Bella: An American Tall Tale
- Book, Music, and Lyrics by Kirsten Childs
- Directed by Robert O’Hara
- Choreographed by Camille A Brown
Playwrights Horizons: The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin. Her other musicals include Miracle Brothers (Vineyard Theatre), Fly (with Rajiv Joseph and Bill Sherman), and Funked Up Fairy Tales. For her work she has received Obie, Kleban, Larson, Richard Rodgers, Audelco, and Gilman/Gonzalez-Falla awards, as well as Lortel and Drama Desk nominations. She recently collaborated with Charlayne Woodard on the musical Grace for Inner Voices: Solo Musicals. Kirsten has written for Disney Theatricals, the American Songbook series at Lincoln Center, the New Electric Company, Works and Process at the Guggenheim Museum and City Center Encores! She is a professor in NYU’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program, a member of both the Dramatists Guild Council and the Dramatists Guild Fund, and is proud to be a mentor in Theatre Development Fund’s Open Doors program.
(as of 4/4/17)
Photo by Zack DeZon
Playwrights Horizons: Bootycandy (writer and director), Bella: An American Tall Tale (director). He has received the NAACP Best Director Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two Obie Awards, and the Oppenheimer Award. He directed the world premieres of Nikkole Salter and Danai Gurira’s In the Continuum, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo’s Wild With Happy, as well as his own plays, Bootycandy and Insurrection: Holding History. He has also written Zombie: The American (Wooly Mammoth) and Barbecue (The Public Theater).
(as of 10/24/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: A Streetcar Named Desire, upcoming Once on This Island. Off Broadway: Cabin in the Sky and tick, tick…BOOM! (Encores!); The Fortress of Solitude (The Public, Lortel nomination). Regional: Stagger Lee, The Fortress of Solitude (Dallas Theater Center); The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare, McCarter Theatres). Company: Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Awards: 2016 Princess Grace Statue Award, 2016 Jacob’s Pillow Award, 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship, 2016 Bessie Nomination (BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play), 2015 USA Fellow, 2015 Doris Duke Artist Award, 2015 TED Fellow, 2014 Bessie Award (Mr. TOL E. RAncE). camilleabrown.org.
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights Horizons Commission
Co-World Premiere
All aboard for a Western musical adventure the likes of which you’ve never experienced. As a wanted woman of mythic proportions looks to begin life anew out west, Bella takes us on the trip of a lifetime to escape her scandalous past and bounce into the arms of her awaiting Buffalo Soldier. Rowdy, wild, and hilarious, Kirsten Childs (Bubbly Black Girl…) infuses this tall tale with soulful tunes and madcap antics aplenty. Giddy-up to our get-down!
Featuring
Marinda Anderson
Ida Lou/Aunt Dinah
Yurel Echezarreta
Diego Moreno/CP Conyers
Brandon Gill
Nathaniel Beckworth
Olli Haaskivi
Gabriel Conyers/Scooter
Ashley D. Kelley
Bella
Kevin Massey
Snaggletooth Hoskins/Bonny Jonny
Jo’Nathan Michael
Mr. Dinwiddie/Scumbucket
Kenita R. Miller
Miss Cabbagestalk/Mama
Paolo Montalban
Tommie Haw/Skeeter
Clifton Oliver
Aloysius T. Hunnicut
Gabrielle Reyes
Mrs. Dinwiddie/Nurse
NaTasha Yvette Williams
Grandma/Spirit of the Booty
Playwrights Horizons: Bella: An American Tall Tale, A Life, Far From Heaven. Other Off-Broadway: Sex of the Baby (Access Theatre), Macbeth (Lincoln Center Interactive Theatre), Obama-ology (Juilliard School). Regional: Airness (Humana), A Doll’s House (Huntington), Three Sisters (Playmaker’s Rep), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Berskshire Theatre Award nominee, outstanding female performance), Intimate Apparel (Dorset Theatre Festival), Fairfield (Cleveland Play House). TV: “Horace and Pete,” “Gotham.” BFA: Howard University MFA: NYU Graduate Acting Program. marindaanderson.com
(as of 8/24/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: West Side Story, La Cage Aux Folles, Matilda, Aladdin. Regional: Bella (Dallas Theater Center). Film: The Last Five Years. TV: “Odd Mom Out.” Honored to be a part of this company and this story. Much gratitude to Robert, Kirsten, and Playwrights Horizons for their support, and to my agent Rikky at The HYBRID. @yurele
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: Holler If Ya Hear Me. Off-Broadway: Neighbors (The Public). Regional: Stagger Lee (Dallas Theater Center), The Last Goodbye (Old Globe), Superior Donuts (Pittsburgh Public). Film: Radium Girls, Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Foreclosure. TV: “Redliners,” “Blue Bloods,” “Golden Boy,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “House of Cards,” “Do No Harm,” “Detroit 187,” “Law & Order: SVU.” Graduate of The Juilliard School.
