Phylicia Rashad to Direct East Coast Premiere of “Immediate Family” at Blumenthal Arts

Hot on the heels of a triumphant season on Broadway, Tony Award-winning director and actress Phylicia Rashad is set to helm the East Coast premiere of Paul Oakley Stovall’s acclaimed play, Immediate Family, at Blumenthal Arts’ Booth Playhouse. The production, part of the 2024-25 PNC Broadway Lights Series, will run from July 29 to August 31, 2025.

This engagement marks a significant return for Rashad to the director’s chair for Immediate Family, a play she previously guided in a successful run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. The upcoming Charlotte production follows an earlier celebrated debut at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.

The announcement comes after a notable year for Rashad, whose Broadway directorial debut with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose earned the 2025 Tony Award for Best Play. This latest project adds another distinguished credit to her extensive directorial and acting career.

Written by the multi-talented Paul Oakley Stovall—a Tony Award-winning producer for the 2022 Best Musical A Strange Loop and a former star in the national tour of Hamilton—Immediate Family offers a sharp and witty exploration of modern family dynamics.

The play centers on the Bryant family, whose reunion descends into delightful chaos when the middle son, Jesse, introduces his boyfriend, forcing a confrontation with deeply ingrained family dysfunctions.

The comedic drama tackles pressing themes of race, religion, and sexuality, drawing comparisons to a blend of Modern Family and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

The Charlotte cast will feature a blend of Broadway talent and rising stars, including Christina Sajous as Evy, Elijah Jones as Jesse, Freddie Fulton as Tony, Andy Mientus as Kristian, Kai Almeda Heath as Nina, and Britney Coleman as Ronnie. The company is rounded out by standbys Deon Releford-Lee, Samuel Douglas, Aigner Mizzelle, and Vanessa R. Butler.

Rashad, a 2016 Theatre Hall of Fame inductee, brings a wealth of experience to the production. Her illustrious career includes two Tony Awards for acting—for her role as Lena Younger in the 2004 revival of A Raisin in the Sun and for her performance in 2022’s Skeleton Crew—along with numerous Emmy nominations.

Her directorial portfolio is equally impressive, with acclaimed productions of August Wilson’s masterpieces Gem of the Ocean, Fences, and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, as well as Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun.

Tickets for Immediate Family are now on sale and available through BlumenthalArts.org.