Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, continues its 35th Anniversary Season with the highly-theatrical historical boxing drama The Royale from Marco Ramirez (Orange is the New Black, Buena Vista Social Club) and directed by Tyrone Phillips (Fat Ham; Byhalia, Mississippi). Inspired by the first Black world heavyweight champion and Chicagoan Jack Johnson, The Royale follows Jay “The Sport” Jackson as he fights for his place in history, The Royale will run October 22 – November 29, 2026 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The Press Opening is Friday, October 30, 2026 at 7:30pm.
Jay is a really good boxer, so good they call him “The Sport.” He’s won his last seventy-six fights and has his sights set on being crowned the next heavyweight champion. But it’s 1905, and in the Jim Crow era, a Black man doesn’t get to fight a reigning white champion. When a surprising chance at the title appears, Jay gears up for the fight of his life—where the stakes are staggeringly high inside the ring and out. Inspired by real-world boxer Jack Johnson, this adrenaline rush of a play by Marco Ramirez (Orange is the New Black, Buena Vista Social Club) is a kinetic and poetic portrayal of what it takes and what it costs to make history.
"The Royale is inspired by the boundary-breaking boxer Jack Johnson and the price of his determination to get to the top, As Jay's obstacles grow, so does his determination, his pride, his discipline and the costs to the people who love him,” comments says Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham. “Director Tyrone Phillips and his incredible ensemble of performers will conjure an entire world and its systemic tension using a captivating blend of rhythmic and percussive choreography. It's an invigorating way to continue our 35th season at Writers with a play built from a piece of American history too often left out of the story."
The cast of The Royale includes: La’Tevin Alexander (Jay), Scott Aiello (Max), Ajax Dontavius (Fish), James Vincent Meredith (Wynton), AnJi White (Nina). The understudies are Yomade Adefeso (Jay Understudy; Fish Understudy), Kristin Ellis (Nina Understudy), Joel Gelman (Max Understudy), Frederick Paul Williams (Wynton Understudy).
The creative team includes: Tyrone Phillips (Director), Rasell Holt (Movement Director), Lauren M. Nichols (Scenic Designer), Gregory Graham (Costume Designer), Jason Lynch (Lighting Designer), Stephanie Farina (Sound Designer) and Kenya Hall (Dramaturg). The stage manager is Imani M. Ross.
Single Tickets for The Royale start at $35 are now on sale at the Writers Theatre Box Office at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, by calling 847-242-6000, and at www.writerstheatre.org.
About the Artists
Marco Ramirez (Playwright) has had plays produced at Lincoln Center Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Humana Festival, The Old Globe (San Diego), The Bush Theatre (London), American Theater Company (Chicago), Soulpepper (Toronto) and Center Theatre Group (LA). Honors include Helen Hayes and Drama Desk nominations, the Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Playwriting Award, Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellowship, Lincoln Center’s Le Comte du Nouy Award and TCG’s Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Marco is also a WGA and Emmy Award-nominated TV writer and producer, where his credits include Marvel’s Daredevil (Netflix), Marvel’s The Defenders (Netflix), Sons of Anarchy (FX), Orange is the New Black (Netflix) and Fear the Walking Dead (AMC).
Tyrone Phillips (Director) is the founding Artistic Director of Chicago’s Definition Theatre. Recipient of the 2022 Alumni Award for Diversity and Inclusion, he is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has studied abroad at Shakespeare’s Globe. As a first generation Jamaican-American, Tyrone is passionate about equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in the fine arts industry and has completed advanced anti-racism training to lead change in our community. Select theater credits: Definition Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Writers, Old Globe, Berkeley Rep, Milwaukee Rep, St. Louis Rep and Stage 42 (off-Broadway). Tyrone is currently adjunct faculty at DePaul University and serves on the Board of Directors for the League of Chicago Theaters. He is the recipient of the Inaugural Arts Midwest Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity and Entrepreneurship and proud member of SDC, SAG-AFTRA and the NAACP.
