HOW TO ROLL A BLUNT

BY

NAOMI LORRAIN

DIRECTED BY

COLETTE ROBERT

Maya is a writer. James is a painter. They’re best friends — and their college exes are about to get married… to each other. Should Maya and James go to the wedding? Of course they shouldn’t. But will they? how to roll a blunt is a warm, irreverent dramedy about love, friendship, and the often ridiculous entanglements of young adulthood. Written by playwright and actor Naomi Lorrain (“Orange is the New Black,” “Elementary”) and directed by Colette Robert, how to roll a blunt is by turns hilarious and profound: a celebration of Black love in all its many forms. This world premiere play was a finalist at the prestigious National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

Second Stage Theater’s programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

The Season is supported by a grant from the Howard Gilman Foundation.

*Across the Boards — Join members of the creative team for a discussion following the performance.

(i) Insider's Night — An exclusive event for 2ST Subscribers. Join us one hour before for wine, hors d’oeuvres, and intimate discussion with one of the show’s designers.

(s) Student Matinee

OC Open Captioned Performance — Text is displayed at the side of the stage in real time, including dialogue and sound effects from the production.

AD Audio Described Performance — Using special audio equipment, commentary and narration is provided during the performance, guiding the listener through the show with descriptions of scenes, costumes, etc. in between dialogue or songs.

BY NAOMI LORRAIN

Naomi Lorrain is a Harlem based actor/playwright. Her plays have been developed/produced by 2nd Stage, Fault Line Theatre, South Coast Rep, Uptown Collective, The Fire This Time Festival, Vanguard Theater’s Illuminating New Voices Festival, The Black Motherhood & Parenting New Play Festival, The Continuum Company, HomeBase Theatre Collective and The 52nd Street Kids Project. She’s been both a finalist and semifinalist for the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neil, an alum of the Page 73 Writers Group and was a Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase Staff Writer. Some select acting credits include: BROADWAY: EUREKA DAY (MTC); JORDANS (The Public Theater), DAPHNE (Lincoln Center Theater), and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix). She also moonlights as a Research Assistant at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. NYU: MFA; YALE: BA.

DIRECTED BY COLETTE ROBERT

Colette Robert is a director and writer from Los Angeles, based in New York. She directed the world premieres of STARGAZERS (Page 73), STEW (Page 73, Pulitzer Finalist), BEHIND THE SHEET (EST), as well as the first New York revival of CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY (Keen Company). Regional credits include City Theatre Company, Penumbra Theatre, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Her play THE HARRIET HOLLAND SOCIAL CLUB PRESENTS THE 84TH ANNUAL STAR-BURST COTILLION IN THE GRAND BALLROOM OF THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL, which she also directed, premiered in 2023 (The Movement Theatre Company/New Georges). She was the Drama League’s 2018 Beatrice Terry Fellow and the 2023 SDCF Denham Fellow.

PERFORMANCE DATES

WHERE

BEGINS APRIL 2027

THE PERSHING SQUARE SIGNATURE CENTER / OFF-BROADWAY