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PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Public Theater continues its 45th anniversary season with the Pittsburgh premiere of "School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play." A smash hit Off-Broadway last year, the play was written by Jocelyn Bioh, a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Ghana in West Africa.
"School Girls" is set in 1986 at a boarding school in Ghana. It's a normal day of chatter and cattiness in the cafeteria for beautiful bully Paulina (Markia Nicole Smith) and Ama (Ezioma Asonye), Gifty (Shakara Wright), Mercy (Candace Boahene) and Nana (Atiauna Grant). Then Headmistress Francis (Shinnerrie Jackson) makes a surprising announcement: A recruiter for the Miss Ghana pageant (Melessie Clark as Eloise) is about to pay a visit and one of them may get a chance to represent their country at Miss Global Universe. All agree it should be Paulina -- especially Paulina. But things go sideways for the queen bee when a new student, Erika (Aidaa Peerzada), enrolls. Not only is she pretty, but she has a light complexion. Relevant and relatable, School Girls explores the impact that beauty standards have on young women across the globe.
"The way Jocelyn Bioh has taken this form and re-imagined it for a modern audience is a mark of genius," said Marya Sea Kaminski, the theater's artistic director. "'School Girls' has all the delicious trappings you'd hope for - a popular girl who reigns supreme, a new girl struggling to find her place, beauty tricks out of magazines and puffy prom dresses. Bioh has set this incredible comedy in Africa, proving that teenagers are the same everywhere, but also reminding us how varied the world can be."
The design team is Ryan Howell (scenic), Sarita Fellows (costumes), Jasmine Lesane (lighting), Angela Baughman (sound). Nancy McNulty (dialect coach), Geoff Josselson (casting), Fred Noel (production stage manager) and Taylor K. Meszaros (assistant stage manager.)
Directed by Kenyan native Shariffa Ali, "School Girls" runs Nov. 7-Dec. 8, 2019 at the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater's home in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District.
The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. (except Nov. 27 and Nov. 28); Saturdays at 2 p.m. (except Nov. 9 and Nov. 16), plus 2 p.m. on on Dec. 5; Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (except Dec. 8, when the final performance is at 2 p.m.); and opening night is Nov. 15.
Ticket prices start at $31, with tickets for students and age 26 and younger available at $16.50. Discounts for groups of 10 or more are available by contacting Katina White at (412) 316-8221, or groupsales@ppt.org.
Ticket prices are subject to change.
For tickets, contact (412) 316-1600, ppt.org, or the O'Reilly Box Office.