Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, Evanston’s celebrated company devoted to presenting dynamic Black American and African Diaspora-centered storytelling, has announced the cast for PASS OVER, a play by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, which is a provocative riff on WAITING FOR GODOT and THE BOOK OF EXODUS. The press opening is July 27 at 3 pm, following a preview on July 26 at 7 pm. PASS OVER will play through August 10.
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre’s producing artistic director, Tim Rhoze, who will direct the production, is pleased to announce his cast. Cast as the twenty-something Moses and Kitch, who stand around on an urban street corner – talking smack, passing the time, and hoping that maybe today will be different - are Tyshaun Meekie, a recent BFA graduate from The Theatre School at DePaul University as Moses; and Ty Norwood, also a graduate of The Theatre School with an MFA in acting, as Kitch. Rhoze says, “We’re thrilled to have these two stellar products of the Theatre School at DePaul, playing the two young men of PASS OVER. They beat out many veteran actors in winning these roles.” Tiemen Godwaldt, of FJT’s 2023 THIS BITTER EARTH, returns to FJT to play Mister/Osifer.
L-R: Tyshaun Meekie, Ty Norwood, Tiemen Godwaldt.
In this rare piece of emotionally charged theater by a bold American voice, as Moses and Kitch dream of their "promised land," a stranger wanders in with their own agenda and threatens their plans. Emotional and lyrical, PASS OVER crafts everyday profanities into poetic, poignant, and humorous riffs, exposing the unquestionable human spirit of young men stuck in a cycle just looking for a way out.
PASS OVER was included in THE NEW YORK TIMES Best Theater of 2018 list. PASS OVER opened on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre on August 22, 2021. Directed by Danya Taymor, the production featured Jon Michael Hill, Namir Smallwood, and Gabriel Ebert. The play premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in June 2017 under the direction of Danya Taymor, and the film recording of the performance was directed by Spike Lee.
This production features a powerhouse cast:
- Tiemen Godwaldt (Mister/Osifer) returns to FJT following his performance in THIS BITTER EARTH. A South Bend, Indiana native and Northwestern theatre alum, Godwaldt has also starred as Prior Walter in ANGELS IN AMERICA and David O. Selznick in MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS.
- Tyshaun Meekie (Moses), a recent BFA graduate from The Theatre School at DePaul University, has appeared in productions including AH, WILDERNESS, KILLING OF A GENTLEMAN DEFENDER, THE ROYALE, and MONSTER.
- Ty Norwood (Kitch), also a graduate of The Theatre School with an MFA in Acting, has been seen in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, LOTTERY DAY, THE INHERITORS, and 21 NORTH, along with multiple film roles.
Performance Details:
- Preview: Saturday, July 26, 2025, at 7 pm
- Press Opening: Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 3 pm
- Run Dates: Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, through Aug. 10, 2025
- Location: Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston
- Tickets: $32; Students $10 — On sale now at www.fjtheatre.com or call 847-866-5914
Creative Team:
- Director & Set Designer: Tim Rhoze
- Stage Manager: Rebecca Lynn Dose
- Assistant Stage Manager: Eldridge Shannon III
- Tech Director and Set Builder: Shane Rogers
- Sound Design: Rick Sims
- Lighting Design: Brenden Marble
- Muralist: J.A. Hyde
- Costume Design: Kate Parker-Barrows
- Artistic Associate: Bria Walker-Rhoze
BIOS
TIM RHOZE (Director, Producing Artistic Director) Tim Rhoze has been the Producing Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre since 2010. His directing credits include: HONEYPOT: BLACK SOUTHERN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN, UNTIL THE FLOOD, FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/ WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF, 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE, THIS BITTER EARTH, THE BALDWIN | GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE, THE LIGHT, AMERICAN SON, HOME, TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES 1992, THE MEETING, FIRES IN THE MIRROR, BLACK BALLERINA (co-writer), NUTCRACKER(ISH), CROWNS, HAVING OUR SAY, FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA, WOZA ALBERT!, GOING TO ST. IVES, SINGLE BLACK FEMALE, A SONG FOR CORETTA, YELLOWMAN, SWEET, LADY DAY AT EMERSON BAR & GRILL, BEAR COUNTRY, NOBODY, FENCES, PIANO LESSON, AIN'T MISBEHAVIN, K2, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, and others. Tim is also the writer/director of WHY NOT ME? A SAMMY DAVIS JR. STORY, and MAYA’S LAST POEM, both produced at FJT; and BLACK BALLERINA, produced at FJT and Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He was also co-writer and director of THE BALDWIN | GIOVANNI EXPERIENCE and A HOME ON THE LAKE. His performances in August Wilson’s PIANO LESSON (1997) and JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE (2024) at the Goodman Theatre were nominated for Jeff Awards.
ANTOINETTE CHINONYE NWANDU (Playwright) is a New York-based writer for stage and screen. In the summer of 2017, weeks after Trump’s election, Nwandu's play PASS OVER had its World Premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. A filmed version of that Jeff Award-winning Steppenwolf production—directed by Spike Lee— premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and at SXSW and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. In 2018, PASS OVER made its New York debut at LCT3/Lincoln, complete with a new ending. In 2021, PASS OVER ushered in the re-opening of Broadway after the pandemic closure. Additional plays include BREACH: A MANIFESTO ON RACE IN AMERICA THROUGH THE EYES OF A BLACK GIRL RECOVERING FROM SELF-HATE (2018 Victory Gardens World Premiere); FLAT SAM (Douglas Turner Ward prize); and VANNA WHITE HAS GOT TO DIE! (Fire This Time Festival).
About Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre: Since 1979, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre has been dedicated to producing powerful works that amplify the voices of the Black American experience. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Tim Rhoze, FJT continues to be a hub for transformative, socially relevant theatre in Evanston and beyond and recognized as a vital contributor to the Chicago theatre scene.