The Hangar’s Season Opens with School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play June 17th!
ITHACA-The Hangar Theater is thrilled to announce the beginning of the 2022 Mainstage Season with the regional premiere of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play. After several wildly successful productions Off-Broadway, this thought-provoking comedy by Jocelyn Bioh will receive two preview performances Thursday, June 15th at 7:30pm and Friday, June 16th at 7:30pm before opening night on Friday, June 17th at 7:30pm on the Covered Outdoor Stage at the Hangar Theater.
Winner of the 2018 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play and the 2018 Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble, Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, is a hilarious comedy that references the Tina Fey film in its subtitle, depicting the adolescent social structures and cafeteria gossip of a circle of friends at the Aburi Girls Boarding School in Ghana.
Queen Bee Paulina is intent on representing her school in the Miss Ghana 1986 pageant. Her dedicated clique at the Aburi Girls Boarding School is rooting for her until newcomer Ericka, recently immigrated to Ghana from the United States, enters the competition. The play reflects universal high school questions about friendship and identity while investigating specific themes of colorism and the impact of Western beauty standards on black people worldwide.
"What stood out to me about School Girls was how exquisitely crafted the ensemble work is,” commented Hangar Theatre Artistic Director Shirley Serotsky, “--we truly get to know each of the eight memorable characters in the play in deep and specific ways. It's funny, and honest, and so astute in its depiction of adolescent relationships and social structures. It's especially exciting to open the re-designed Hangar outdoor space with this play. The story is set in a courtyard cafeteria at the Aburi Girls' School in Ghana, Africa. The design team has been very inspired by images of the actual school, which reveal a setting that is both interior and exterior--perfect for the new tented space."
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play will be performed on The Hangar Theatre Covered Outdoor Stage running Wednesday, June 15th through Saturday, June 25th. Upgrades to the 2022 outdoor venue include heightened and re-graded ground to improve drainage and accessibility, a 30-foot high pole tent that covers the stage and audience area and protects both from the elements, a thrust stage built out into the audience for a closer experience with the performance and brand new padded seating. Audiences will be intimately involved in the action of this award winning and acerbic comedy.
Lydia Fort directs the Hangar production of School Girls which stars Ciara Stroud as Ericka Boafo and Devin Kessler as Paulina Sarpong. Also appearing are Morgan Williams, Sarah W. Simmons, Alaysia Duncan, Ciara Stroud, Starnubia, Latonia Phipps*, and Shiro Kihagi*. Carley Robinson is understudying.
Joining Fort, the creative and production team includes Set Designer Czerton Lim, Sound Designer David Lamont Wilson, Lighting Designer Aja Jackson, Costume Designer Danielle E. Preston†, Production Stage Manager Christine M. Swartwout*, Accent and Dialect CoachElisa Gonzales, Song Coach Elbonee McLaurin, Production Assistants Mark Osgood and Casey Boriskie, Casting Director Michael Cassara, Cultural Consultant Yao Foli (ChaCha), Production Manager Adam Zonder and Artistic Director Shirley Serotsky.
Ticket Information
School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play runs from June 15th-25th. Seats are limited, and available while supplies last. Student discounts and Pay What You Will tickets are available at every performance in 2022. Learn more or buy now at https://hangartheatre.org/event/school-girls-or-the-african-mean-girls-play/.
For tickets or more information about the rest of the Hangar’s 2022 Mainstage Season, please call 607.273.2787, or visit hangartheatre.org.
*Member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
†Member of the United Scenic Artist, the Union of Designers, Artists, and Craftspeople in the entertainment and decorative arts industries.
Performance Schedule
Wednesday, June 15
7:30 PM
Thursday, June 16
7:30 PM
Friday, June 17
7:30 PM
Saturday, June 18
2:30 PM7:30 PM
Sunday, June 19
2:30 PM
Tuesday, June 21
7:30 PM
Wednesday, June 22
7:30 PM
Thursday, June 23
7:30 PM
Friday June 24
7:30 PM
Saturday June 25
2:30 PM
7:30 PM
The Hangar thanks Premier Performance Sponsor Tompkins Trust Company, Mainstage Media Sponsor Cayuga Radio Group, and Media Sponsor Ithaca Times for helping to make this production possible. Additional show information can be found online at hangartheatre.org/event/school-girls-or-the-african-mean-girls-play/
Special Event Performances
Preview Performance: Previews are shows performed in front of an audience prior to their official opening. This gives the director and creative team a chance to experience the production with an audience present, while adjustments can still be made.
Pay What You Will tickets are available for every performance in 2021! This program gives patrons the option to choose a ticket price within their means. The goal in this program is to give everyone in our community the opportunity to enjoy our exciting outdoor theatre this year. Seats must be reserved in advance. To learn more or reserve visit hangartheatre.org/ways
About the Hangar Theatre
The Hangar Theatre is located at 801 Taughannock Blvd., north of Ithaca on Route 89 on the shores of Cayuga Lake. Originally opened as a summer theatre in 1975, the Hangar is home to the Hangar Theatre Company and serves as a venue for a variety of performing artists and community organizations. The Hangar Theatre Company offers professional theatrical productions throughout the year and a renowned education program.
Hangar Mission
The Hangar Theatre creates and presents performances of exceptional quality in New York’s Finger Lakes region while training the next generation of theatre artists. We inspire our community with work and classes that enrich, entertain, and enlighten. We believe in the power of theatre to transform lives.
