WINE IN THE WILDERNESS
by ALICE CHILDRESS
directed by LACHANZE
PREVIEWS BEGIN MARCH 6, 2025
Fortune has smiled on artist Bill Jameson – his friends just introduced him to a model for the final piece of his triptych on Black womanhood. But this woman, Tomorrow Marie, is no mere muse, and she’s about to give Bill much more than he bargained for. Set against the backdrop of the 1964 Harlem riot on a hot summer night, Wine in the Wilderness is a rarely-seen play from the brilliant mind of Alice Childress, whose Trouble in Mind recently took Broadway by storm. That production’s star, Tony-winner LaChanze, brings her deep connection to Childress’s work to her New York directing debut.
MEET THE CAST
OLIVIA WASHINGTON is known for her work in Boot’s Riley’s I’M A VIRGO, Lee Daniels’ THE BUTLER, and guest performances on EMPIRE, MADOFF, MR. ROBOT, and Spike Lee’s SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT. Most recently, Olivia graced the stage in the West End debut of Jeremy O. Harris-penned SLAVE PLAY alongside Kit Harrington.
Other projects include Joel Coen’s Shakespeare adaptation, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, from Scott Rudin and A24, the John Lee Hancock thriller THE LITTLE THINGS from Warner Bros., and ROBIN ROBERTS PRESENTS: MAHALIA. She was also seen in military drama BREAKING which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022. It was announced that she will star in the Bron Studios film SOLITARY alongside David Oyelowo. She was also seen in The Public Theater’s presentation of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
TRAMELL TILLMAN is currently on stage at MCC oppposite Neil Patrick Harris, Debra Messing, Jane Krakowski, Constance Wu and Garret Dillahunt in SHIT. MEET. FAN. directed by Robert O’Hara. Before that, Tramell was on stage at the Goodman Theateer opposite Sean Hayes in GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR. He originated the role of Alvin and continued to serve as creative consultant for the Broadway production. He Made his Broadway debute in THE GREAT SOCIETY (Vivian Beaumont) starring Brian Cox. Before that, he was in CARMEN JONES (CSC) starring Anika Noni Rose. He has been a residing member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he helped launch the Tony®-nominated play, SWEAT, by Lynn Nottage. He continued performing his lead role at the Arena Stage in Washington, DC. He currently resides in New York City.
ARTIST BIOS
ALICE CHILDRESS. Born in 1916 and raised during the Harlem Renaissance under the watchful eye of her beloved maternal grandmother, Alice Childress grew up to become first an actress and then a playwright and novelist. A founding member of the American Negro Theatre, she wrote her first play, Florence, in 1949. The script was written in one night on a dare from close friend and actor Sidney Poitier, who had told Alice that he didn’t think a great play could be written overnight. She proved him wrong, and the play was produced Off-Broadway in 1950. In 1952 Childress became the first African-American woman to see her play (Gold Through the Trees) professionally produced in New York. In 1955, Childress’ play Trouble in Mind was a critical and popular success from the beginning of its run Off-Broadway at the Greenwich Mews Theatre. The play immediately drew interest from producers for a Broadway transfer. In an ironic twist echoing the tribulations of the characters in the play itself, the producers wanted changes to the script to make it more palatable to a commercial audience. Childress refused to compromise her artistic vision, and the play didn’t open on Broadway. If it had, at that time Childress would have been the first African-American woman playwright to have a play on Broadway. Trouble in Mind received a well-reviewed Off-Broadway revival in 1998 by the Negro Ensemble Company and has since been produced by Yale Repertory Theatre, Centerstage, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage. Trouble in Mind, directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company, opened on Broadway in November 2021. Childress is perhaps best known today for “A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But A Sandwich,” her 1973 novel about a 13-year-old black boy addicted to heroin, which was subsequently made into a movie in 1978. Other plays written by Childress include Just A Little Simple (1950), Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White (1966) and Gullah (1984). Alice Childress died in New York in 1994. Throughout her career, she examined the true meaning of being black, and especially of being black and female. As Childress herself once said, “I concentrate on portraying have-nots in a have society.”
LACHANZE. With a career that has spanned thirty-eight Broadway seasons, LaChanze consistently brings women of complexity and triumph into the cultural lexicon. Last season, LaChanze made her debut as producer on two shows, the 20th anniversary revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-Winning play, Topdog/Underdog, as well as Kimberly Akimbo, a new musical by Tony-Winning Composer Jeanine Tesori and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, earning a combined 11 Tony Award nominations and 6 Tony Award wins, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Musical, respectively. This season, she produced Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, earning a combined 9 Tony Award nominations. In Spring 2024, she joined the producing team of The Outsiders, a new musical based on S.E. Hinton’s beloved novel, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Next season, she will make her New York City directorial debut with Alice Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness at Classic Stage Company. LaChanze won a Tony Award for her performance as Celie in The Color Purple, originated the role of Ti Moune in Once on This Island (Tony Award nomination), and upheld her commitment to artistic excellence as Wiletta in Alice Childress’ historic play, Trouble In Mind (Tony Award nomination). Other notable stage performances include roles in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Tony Award nomination), A Christmas Carol, The Secret Life of Bees, If/Then, The Wiz, Ragtime, Uptown… It’s Hot! and Dreamgirls. On screen, she has delivered memorable roles in both TV and film including: “East New York,” “The Blacklist,” “Handel’s Messiah Rocks: A Joyful Noise” (Emmy Award), “Melinda,” “The Help,” HBO’s “The Night Of,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Good Fight,” “Sex And The City,” and Disney animated feature film “Hercules” among other titles. She is the President of Black Theatre United, a community of creatives dedicated to awareness, accountability, and advocacy. Proud mother of Celia Rose and Zaya LaChanze. She resides in Westchester, New York with her three cats and gardening hats.