By George Brant
Directed by Sandra L. Holloway

​ Bringing fierce guitar playing and swing to gospel music that would become a rhythmic precursor to rock and roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a pioneer of mid-20th-century music with a huge influence on Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, and Ray Charles. Set in the showroom of a funeral home, in Mississippi, 1946, this musical celebration of two extraordinary Black Women chronicles the unlikely first rehearsal between Rosetta and the prim, young Marie Knight, to see if the potential protégée could summon the stuff to allow for a professional partnership that might topple the male stranglehold suppressing Rosetta's career. They would embark on a tour to establish them as one of the great duos in musical history.

By Mat Smart
Directed by KenYatta Rogers​

This brilliant play examines the 45-year friendship and occasional rivalry between two great, rebellious, and flawed American icons: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Young abolitionists when they met in Rochester in the 1840s, they were full of hopes, dreams and a common purpose. As they grew to become the cultural icons we know today, their movements collided and their friendship was severely tested. This is the story of that 45-year friendship - from its beginning in Rochester, through a Civil War and to the highest halls of government. They agitated the nation, they agitated each other and, in doing so, they helped shape the Constitution and the course of American history. A loving and faithful portrait of two historical figures, Mat Smart’s story also brims with modern urgency and relevance.

By Anat Gov
Directed by Michael Bloom

​ In this witty and touching play, a psychotherapist named Ella, single mother of an autistic child, gets a visit from a new and desperate patient: God. The late Anat Gov was known as Israel’s Wendy Wasserstein, and in her gently veiled analogy, Ella and God must learn to help each other--after all, God is suffering from having accrued too much power, while Ella has lost whatever faith (in God) she might have had. As both battle low-grade depression, the fate of the world may just hang in the balance! With a clash of biblical quotes framed by a modern-day wit, Gov brings a funny, often brilliant text that forces us to confront our own issues of faith, hubris, and the overwhelming power of humility.

Adapted by Ari Roth from the original play by Einat Weizman and Morad Hassan
Directed by John Vreeke

Hate mail. Death threats. Intimidation. Incarceration, Artists under siege and house arrest. This is happening. Now. This is Shame 2.0 (With Comments From The Populace), a blistering, documentary portrait ripped right from today’s headlines. As Israelis and Palestinians work together in the face of government censorship, cultural suppression, and Loyalty Oaths, we see the costs on embattled artists in a conflict-ridden region unfold onstage. Part of Mosaic Theater’s 18th annual Voices From A Changing Middle East Festival, Shame 2.0 integrates live readings of actual Facebook messages, tweets, and voicemails to punctuate the raw, true story of Einat Weizman and Morad Hassan as they strive to make art a tool for cultural resistance, facing obstacles from a crusading Cultural Minister who has come to Washington to disrupt their testimony. It is a gripping snapshot of now, written in realtime.

By Nambi E. Kelley
Directed by Psalmayene 24
Adapted from the novel by Richard Wright

​ Richard Wright's iconic novel about oppression, freedom, and justice comes to life on stage in this ground-breaking adaptation. Suffocating in rat-infested poverty on the South Side of Chicago in the 1930s, 20-year-old Bigger Thomas struggles to find a place for himself in a world whose prejudice has shut him out. After taking a job in a wealthy white man's house, Bigger unwittingly unleashes a series of events that violently and irrevocably seal his fate. Adapted with theatrical ingenuity by Chicago's own Nambi E. Kelley, this Native Son captures the power of Richard Wright's novel for a whole new generation.

By Psalmayene 24

​ A new addition to our Season Four lineup, from Helen Hayes award-winning director and playwright, Psalmayene 24. Set in the legendary Parisian café, Les Deux Magots in 1953, a contemporary reimagining of the actual meeting between Native Son author Richard Wright and essayist/activist James Baldwin.

By Allyson Currin
Directed by Gregg Henry

When teenage daughter Lexie helps her reluctant single mother Nora re-enter the dating scene, an unlikely suitor emerges in Griff – the guy at the coffee shop who inadvertently witnesses Nora’s string of unsuccessful dates. As choices collide with coincidences and longing mixes with reality, each character must face the complications that always arise in the search for intimacy and the closeness of family. This captivating performance with a metaphysical twist navigates the paths of romance, marriage and parenting while exploring the pains and pleasures of all three.

Written and Performed by Kelvin Roston, Jr.
Directed by Derrick Sanders ​
A Co-Production with Baltimore Center Stage and Congo Square Theatre Company
In Association with The Apollo Theatre

​This powerful one-man show, based on the life of '70s soul singer and composer Donny Hathaway, imagines the troubled, brilliant musician's last day on Earth in an immersive, unforgettable play about Hathaway's compelling inner struggle. Torn between the muses that inspire and the mental illness that torments him, Hathaway evaluates the choices in his life in a gripping performance by Kelvin Roston, Jr.