La’Tevin Alexander (Jay) is making his Writers Theatre debut. Regional credits include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone as Herald Loomis (Penumbra Theatre); The Piano Lesson as Lymon (Milwaukee Rep and Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park); The Light as Rashad (Portland Center Stage); Paradise Blue as P-Sam (Portland Playhouse); A Christmas Carol as Scrooge (Portland Playhouse); Reggie Hoops as Muncie (Profile Theatre); and Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy as Jonathan Harker (Portland Center Stage). Film credits include Outdoor School (2025); Test Screening (2024); The Paper Tigers (2020); Marry, Fuck, Kill (2024); and Dearest Eva (2022). Television credits include: DELPHI (Prime); CHAD (TBS); The Wonderland Murders (ID); Portlandia (IFC); and Grimm (NBC). He has a BA from Florida A&M University.
Scott Aiello (Max) is returning to Writers Theater, where he previously appeared as Duke Frederick in As You Like It. Other Chicago Theater credits include: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Goodman), Hamlet (SS), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (SS), Henry V and Richard III (Chicago Shakespeare), A View From the Bridge (Shattered Globe), Perfect Mendacity (Steppenwolf), Awake and Sing! (Timeline). T.V. and film: American Rust (Showtime, Recurring), Billions (Showtime, Recurring). Joseph Jefferson Awards- Leading Actor in a Play (A View From the Bridge, Shattered Globe, 2024), Supporting Actor in a Play (Broadway Bound, Pegasus Players, 2002) Scott has narrated over 300 audiobooks. Training: The Juilliard School.
Ajax Dontavius (Fish) is a Haitian-American actor. Recent credits include: Blues for an Alabama Sky (Seattle Rep and Remy Bumppo Theatre); Last Night and The Night Before (Steppenwolf Theatre); Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Fences (American Blues Theater); and Middle Passage (Lifeline Theatre). Television: NCIS: Origins, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., 61st Street. Education: B.F.A. Acting – Roosevelt University/Chicago College of Performing Arts.
James Vincent Meredith (Wynton) previously appeared at Writers Theatre in The Dutchess of Malfi and Othello. Broadway credits include Skin of Our Teeth (LCT), Book of Mormon (Eugene O’Neill, also National Tour), The Minutes, and Superior Donuts (both Music Box). Local credits include work at Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman, Court, Victory Gardens and Steppenwolf (ensemble member since 2007). Recent Television credits include Fargo (FX), Emperor of Ocean Park (MGM), Your Honor (Showtime), 61st Street (AMC/CW)
AnJi White (Nina) hails from the South Side of Chicago. She last appeared in Covenant and Fat Ham (Goodman Theatre). Some Chicago credits include East Texas Hot Links (Court Theatre, Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actress); For Colored Girls (Court Theatre Jeff Award for Best Ensemble); Sunset Baby (Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best Actress, TimeLine Theatre) and more. Regional credit: Paradise Blue (Studio Theatre in D.C., Helen Hayes for Outstanding Supporting Performer). TV credits include: Marvel’s Ironheart, Fargo, 61st Street and more.
Fact Sheet / The Royale
The Royale
Written by Marco Ramirez
Directed by Tyrone Phillips
Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre
October 22 – November 29, 2026
Press Opening: Friday, October 30, 2026 at 7:30pm
Cast: La’Tevin Alexander (Jay), Scott Aiello (Max), Ajax Dontavius (Fish), James Vincent Meredith (Wynton), AnJi White (Nina), Yomade Adefeso (Jay Understudy; Fish Understudy), Kristin Ellis (Nina Understudy), Joel Gelman (Max Understudy) and Frederick Paul Williams (Wynton Understudy).
Creative Team: Tyrone Phillips (Director), Rasell Holt (Movement Director), Lauren M. Nichols (Scenic Designer), Gregory Graham (Costume Designer), Jason Lynch (Lighting Designer), Stephanie Farina (Sound Designer), Kenya Hall (Dramaturg) and Imani M. Ross (Stage Manager).
