/Divided, Elements of OZ, and Strange Window. Neal’s company Corps Liminis provides production management for theatrical productions, museums, and installations. Most recent projects include Particular Matter(s) by Tomas Saraceno at the SHED, Lightscape at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Signals exhibition at MoMA.

Reza Behjat (Lighting Design) is an Obie award winner lighting designer based in New York City. He began his career in Iran – where he worked with some prominent directors for several years. Reza’s works have been shown on Off-Broadway and in regional theaters across the United States such as The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Atlantic Theater, Minetta Lane, Lucille Lortel, The Guthrie Theater, Actors Theater of Louisville, Berkeley Rep, Alabama Shakespeare, and many more. Reza won an Obie Award in the design category for his work on two productions of ENGLISH and WISH YOU WERE HERE in 2023.

Dominique Fawn Hill she/her (Costume Design) Dominique’s designs include Broadway: Fat Ham (Tony Award-nomination), Off-Broadway: Tambo & Bones (Playwrights Horizon-Lucille Lortel nomination), Fat Ham (Public Theatre-Obie Award), Where the Mountain Meets the Sea (Manhattan Theatre Club), Hang Time (The Flea), The Dark Girl Chronicles (The Shed), and 125th & FREEdom (National Black Theatre). Her regional theatre credits range from Derecho (The La Jolla Playhouse), Primary Trust (The Alley Theatre), Bust (Alliance Theatre), Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Choir Boy, and Rent (Portland Center Stage)

Carla Thomas (Associate Costume Designer & NYC Wardrobe Supervisor) “Some said, “Carla, how you get so fly. I said from not being afraid to fall out the sky.” Fly Girl. Costume Designer. Wardrobe Stylist. Carla “Fly Carla” Thomas is a visionary stylist and costume designer crafting bold, editorial, and narrative-driven looks for personal clients, TV/film, and theater. A Local USA 829-IATSE pro, she brings stories to life through fashion. Baltimore-born, Howard University-made, and thriving in Brooklyn, Carla is always on set, in a showroom, or catching flights. Find her talking fashion and inspiring as Fly Carla on Instagram.

Megan Culley (Sound Design) Selected Design: Antigone (Cleveland Play House); The Loophole (The Public Theater); Holmes & Watson Apt. 2B (KCRep); Grounded/Hurricane Diane/Stew (Dobama Theater); Terminus (New York Theatre Workshop); Stranger Sings! (Off-Broadway); Inanimate (The Flea Theater); The Last Match (B Street Theatre); Roan @ the Gates (Luna Stage); The Color Purple (Theatre Horizon). Broadway Associate Design: McNeal; Uncle Vanya; A Christmas Carol (2022); Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Flying Over Sunset, Eureka Day, Purpose, Floyd Collins. Other Selected Associate Design: The Secret Garden (Center Theatre Group); The Preacher’s Wife (Alliance Theatre); King James (MTC).

Charlie Oates (Movement Direction) has worked as an artist and teacher internationally. As a performer his work includes Man Overboard, Staying Married (with Moira Keefe) and Truck Dog (with James Donlon). He has been a movement coach and fight choreographer at La Jolla Playhouse, Mixed Blood, Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse, San Diego Rep, Chautauqua Theatre Company, and the Denver Center. His directing credits include Save You, Hate Me in Berlin and Flush at Theatre Alfred in Prague, Fool for Love at Chalk Rep, 10 productions at Creede Rep, including his play, A Beautiful Country, and many university productions. He has been a guest artist at actor training programs and universities in New Zealand, Australia, Beijing, Hong Kong, Sweden, Senegal, Ireland, and Switzerland. Charlie is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego where he received the Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award. He teaches occasionally at the Actor’s Center in New York.

Brian Freeland he/him (Touring Production Manager) is a production manager, director, producer, writer, and sound + media artist. Production management credits include works for and with Illinoise (Broadway), En Garde Arts, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Lincoln Center, Soho Rep, The TEAM, Under The Radar, The TEAM, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, The Park Avenue Armory, Mass MoCA, Ripe Time, The Bearded Ladies, Andrew Schneider, Up Until Now Collective, Bard, Curious Theatre Company, HERE Arts Center, Beth Morrison Projects, The LIDA Project, Countdown to Zero, The Brick, and The Prototype Festival. www.brianfreeland.com.

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