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights debut. Off-Broadway: Baghdaddy (Actors Temple), Saturday Night (York Theatre), I Battled Lenny Ross (EST). Television: “Mr. Robot,” “Z: The Beginning of Everything,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Odd Mom Out,” “The Blacklist,” “Difficult People,” “Boardwalk Empire.” Film: Freak Show, The Funeral Guest, From Nowhere, The Lennon Report, plus the forthcoming Nancy, Who We Are Now, and Karens Unanimous, which he is co-writing with Joseph Medeiros, to be directed by Maria Dizzia.
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights debut. Regional: Bella (Dallas Theater Center); The Wiz, Head Over Heels, Twelfth Night (OSF). Film: American Hustle, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. God is good all the time! @ashleydkelley
(as of 4/4/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: A Gentleman’s Guide..., Memphis, Tarzan, Deaf West’s Big River. NYCO: Antony & Cleopatra. Europe: Tarzan, Grease. Regional/Tour: A Gentleman’s Guide... (first national tour), Little House on the Prairie (first national tour, Paper Mill, Guthrie), Three Musketeers (Chicago Shakespeare), Bonnie & Clyde (Asolo Rep), Pippin (Utah Shakespeare and Kansas City Rep), Les Misérables (Skylight Music Theater), Footloose (MUNY). UNC Morehead-Cain Scholar. Proud husband to Kara Lindsay! Love to my family. kevinmassey.com @kcmassey1
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights debut. Regional: Dreamgirls (Jimmy Early), West Side Story (Pepe). National tours: The Color Purple (Male Swing), Ragtime (Booker T. Washington u/s), Dreamgirls (Jimmy Early). International Tours: Fame in China (Tyrone Jackson), Grease in Istanbul (Ensemble).
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: The Color Purple, Xanadu. Off-Broadway: Working (Prospect Theater Co.), Langston in Harlem (Urban Stages). Regional: Bella (Dallas Theater Center), The Revolutionists (Cincinnati Playhouse), Once on This Island (Paper Mill Playhouse). TV: “The Blacklist,” “Shades of Blue,” “Hostages.” Thank you to The Mine Agency for their continued support. Twitter: @miller_kenita / Instagram: @minanina81
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Pacific Overtures, The King & I. Off-Broadway: The Romance of Magno Rubio (Ma-Yi), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Delacorte). Regional: The Orphan of Zhao (ACT), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Denver Center), A Little Night Music (ACT), Bella (Dallas Theater Center). Film: Just Wright, The Great Raid, American Adobo. TV: “Cinderella,” “Mortal Kombat: Conquest,” “Madam Secretary,” “The Blacklist,” “SVU,” “Nurse Jackie.” Rutgers Psychology degree. Tweet: @paolomontalban
(as of 4/4/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: The Lion King (Simba), In the Heights (Benny, opposite Jordin Sparks), Wicked (Fiyero). National Tours: Motown (Berry Gordy), The Lion King (Simba), Rent (Benny and Collins), Ragtime (Ensemble). Regional: Pal Joey (Arkansas Repertory Theatre), Kinky Boots (Lola standby for Billy Porter); West Coast Tour of The Scottsboro Boys (Charlie/Victoria), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Victor), and Godspell (Judas). TV: “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
Playwrights debut. Regional: Dreamgirls, A Christmas Carol (Dallas Theater Center). Film: Yes, We’re Open; You People; Driving While Black; Godbox. TV: “Mad Men,” “Scandal,” “The Whitney Houston Story,” “Aquarius,” “Switched at Birth.” BFA: The University of Oklahoma. gabriellevreyes.com @gabriellevreyes
(as of 5/8/17)
Playwrights debut. Broadway: Chicago, A Night with Janis Joplin, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, The Color Purple. Lincoln Center: Dessa Rose, Showboat (also PBS), Ragtime Concert. Off-Broadway: Storyville. TV credits: “Orange Is the New Black,” “Odd Mom Out,” “The Wendy Williams Show,” “The Wiz! Live.” Love to Gregory and the kids. natashayvettewilliams.com @natashayvettewilliams