Performance Schedule:
- Wednesdays: 2:00pm and 7:30pm
- Thursdays: 7:30pm
- Fridays: 7:30pm
- Saturdays: 2:00pm and 7:30pm
- Sundays: 2:00pm and 7:00pm
Open Captioned Performance: Thursday, November 19 at 7:30pm
ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, November 14 at 2:00pm
Pay-What-You-Can Performances: Thursday, October 22 at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 22 at 7pm
Location: Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
Prices: $35+
Discounts are available for students, educators, theater industry professionals, active military personnel, veterans, police officers, firefighters and their immediate families. Information is available at: https://www.writerstheatre.org/plan-your-visit/box-office-and-theatre-center/pricing--special-offers
Box Office: The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org
Single tickets will go on sale Tuesday, September 1. Flex subscriptions and tickets are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.
Notes of Interest:
- The Royale is an explosive, highly theatrical play with a story structured in six “rounds,” instead of traditional acts. The production is set inside a boxing ring and uses movement and percussion in its storytelling to represent boxing matches.
- The character of Jay is inspired by real-life boxer Jack Johnson, who carries his own Chicago roots. Johnson traveled to Chicago in 1899, where he initially took part in underground "battle royals" before establishing his boxing path.
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After becoming world champion in 1908, Johnson bought his mother a Victorian home on S. Wabash Avenue in Chicago.
- In 1912, he opened a desegregated upscale restaurant and nightspot called Café de Champion at 41 W. 31st St. in Bronzeville, though it operated for only a few months due to targeted political pressure from local government.
- Johnson was the first person convicted under the politically motivated enforcement of the Mann Act, which prohibited transporting women across state lines for "immoral purposes." He was targeted because he openly dated and married white women. John was convicted by an all-white jury in Chicago, 1913 for several incidents that took place before the passage of the Mann Act.
- A petition for the posthumous presidential pardoning of Johnson grew after a bill requesting his clemency passed in the House of Representatives in 2008, but failed to pass in the Senate. A decade later in 2018, Johnson was pardoned 105 years after his conviction, officially acknowledging the historical injustice of Johnson’s sentence.
- Johnson is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.
- Tyrone Phillips returns to Writers Theatre to direct, where he previously directed The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights and was on the creative teams for Trevor the musical, Parade, and The Mystery of Love and Sex. Tyrone is the Artistic Director of Definition Theatre and the Jeff Award-winning director of Byhalia, Mississippi. Recent projects include Fat Ham (Definition and Goodman) and Associate Director of Steppenwolf’s Tony Award-winning production of Purpose.
- Playwright Marco Ramirez is an Emmy Award-nominated TV writer and producer. His credits include Marvel’s Daredevil (Netflix), Marvel’s The Defenders (Netflix), Sons of Anarchy (FX), Orange is the New Black (Netflix), Fear the Walking Dead (AMC) and Buena Vista Social Club currently on Broadway. His plays have been produced nationally and internationally, including by Lincoln Center Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Humana Festival, The Old Globe (San Diego), The Bush Theatre (London), American Theater Company (Chicago), Soulpepper (Toronto) and Center Theatre Group (LA).
- The cast includes James Vincent Meredith, a Steppenwolf ensemble member who previously appeared at Writers in The Duchess of Malfi and in the title role in Othello. His Broadway credits include Skin of Our Teeth, Book of Mormon (also National Tour), The Minutes and Superior Donuts.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The Green Room: a live Q & A with director Tyrone Phillips
Tuesday, October 6 at 7pm
Childcare Matinee, (formerly known as Family Matinee Series)
Sunday, November 15 at 2pm
WT's Childcare Matinee Series makes seeing theatre easier to attend for parents and caregivers. Drop your young ones off for on onsite theatre class for ages 5-11 and enjoy a Sunday matinee performance.
