McCraney - Choir Boy

Greatly affecting... It takes a brave writer to set his language against the plaintive beauty of the hymns and spirituals... but McCraneys speech holds its own, locating poetry even in casual vernacular and again demonstrating his gift for simile and metaphor. ALEXIS SOLOSKI, VILLAGE VOICE An exhilarating, multi-layered new play. LYN GARDNER, THE GUARDIAN A bracing surprise... That rare thoughtful play whose rousing commercial instincts enhance its insights.

MYRON MEISEL, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER Believe the buzz... This small but mighty coming-of-age play sings with smarts and heart. MARILYN STASIO, VARIETY Tarell Alvin McCraneys play about a charismatic gay teen soars... His writing, a blend of adolescent slang and more traditional expression the kids use in the classroom, is insightful, sometimes funny and a little bit heartbreaking. CHRISTINE DOLEN, MIAMI HERALD Powerful... Choir Boy sings a stirring tune. Choir Boy sings a stirring tune.

CELIA WREN, WASHINGTON POST Looks like a big hit, and it deserves to be... McCraney mines the irony of an institution that proudly trumpets its association with the Civil Rights Movement while tacitly accepting another strain of bigotry. CHRIS KLIMEK, WASHINGTON CITY PAPER Incredibly powerful... Choir Boy is more than an eye-openerits a masterpiece. WOODY WEINGARTEN, MILL VALLEY HERALD Visceral... McCraneys poetical-musical style transforms a stock scenario into a kind of oratorio...

All of the students lack of affirmation from society in general and from parents in particular forms a harrowing backdrop to McCraneys depiction of the underpinnings of rage and need that permeate our society. STEVEN LEIGH MORRIS, LA WEEKLY Emotionally devastating yet life-affirming... Choir Boy is a tale of mans humanity to man, how the act of a single individual can empower, inspire and enable another individual to embrace life. HARRY DUKE, SONOMA COUNTY GAZETTE A thought-provoking, absorbing, coming-of-age story told with empathy, music, humor and drama... McCraney is a talent to be reckoned with. JUDY RICHTER, DAILY JOURNAL (California) Never preachy or easy...

McCraney masterfully pulls into the frame matters of history, sexuality, identity and politics, all of them specifically grounded in the characters and their world, but also with all their immensity, complexity and uncertainty left intact. ANDREW ALEXANDER, ARTS ATLANTA Amazing... By turns funny, insightful, cruel, truthful, heartbreaking and life-affirming, McCraneys story is a play we havent seen before. Choir Boy speaks to a searing void in all of our hearts, a void that McCraney knows, understands and verbalizes with ruthlessness and compassion in equal measure. DAVID HURST, NEXT MAGAZINE ALSO BY TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY AVAILABLE FROM TCG THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS In the Red and Brown WaterThe Brothers SizeMarcus; Or the Secret of SweetChoir Boy is copyright 2015 by Tarell Alvin McCraney Choir Boy is published by Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-4156 All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio or television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this material, being fully protected under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and all other countries of the Berne and Universal Copyright Conventions, is subject to a royalty. All rights, including but not limited to, professional, amateur, recording, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio and television broadcasting, and the rights of translation into foreign languages are expressly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed on the question of readings and all uses of this book by educational institutions, permission for which must be secured from the authors representative: George Lane, Creative Artists Agency, 405 Lexington Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10174, (212) 277-9000. The publication of Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney, through TCGs Book Program, is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA McCraney, Tarell Alvin.

Choir boy / Tarell Alvin McCraney.First edition. pages ; cm ISBN 978-1-55936-782-0 (ebook) 1. Gay menDrama. 2. ChoirboysDrama. 3.

Choral conductorsDrama. 4. African American boysDrama. I. Title. PS3613.C38625C48 2015 812'.6dc23 2015034032 Book design and composition by Lisa Govan Cover painting and design by T.

Eliott Mansa First Edition, December 2015 For Saleem Table of Contents

Contents Choir Boy was commissioned by Manhattan Theatre Club and received its world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre (Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director; Lucy Davies, Executive Producer) in London, on September 4, 2012. It was directed by Dominic Cooke; the set and costume design was by Ultz, the lighting design was by Charles Balfour, the sound design was by Carolyn Downing; the musical director was Colin Vassell and the stage managers were Nafeesah Butt and Olivia Kerslake. The cast was:

HEADMASTER MARROW	Gary McDonald
PHARUS JONATHAN YOUNG	Dominic Smith
MR. PENDLETON	David Burke
ROBERT BOBBY MARROW	Eric Kofi Abrefa
JUNIOR JR DAVIS	Kwayedza Kureya
ANTHONY JUSTIN AJ JAMES	Khali Best
DAVID HEARD	Aron Julius

The American premiere of Choir Boy was presented by Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) in a co-production with Alliance Theatre (Susan V. Booth, Artistic Director) in New York City on July 2, 2013. It was directed by Trip Cullman; the set and costume design was by David Zinn, the lighting design was by Peter Kaczorowski, the sound design was by Fitz Patton, the musical direction and vocal arrangements were by Jason Michael Webb; the production stage manager was Kyle Gates.

The cast was:

HEADMASTER MARROW	Chuck Cooper
PHARUS JONATHAN YOUNG	Jeremy Pope
MR. PENDLETON	Austin Pendleton
ROBERT BOBBY MARROW	Wallace Smith
JUNIOR JR DAVIS	Nicholas L. Ashe
ANTHONY JUSTIN AJ JAMES	Grantham Coleman
DAVID HEARD	Kyle Beltran

This production of Choir Boy then opened at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta on September 20, 2013. The cast and personnel remained the same with the following exceptions: Headmaster Marrow was played by Charles E. Wallace, Mr. Pendleton was played by Scott Robertson, Robert Bobby Marrow was played by Joshua Boone, Anthony Justin AJ James was played by John Clarence Stewart, David Heard was played by Caleb Eberhardt and the production stage manager was R.