Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has announced the full cast and creative team for Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney’s new play We Are Gathered. Queer love shines in this contemporary twist on Shakespearean wedding plays from the screenwriter of Moonlight. Directed by Kent Gash, We Are Gathered will run May 16 – June 15, 2025, on Arena Stage’s in-the-round Fichandler Stage. For more information and tickets, visit arenastage.org/gathered.
“The celebration and honoring of love, sexual expression, freedom, and Black excellence in We Are Gathered is a wedding invitation and another collaboration with this genius that I am thrilled to accept,” shared Gash. “Do Free and W. Tre, our protagonists, make it to the altar? For the answer, you’ll have to see Tarell’s We Are Gathered. SAVE THE DATE!”
A wildly funny and irresistibly steamy romance, We Are Gathered follows the relationship of Free and W. Tre. Who knew when they met in a shadowy park looking for a good time — they’d stumble into love, laughter, and a whole lot more heat than they bargained for? As they approach a milestone anniversary, they wonder if they’ve met Mr. Right or had a long one-night stand with a lovely Mr. Maybe. With a little support and a lot of confusion from family, friends, and a stranger in the dark, the question remains: will Free and W. Tre find their way together, or will they let fear and a secret lead them apart?
“Tarell Alvin McCraney has crafted a magical and deeply human story that invites us to reflect on what it means to love bravely,” said Arena Stage Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif. “We Are Gathered dissects the beauty and vulnerability of commitment. It asks us to be seen fully, to give fully, and to trust that love, in all its forms, is worth the leap.”
At the culmination of each performance, audience members are invited to participate in Love Takes Center Stage — a one-of-a-kind immersive experience where real couples will get the chance to step into the spotlight and honor their love. Whether planning to say “I do,” renew vows, or surprise a loved one with the declaration of all declarations, this theatrical celebration embraces it all. Every love story is welcome. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. For more information or to sign up, please visit arenastage.org/lovestory.
Joining the previously-announced Kyle Beltran (Netflix’s Inventing Anna) as W. Tre; Nic Ashe (Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar) as Free; and Nikkole Salter (Arena’s Stick Fly) as MS MS/Punkin, the cast of We Are Gathered will include Jade Jones (The Muny’s Les Misérables), Kevin Mambo (Broadway’s The Color Purple), Craig Wallace (Arena’s The Great Society), Prince Bajon (Studio Theatre’s The Scenarios), Jason B. McIntosh (Studio Theatre’s Clyde’s), and Jasmine Joy (Arena’s Tempestuous Elements).
Gash leads a world-class team of creatives that includes set designer Jason Sherwood (Off-Broadway’s Drag: The Musical), costume designer Kara Harmon (Arena’s John Leguizamo’s The Other Americans), lighting designer Adam Honoré (Broadway’s Purlie Victorious), two-time Tony-nominated sound designer Lindsay Jones (Broadway’s Slave Play), composer Tre’Von Griffith (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’s Side by Side by Sondheim), and wig, hair, and makeup designer J. Jared Janas (Broadway’s John Proctor is the Villain). Dramaturgy is by Avon Haughton, New York casting is by The TRC Company/Tara Rubin, CSA, and DC casting is by Raiyon Hunter. The stage manager for We Are Gathered is Christi B. Spann and the assistant stage manager is Jamie Berry.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Nicholas L. Ashe (Free) Theater credits include the Broadway production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy (Manhattan Theatre Club), Matthew López’s The Inheritance (Geffen Playhouse), Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins’ Girls (Yale Repertory Theatre), and most recently, Gage Tarlton’s Pretty Perfect Lives. Nic got his start as Young Simba on the national tour of The Lion King. He is best known for his seven-year run on Ava DuVernay’s critically-acclaimed series Queen Sugar on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
Kyle Beltran (W. Tre) Broadway: The Cherry Orchard, In the Heights (& First National Tour). Off-Broadway: A Case for the Existence of God (Signature, Drama Desk & Lortel Award nominations); Curse of the Starving Class (The New Group); Find Me Here, Tin Cat Shoes (Clubbed Thumb); Lessons in Survival, The Amateurs, Gloria (Vineyard); Blue Ridge (Atlantic), Fire In Dreamland, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Head of Passes, The Fortress of Solitude (Public); The Flick (Barrow Street); Choir Boy (MTC, AUDELCO Award); 10 Things to Do Before I Die (2ST). Regional: Williamstown, Goodman, Dallas Theater Center, Steppenwolf, Yale Rep, The Old Globe. TV/Film: Ramon Fisher on American Rust: Broken Justice (Prime), American Horror Story (FX), Inventing Anna (Netflix), Olga Dies Dreaming (Hulu, pilot), American Rust (Showtime), David Makes Man (OWN/Max), The Shivering Truth (Adult Swim), Horace and Pete (Pig Newton), The Big C (Showtime), Unforgettable (CBS). BFA in Drama, Carnegie Mellon.
