The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre is thrilled to present "African Stew," Sept. 10–27, for a limited engagement at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (Magic Theatre) 2 Marina Blvd., Landmark Building D, Fort Mason Center), with press night scheduled for Sept. 12.

Tickets are *$35–$65) and are available now at www.lhtsf.org/african-stew.

Lorraine Hansberry Theatre's production is exciting because it is the first in a rolling world premiere that will bring "African Stew" to stages across the country. This delightful, insightful, timely, clever, and uproarious new satirical comedy comes from nationally acclaimed, award-winning playwright Lisa B. Thompson.

The play brings complex relationships, cultural expectations, and questions of identity to the table.

Directed by ​Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe, "African Stew" centers around an African American woman and a Nigerian man who announce their engagement after a whirlwind courtship. Their families gather for a celebratory meal in Oakland, but what begins as a joyous occasion soon simmers with tension as cultural differences, familial expectations, and questions of identity bubble to the surface. At a time when so much of the conversation centers on who belongs and who doesn't, this deeply human comedy asks what it really takes to build a family across class, culture, and generations.

"Lisa B. Thompson has a remarkable gift for finding humor, heart, and hard truths in the richness and complexity of Black life," says LHT Artistic Director Margo Hall.

"African Stew" is exactly the kind of play we need right now, added Hall. "It's hilarious, heartfelt, and full of characters you'll recognize and love. I am especially excited to join this incredible cast as Didi, a role that I know is going to be pure joy."

This poignant exploration of love, class, culture, and the Black Diaspora marks the return of one of LHT's most
celebrated collaborators in Thompson, whose 2024 "The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body" as well as 2019's "Single Black Female" were met with critical and popular acclaim.

""African Stew" is a love letter to my family and community," says Thompson. "I hope my new comedy sparks a long overdue and necessary conversation throughout the African diaspora. She added. "I believe that humor disarms us and brings us closer to understanding our differences while also acknowledging our commonalities. "I want audiences to leave this show full of optimism and with a newly found curiosity, appreciation and respect for each other's cultures, experiences and histories."

IF YOU GO:

Thurs & Fri Preview (9/10 & 9/11, 7:30 p.m.)
Opening Night (9/12, 7:30 p.m.)
Thurs, Fri, Sat (7:30 p.m.)
Sat, Sun (4 p.m.)

ABOUT LORRAINE HANSBERRY THEATRE

Named to honor the trailblazing playwright of "A Raisin in the Sun," Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (LHT) is one of the West Coast's oldest and most renowned professional theaters dedicated to creating theatrical works by,
for, and about the Black experience. LHT supports a new generation of aspiring Black artists, curates theater
experiences that validate Black life, and invites audiences to witness Black history and culture. LHT supports
theater-makers by providing the necessary resources to realize their visions, offering career development
opportunities and programs for diverse individuals, and holding spaces to communicate, commune and thrive.

ABOUT LISA B. THOMPSON/PLAYWRIGHT

Lisa B. Thompson's satirical comedies, poignant dramas, and insightful criticism explode stereotypes about Black life in the US, particularly the experiences of the Black middle class. Her award-winning plays include "Single Black Female," "Underground, Monroe," "The Mamalogues" and "The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body." They have been produced Off-Broadway and throughout the United States, as well as internationally.

Thompson's creative and scholarly work has received support from institutions such as Hedgebrook, MacDowell, Millay Arts, National Performance Network, Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, Clayman Institute for Gender Research, American Council of Learned Societies, W. E. B. DuBois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center, Fusebox Festival, and Texas Performing Arts. Her publications include "Beyond the Black Lady: Sexuality and the New African American Middle Class" as well as articles in Theatre Journal, Criterion Collection, Journal of American Drama, NPR, Theatre Survey, and The Washington Post.

Thompson also co-hosts and co-produces "Black Austin Matters," an NPR podcast that explores Black life, culture, and politics in Central Texas.

The San Francisco native currently serves as the Bobby and Sherri Patton Endowed Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and the interim associate dean of graduate education and academic affairs for the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin.

MARGO HALL/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CAST MEMBER:

Award-winning actor, director, playwright, educator, and the Artistic Director of Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (LHT), Margo Hall was recently awarded the 2021 Kenneth Rainin Fellowship in Theater and listed as one of the YBCA 100 honorees for 2020. She was last seen onstage in "Josephine's Feast" by Star Finch for Campo Santo and Magic Theatre. Other acting credits include "Black Odyssey," "Fences," "Twelfth Night," "A Raisin in the Sun," "A Winter's Tale," "American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose," and "SPUNK" for the California Shakespeare Theater, "JAZZ," "Skeleton Crew," "Gem of the Ocean," "Fences," and "Seven Guitars" for Marin Theater Company. "Ah! Wilderness," "Once in a Lifetime," and "Marcus" or the "Secret of Sweet" at ACT. "Exit Strategy" and "Trouble in Mind" at the Aurora Theater, Marcus Gardley's "A World in a Woman's Hands" for Shotgun Players, "Barbecue" (also directed), and "MF with a Hat" at SF Playhouse. Some of her acting credits for Campo Santo include Dennis Johnson's "Nobody Move," "Chinaka Hodges'" "Mirrors in Every Corner," Jessica Hagedorn's "Fe in the Desert" and "Stairway to Heaven," and Naomi Iizuka's "Hamlet: Blood in the Brain," "17 Reasons (Why)" and "Polaroid Stories."

CREATIVE TEAM:

Playwright: Lisa B. Thompson
​Director: Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe

CAST:

Patricia "Trish" Lopez: Carla Gallardo
Titilola "Lola" Ogunde: Jeunée Simon
Diana "Didi" Lawson: Margo Hall
Harold "Harry" Lawson: Ron Chapman
Babatunde "Baba" Ogunde: ShawnJ West
Julie "Jules" Lawson: Sundiata Ayinde
Ken Ogunde: Titus VanHook

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION:

Lighting Design: Jenny Bachofer
Sound Design: Alexis Brooks/Ray Archie
Scenic Design: Pamela Peniston
Scenic Build: Jamila Ring
Costume Design: Andre Harrington
Production Manager/ Stage Manager: Taylor Mendez

Editor's Note: *Ticket pricing for "African Stew" is subject to change. For additional information log on to information@lhtsf.org. Also, some information used in this article obtained from the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre publicity department.