Usher Information

By Step Afrika!
Directed by Jakari Sherman with Conrad R. Kelly II and Vusi Mdoyi

Fichandler Stage

In commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, Step Afrika! premieres The Fruits of Our Labor—a powerful new production exploring rhythm, resilience, and the unfinished story of the American experience. 

Blending stepping, percussion, and striking visual imagery, this visceral new piece examines what it means to believe in a nation still in the making. Created in collaboration with artists Jakari Sherman, Conrad R. Kelly II, and Vusi Mdoyi, the explosive movement and a bold palette of red, white, and blue, ask the nation: What have we inherited and what are we still fighting to become?

By Eric Bentley
Directed by Anna D. Shapiro

Kreeger Theater

Straight from Off-Broadway comes Eric Bentley's timely American docudrama, Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?, directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro. This electrifying story drops you into the tense world of the 1940s House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, where fame offered no protection and political pressure could end a career.

Using the original transcripts, the play features the words of artists like Arthur Miller, Jerome Robbins, Paul Robeson, Elia Kazan, Lillian Hellman, Abe Burrows, and Lionel Stander as they faced impossible choices: defend their integrity, protect their careers, or betray their peers. And yet the probing, chilling questions posed by the committee are as powerful as the testimonies themselves, revealing a climate of intimidation and moral conflict that resonates far beyond its time.

Fichandler Stage

Step into the holiday spirit with the joyful return of Step Afrika!'s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show, where the rich tradition of African American stepping blends with the magic of the season. Enjoy laughter, songs, and dance with the award-winning Step Afrika! performers. Then join DJ Nutcracker and his Arctic friends onstage to amplify the festive atmosphere. This vibrant, fun-filled show promises a memorable adventure for the entire family, captivating your heart and senses.

By Suzie Miller

Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle

Tessa is a brilliant criminal defense attorney who has fought her way to the top of her field, defending men accused of sexual assault. She knows how to win, and she trusts the system that made her success possible.  But when the unthinkable happens to her, she finds herself sitting where her clients’ accusers once sat.

What follows is a reckoning with the law's patriarchal power and the gap between the burden of proof and truth. Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is an electrifying, award-winning one-woman show that doesn’t just ask what justice means. It demands we do something about it.

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Fichandler Stage

Meet the Jaspers—a Black political dynasty of civil rights leaders, pastors, and congressmen who have long anchored Black American life. But beneath the surface, cracks and secrets simmer. When the youngest son, Naz, returns home with an unexpected guest, long-buried resentment boils over, fracturing the family's foundation.

Wickedly smart, outrageously funny, and ultimately devastating, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose is a provocative, deeply felt exploration of legacy, belonging, and the cost of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Support for Purpose is provided by Daniel W Hamilton.