Jade Jones they/them (Xi/Nana Jae), most recently seen as Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables at The Muny in St. Louis, is known for their portrayal of Belle in Olney Theatre’s internationally-acclaimed production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Jade made their New York debut in 2023 as Mary in the off-Broadway revival of Vanities, and made their television debut as Stevie on the primetime network series Chicago P.D. As a DC native, they have also been seen at Shakespeare Theatre Company (The Amen Corner), Round House Theatre (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play), and Ford’s Theatre (Into the Woods). They were spotlit on ABC 20/20’s 25th Anniversary Cinderella reunion special alongside Billy Porter and Todrick Hall, and have been featured in Playbill, MSNBC, and People magazine. Their music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud, under the moniker “Litty Official.”
Kevin Mambo (Dad/Chauncey) Broadway, Off-Broadway, and tour credits include Fela!, The Color Purple, and The Book of Mormon National Tour (Helen Hayes nomination); The History of Empires at La MaMa; Fortress of Solitude at Dallas Theater Center and The Public Theater (Lortel nomination); Mlima’s Tale at The Public Theater; Ruined at Goodman Theatre and Manhattan Theatre Club; The Convert at Kirk Douglas Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and McCarter Theatre Center; Venus and Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek at Signature Theatre; Seven Guitars and Pericles at Two River Theater; The Last Detail at Lucille Lortel Theatre; and Once Around the Sun at Zipper Factory Theater. Film credits include Rustin, Nina, Cadillac Records, Rebel in the Rye, Payback, One of Us Tripped, Firing Squad, Selah and the Spades, The Southside, Henchman of Notre Dame (Best Actor), Trooper, and Man in the Mirror. Television credits include Guiding Light (two Emmys, three nominations), Hit & Run, Luke Cage, Saint X, High Maintenance, The Good Doctor, Blacklist, Happyish, Soul Food, One Life to Live, Law & Order (Original/Deadline/SVU/Trial by Jury/Criminal Intent/Reboot), Spin City, Elementary, Any Day Now, Mistresses, Family Matters, Freshman Dorm, and Great Performances.
Nikkole Salter (MS MS/Punkin) is an award-winning actress, playwright, educator, and arts advocate. For her work, she has received an OBIE, a Helen Hayes Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Global Tolerance Award from the Friends of the United Nations (a Selfdes-Kanin fellowship from the Theatre Hall of Fame), and most recently, a Lily Award for her contributions to the betterment of the theatre field. Next up, she can be seen on stage at Arena Stage in their world premiere production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s We Are Gathered. She is a graduate of Howard University and NYU. She is the current Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University.
Craig Wallace (Pop Pop/Cedric) is excited to return to Arena Stage having performed in numerous productions including K2, All The Way, and The Great Society. For 30 years, Craig has played a variety of roles across the DMV. Favorite roles include Sam in Master Harold…and the Boys at Roundhouse Theatre, Gloucester in King Lear at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Louis Armstrong in Satchmo at the Waldorf at Mosaic Theatre, Ebenezer Scrooge (recurring) in A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre, and many others. Craig received his BFA from Howard University, his MFA from Penn State University, and has studied with The Royal National Theatre in London.
