Yes, And! Presents Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu May 30 - June 15 at Theatre Gym

Pass Over is directed by Katrinah Carol Lewis and presented in the Theatre Gym at Virginia Repertory Theatre as a part of the second season of programming by Yes, And! Theatrical Company. The production stars Anthony Cosby, Jr. as Moses, Erich Appleby as Kitch, and Adam Turck as Mister/Ossifer. Audiences can expect epic theater in an intimate performance space, and a production that will hit close to home.

A lamppost. Night. Two friends are passing time. Stuck. Waiting for change. Inspired by Waiting for Godot and the book of Exodus, Antoinette Nwandu fuses poetry, humor and humanity in a rare and politically charged new play which exposes the experiences of young black men in a world that refuses to see them.

In a 2018 interview with The Interval, Antoinette Nwandu succinctly states the importance of this confronting piece, “We all come to the theatre with our baggage, and hopefully we leave with our baggage a little bit shifted. I hope that audience members open up in themselves a space where they can value black life. I think that’s a very, very, very basic, but also very necessary message in this country.”

The production’s Dramaturg, Khadijah Dominique, explains that the playwright “draws a lot of inspiration from the Book of Exodus, in which God tells Moses to have the Israelites mark their doors with the blood of a lamb so that the angel of death will "pass over" them. To “pass over” is also to leave a place of suffering and to enter “paradise.” This is how Moses and Kitch use the term throughout the show in dealing with their own angel of death – in the forms of white supremacism and police brutality – and trying to figure out how to get it to pass over them.”

There is a very clear connection between the Biblical Moses and the Moses we see in Pass Over, played by Anthony Cosby, Jr., who is known locally for his I Would Die 4 U tribute to Prince. “This is definitely new territory for me. I’m a musical guy! I need my 5678, kick ball change, and all that jazz! Richmond will appreciate this show because it will spark necessary dialogue. Katrinah and the entire creative team have created such a welcoming, beautiful, yet devastating world that I look forward to entering daily. Who needs to see this play? Anyone who has a pulse!”

General Admission tickets are $37. To purchase tickets in advance and to learn more about Yes And, visit www.yesandrva.org or linktr.ee/yesandrva. $20 rush tickets will be offered at the box office 1 hour prior to each performance for available seats. Follow @yesandrva for additional discounts and promotions. Please direct questions to tickets@yesandrva.org. The Theatre Gym is located at Virginia Repertory Theatre in Historic Jackson Ward (114 W. Broad St.).

For press inquiries, email Matt Shofner at matt@yesandrva.org