Our youth education workshops are designed to be active, fun, and adaptable for multiple ages and abilities. Young people ages 5–11 are welcome, and we ask that they be bathroom independent. Childcare Matinee tickets are only available to the corresponding matinee performance. Tickets are $10 per participant for subscribers and $15 per participant for single ticket holders – in addition to the ticket to the show.
Final Word
Saturday, December 5 at 12pm
Keep the conversation going! Join fellow audience members and WT Artistic staff for a lively, in-person discussion delving into the characters, production elements and themes of the play. This event is intended for patrons who have seen The Royale prior to the event.
SEASON PACKAGES
Writers Theatre is offering a variety of subscriptions with an option for every theatregoer. Each subscription includes a deeply discounted ticket price, ranging from $275-$385 for one ticket to the five-play series, Flex subscriptions, with options for either four tickets ($280) or five tickets ($350), are available.
Season package subscribers receive the new Writers Theatre concierge service for ticket exchanges and questions. Exclusive subscriber benefits include: complimentary ticket exchanges (upgrade fees may apply), special “subscriber-rate” prices on additional tickets, advance access to special events and programs, easy, free parking, exclusive discounts in bar items and merchandise, discounts on rental of Writers Theatre event spaces on Writers Theatre merchandise, event rentals and more. For a complete list of benefits, visit writerstheatre.org.
Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.
Single tickets for each show go on sale approximately two months prior to first preview. Single ticket prices start at $35.
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Writers Theatre offers Open Captioning and ASL-interpretation on select dates for each production. Please visit writerstheatre.org/accessibility for more information.
Throughout the season, Writers Theatre offers a variety of audience enrichment and special programming. This includes regularly occurring offerings like the Family Matinee Series, The Green Room artist interview series and podcast and The Final Word Audience Discussion Series. Please visit writerstheatre.org for a full listing of upcoming offerings.
ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE
Writers Theatre proudly celebrates its 35th Season.
From its beginnings in the back room of a Glencoe bookstore, Writers Theatre established what would become its defining conviction: that vibrant language and exceptional performances in an intimate setting create a transformative theatrical experience. Today, the company is a major cultural destination in the Chicago region with a national reputation for artistic excellence, heralded by The Wall Street Journal as “America’s finest regional theatre company.”
Founded in 1992, Writers has produced over 160 productions—from inventive interpretations of classics to groundbreaking new work. In 2016, the company opened a state-of-the-art theatre center designed by the internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects. The new facility includes the 255-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre and the flexible 100-seatGillian Theatre, spaces designed to preserve the company's trademark intimacy and bring audiences up close to Chicago’s finest actors. The building’s striking glass atrium serves as a welcoming gathering space for artists, staff and the community, open daily for reading, working and conversation.
Led by Executive Director Kate Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, Writers Theatre welcomes more than 60,000 patrons each year. The company has established itself as an important originator of new theatrical work, having produced over 30 world premieres in its history—including Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, Witch by Jen Silverman, Trevor the Musical by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis, A Minister's Wife by Austin Pendleton, Jan Tranen and Josh Schmidt, The Savannah Disputation by Evan Smith and Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus’s adaptation of Crime and Punishment.
Education and community engagement remain central to Writers Theatre’s mission. Each season, the organization reaches more than 5,000 students and adults through school matinees, in-school residencies and curriculum-based programs that introduce young people to professional theatre. Writers Theatre also offers a wide range of free programs for the broader community, including readings, lectures and partnerships with local organizations that make theatre accessible to audiences of all ages.
Located just 20 miles north of downtown Chicago, Writers Theatre offers artists and audiences a setting that combines world-class theatre with the calm and accessibility of Chicago’s North Shore. As Writers Theatre enters its 35th season, the company continues its commitment to artistic excellence, meaningful storytelling and the uniquely powerful connection that only intimate theatre can create.