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Indiana Repertory Theatre begins New Year with New Play, King James

Writer's picture: Joey AmatoJoey Amato

The Indiana Repertory Theatre opens the New Year with the warm and surprising comedy King James, presented by Key Bank. Directed by Jamil Jude, the new play by Rajiv Joseph runs January 14 – February 9 on the Janet Allen Stage before going to Syracuse Stage as a co-production. 


In the story, Two young men—one Black, one white—meet and bond over their love for the Cavaliers during LeBron James’ rookie season in Cleveland. Over the next twelve years, their passion for basketball never wavers, even as their lives keep moving in different directions.


“King James spans over a decade of friendship and championship losses examining how the connections we make through the shared love of the game stand up to change,” IRT’s Associate Artistic Director cara hinh said. “This play is a fast-paced and funny story about the highs and lows of friendship and NBA seasons.”


Starring in the two-person show about brotherhood and basketball is Quinn M. Johnson as Matt and Enoch King, who was most recently on the IRT stage in 2023’s Flyin’ West, as Shawn.


New Harmony Project in Indiana held the developmental workshops for King James in 2019, and the show premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2022. Award-winning playwright Rajiv Joseph has twice won the Obie Award for Best New American Play and his play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama, was awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts, and was produced on Broadway in 2011 with Robin Williams.


Director Jamil Jude is a highly accomplished director, producer, playwright, and dramaturg focused on bringing socially relevant art to the community. He is the Artistic Director at Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta and is the Co-Founder of the New Griots Festival, which is dedicated to celebrating, advocating, and advancing the careers of emerging Black artists in Minneapolis–St. Paul.


The Theatre will host supplemental programming during the run of the show, including Artist Conversations that provide a behind-the-scenes perspective on the production and a Community Conversation: Brotherhood: A Celebration of Difference on January 18, 2025, following the 5 PM performance with IRT’s Director of Inclusion & Community Partnerships Devon Ginn as moderator, and panelists Too Black, Dr. Leslie Ettienne, and Jingo M. de la Rosa about the dynamics of male friendships.


Tickets are available now for King James, presented by Key Bank.



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