(as of 5/8/17)
Creative Team
Clint Ramos
Scenic DesignerDede M. Ayite
Costume DesignerJaphy Weideman
Lighting DesignerLindsay Jones
Sound DesignerJeff Sugg
Projection DesignerDave Bova, J. Jared Janas
Hair, Wig and Makeup DesignersDaryl Waters
OrchestrationsKirsten Childs
Vocal ArrangementsRona Siddiqui
Music Direction and Additional ArrangementsJohn Miller
Music CoordinatorErin Gioia Albrecht
Production Stage ManagerPlaywrights Horizons: sets and/or costumes for Bella, After the Revolution, Bootycandy, Familiar. With Robert O’Hara: Barbecue, A Raisin in the Sun, Five Guys Named Moe, Wild With Happy. Broadway: sets and/or costumes for Once On This Island, Six Degrees…, Sunday in the Park…, In Transit, Eclipsed, The Elephant Man (also West End), Violet. Other Off-Broadway: Torch Song, Here Lies Love (also London), Sweet Charity, Kid Victory, Appropriate, many others. Over 200 regional/international credits. Encores! Off-Center series. Awards: Tony, Obie (Sustained Excellence), two ATW Henry Hewes, three Lortels, TDF Irene Sharraf Young Master, Helen Hayes. @clintramos
Playwrights Horizons: Bella. Other Off-Broadway: School Girls (MCC); Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Signature); The Royale (LCT); Tell Hector I Miss Him, Marie and Rosetta (Atlantic); Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout); brownsville song (b-side for tray) (LCT3); Twelfth Night, ToasT (The Public). Regionally Ms. Ayite’s work has been seen at California Shakespeare, La Jolla, Berkeley Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, Arena Stage, Steppenwolf, Cleveland Play House, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Signature Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Denver Theatre Center, Berkshire Theatre. TV: Comedy Central, Fox Shortcoms (FOX Network), COPPER Project (Improv Everywhere/BBC America). Awards: Helen Hayes, Theatre Bay Area, and Jeff Awards. MFA: Yale School of Drama.
Playwrights Horizons: Bella, Bootycandy, The Burnt Part Boys. Broadway: Bronx Bombers, A Time to Kill. Other Off-Broadway: Privacy (The Public), Mr. Joy (LCT3), Top Secret (NYTW), many others. Regional: Guthrie, Alliance, Goodman, ACT, many others. International: Stratford Festival (Canada), Royal Shakespeare Company (England). Awards: seven Joseph Jefferson Awards (24 nominations), two Ovation Awards (three nominations), LA Drama Critics Circle Award, three Drama Desk Award nominations, two Helen Hayes nominations. Film scoring: A Note of Triumph for HBO Films (Academy Award winner, Best Documentary). lindsayjones.com
Playwrights Horizons: Bella. Broadway: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweat, Bring It On, 33 Variations. Other Off-Broadway: Articles of Faith (Kitchen), The Layover (Second Stage), Fortress of Solitude (The Public), An Octoroon (Soho Rep.), Tribes (Barrow Street), Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island (The Vineyard). Music: Anthracite Fields (Julia Wolfe’s Pulitzer Prize–winning composition), Prince’s final appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Awards: Lortel, Obie, Bessie, two Henry Hewes Design Awards.
Playwrights Horizons: Bella, A Life, Men On Boats, Marjorie Prime, The Christians. Broadway: Bullets Over Broadway, Matilda, Bronx Bombers, Hands on a Hardbody. Other Off-Broadway: Charm, Punk Rock, The Village Bike, The Third Story (MCC); Sundown, Yellow Moon (Ars Nova/WP Theater); Red Speedo (NYTW); Abundance (TACT); Venice (The Public); Bronx Bombers (Primary Stages). Regional: multiple productions at The Old Globe and La Jolla Playhouse, most recently the development of John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons. MFA: UC San Diego.
★★★★ Critic’s Pick.
Impossible to ignore. Bella’s a winner!
With Kirsten Childs’ versatility as a composer, this story turns social tragedy into comedy.
