Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s PASS OVER to reopen Broadway's August Wilson Theatre

The Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 production of Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s award-winning play Pass Over will reopen Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre for a limited run, with exact dates to be announced shortly.

Directed by Obie Award winner Danya Taymor, this will mark the Broadway debut of both Nwandu and Taymor. 

Pass Over draws inspiration from Waiting for Godot and the Exodus story, placed on a city street corner. Moses and Kitch stand around – talking shit, passing the time, and hoping that maybe today will be different. As they dream of their promised land, a stranger wanders into their space and disrupts their plans. Evoking heartbreak, hope, and joy over its 85 minutes, Pass Over crafts everyday profanities into poetic and humorous riffs, illuminating the unquestionable human spirit of young men looking for a way out.

Casting for its Broadway engagement will be announced shortly.

Playwright and producer Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu said: “In the summer of 2017, soon after our nation had elected Donald Trump as president, my creative team and I opened a production of Pass Over that shocked the conscience of our audiences. It premiered in Chicago at Steppenwolf and was captured by Spike Lee for Amazon Prime. 

“In the summer of 2018, wanting to prick the conscience of liberal Americans who remain tentative in their condemnation of violence against Black people, I changed the ending of the play, and my team and I opened Pass Over at LCT3 in New York. That version of the play was then produced throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, London, and South Africa. 

“And now, as my team and I prepare to produce this play again, I've asked myself: when the state-sanctioned murder of Black people in the United States remains visible and routine, and the world continues to reckon with the loss, trauma, and alienation caused by the global pandemic, how do I meet this moment? 

“Though much about Pass Over remains a lament over the lives of Black people stolen too soon, I am happy to confirm that my team and I, along with our producers, are presenting a new version that centers the health, hope and joy of our audiences, especially Black people. We are re-uniting to envision this play again, to tell a version of the story on Broadway where Moses & Kitch both survive their encounter with white oppression.”

The production reunites the full design team from the Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 production, with set design by Wilson Chin, costumes by Sarafina Bush, lighting by Marcus Doshi and sound by Obie and Grammy Award winner Justin Ellington.

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