Prince Bajon (u/s Free, W. Tre) is a first-generation Cameroonian-American actor making his Arena Stage debut as an understudy in We Are Gathered. He recently understudied at Studio Theatre, while prepping and performing for the Howard University Senior Showcase. In the past year, he has also performed at The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and YPT DC. On screen, he starred in WEA Vol. 3 (A Howard x Disney Storytellers Collaboration), and Film School. A recent graduate of Howard University’s BFA Acting program, Prince is passionate about bringing dynamic, heartfelt storytelling to the stage and screen.
Jason B. McIntosh (u/s Dad/Chauncey, Pop Pop/Cedric) was most recently seen in Studio Theatre’s Clyde’s. Select regional credits include Radio Golf, Sweat, Fences (Everyman Theatre); Twelve Angry Men (Ford’s Theatre); Robin Hood (Imagination Stage); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1st Stage); A Human Being Died That Night, When January Feels Like Summer (Mosaic Theatre Company); Othello (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); and many others. Select TV/Film credits include Kennedy, Moving Day, and The 51st State.
Jasmine Joy (u/s MS MS/Punkin, Xi/Nana Jae) is delighted to return to Arena Stage for this compelling celebration of love! Local credits include: Arena Stage – Tempestuous Elements, POTUS; Constellation Theatre Company – Is God Is, Moon Man Walk; The Kennedy Center – Shear Madness, A Wind in the Door (TYA); Imagination Stage – The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen, Corduroy, The Snow Queen; Olney Theatre Center – Dance Nation; 1st Stage – The Mamalogues; Theater Alliance – A Chorus Within Her; Keegan Theatre – Womxn’s Fire Festival; Peter’s Alley – The Gulf; and Venus Theatre – The Powers that Be, #solestories. Jasmine would love to thank her daughter, Calypso, for being her inspiration.
We Are Gathered plays May 16 – June 15, 2025 in the Fichandler Stage at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th St SW, Washington, DC 20024. Tickets start at $59 and are available online. Tickets may also be purchased through the Sales Office by phone at 202-488-3300, Tuesday-Sunday, 12-8 p.m., or in person at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C., Tuesday-Sunday, 2 hours prior to a performance. Groups of 10+ may purchase tickets by phone at 202-488-4380.
Arena Stage’s many savings programs include “pay your age” tickets for those aged 35 and under; military, first responder, and educator discounts; student discounts; and “Southwest Nights” for those living and working in the District’s Southwest neighborhood. To learn more, visit arenastage.org/savings-programs.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday at 7:30pm
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm
Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Weekday matinees at 12pm on May 28, June 5, and June 11
Early Curtain: Sunday, June 1 at 6pm
Southwest Nights: Sunday, May 25 at 2pm and Tuesday, June 3 at 7:30pm
Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, May 31 at 2pm
ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, June 14 at 8pm
Mask-Required Performances: Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30pm and Tuesday, June 14 at 8pm
Closed Captioning: GalaPro begins Friday, May 23
Industry Night: Sunday, May 18 at 7:30pm
Pride Night: Saturday, May 24 at 8pm
HBCU/Divine Nine Night: Thursday, May 29 at 8pm
Post-Show Conversations
Connect with the show beyond the performance at a post-show conversation on May 28, June 5, and June 11 following the 12pm matinees, June 3 following the 7:30pm, and June 12 following the 8pm performance.
ABOUT ARENA STAGE
The first racially integrated theater in our nation’s capital and a pioneer of the regional theater movement, Arena Stage was founded in 1950 in Washington, DC. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Hana S. Sharif and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep, and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and groundbreaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Consistently contributing to the American theatrical lexicon by commissioning and developing new plays, Arena Stage impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement and serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000.
