CO-WORLD PREMIERE
Malcolm x & Redd foxx washing dishes at jimmy’s chicken shack in harlem
by jonathan norton
directed by dexter j. singleton
april 8 - 26, 2026
1943. Two young Harlemites form a friendship over leftover fried chicken and dirty dishwater. But a long, hot summer of heartbreak, betrayal, and racial uprisings moves them closer to the men they will become and farther from each other. This electrifying world premiere blends sharp humor with raw humanity, revealing the laughter, struggle, and brotherhood that shaped two legends.
Produced in partnership with Theatre Squared, City Theatre, and Dallas Theater Center.
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Run Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission
Audience Recommendation: Ages 14+
Content Advisory: Profanity and strong adult language; simulated use of cocaine and discussion about drugs and their paraphernalia.
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April 8-10 | Preview Performances
April 10 | Pride Night with a post-show drag show with Vivian Devereux Valentine.
April 11 @ 7:30PM | Opening Night Performance
April 12 @ 2:00PM | Post Show Talkback
April 12 | Divine 9 Reception
April 18 @ 2:00PM | Audio Description & Open Captioning*
April 18 @ 7:30PM | ASL Performance*
April 19 @ 2:00PM | Post Show Talkback
April 19 @ 7:30PM | Pay What You Choose
April 25 @ 2:00PM | Theatre for Everyone*Seating for Audio Description & Open Captioning is provided in the Orchestra Left. Please use promo code “AccessVA” on checkout for proper booking.
*Seating for ASL is provided in the Orchestra Left side of the House. Please use promo code “ASL” on checkout for proper booking.
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Directed by DEXTER J. SINGLETON
Scenic Designer KIMBERLY V. POWERS
Costume Designer CLAUDIA BROWNLEE
Lighting Designer LEVI WILKINS
Sound Designer HOWARD PATTERSON
Assistant Sound Designer GLOR MANCILLA
Production Stage Manager TAYLOR MESZAROS
Assistant Stage Manager KIM FULLER -
This production is a Co-World Premiere Produced by TheatreSquared (Fayetteville,AR), City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA), Virginia Stage Company (Norfolk, VA) and Dallas Theater Center (Dallas, TX).
CITY THEATRE Founded in 1975, City Theatre is in its 51st season as Pittsburgh’s home for bold new plays. Located in the historic South Side on its four-building cultural campus, the company produces a season of regional and world premieres; its renowned Young Playwrights Festival, now in its 26th year; a season-long reading series of new works in progress; and the annual Momentum Festival. City Theatre’s mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays that engage and challenge a diverse audience. With an annual average operating budget of over $3.3M, City Theatre is the largest performing arts organization not located in Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District and is a constituent and core member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and the National New Play Network (NNPN). Clare Drobot serves as Artistic Director alongside Managing Director James McNeel. Learn more at CityTheatreCompany.org.
DALLAS THEATER CENTER is one of the leading regional theaters in the country and the recipient of the 2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Dallas Theater Center (DTC) is committed to producing theater with resident artists that illuminate diverse experiences and spark collaboration and dialogue. Founded in 1959, DTC produces a year-round subscription series of classics, musicals, and new plays for more than 50,000 North Texas residents annually.
The cast:
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EDWIN GREEN (Little) is a NYC based actor & writer who has been attached to Malcolm X and Redd Foxxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem since the first reading of it at the off-broadway theatre, Primary Stages in New York City in April 2024. Notable credits include Eljert Lovborg in Hedda Gabler (University of Arkansas), Macbeth / Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (SHSU) & Andre in the soon to be released psychological thriller, A Gettysburg Haunting (WolfShoulder Productions). Additionally, his one person show titled Memento Mori was written and performed in the spring of 2022; Edwin holds a B.F.A in Acting and Directing from Sam Houston State University and an M.F.A in Acting from the University of Arkansas.
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TREY SMITH-MILLS (Understudy) will be thrilled to one day make his Virginia Stage Company debut. His credits include Foxxy in Primary Stages’ staged reading of Malcom X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem; Kenny (performed u/s) in Primary Trust, Effie in the staged reading of I Am Deliverd’t, Alex (performed u/s) in Kim’s Convenience. Trey in The Poe Show (TheatreSquared); JD in Heathers (Arkansas Sings), Tristan in This Bitch, Booth in Topdog/Underdog, Orcus in She Kills Monsters, Belize in Angels in America, and Dr. King in The Mountaintop (University of Arkansas). He holds a B.A. in Theatre and an M.Ed. in Higher Education from the University of Arkansas.
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Actor, Comedian, Jordan Williams (FOXY) makes an exciting debut at Virginia Stage Company. He recently appeared in FAT HAM as (TIO) in a coproduction between TheaterSquared and City Theatre. He also appeared in A Raisin in the Sun (GEORGE) at Theatre Squared. Recently, Jordan played Claudio in the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre Festivals production of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Jordan is a professional stand up comedian who performs at comedy clubs such as The Laugh Factory Hollywood , the J-Spot in Inglewood, The Comedy Union and The Comedy Store in Hollywood. He holds an MFA in acting from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville. Follow @importantjordan on all social media platforms to stay updated on his journey!
*denotes Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
photos:
Photo credit: Kristi Jan Hoover from City Theatre Company
Learn more:
What if you could see one of the most talked-about new plays in the country... and choose what you pay to get in?
For one special performance, tickets to Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem are Pay What You Choose, starting at just $5. Sunday, April 19 at 7:30pm.