Manhattan Theatre Club has announced the full cast for its Broadway premiere of Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, directed by Whitney White.
Performances begin September 8 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, with an official opening set for September 28.
The production marks the Broadway debut of the acclaimed comedy, which first premiered Off-Broadway in 2017 and has since seen multiple regional productions and an international run.
Set in 1986 at the Aburi Girls Boarding School in Ghana, the play follows a group of students competing for the Miss Ghana pageant. At the center is Paulina, the school’s reigning queen bee, whose position is challenged when a new transfer student from America arrives, shifting the school’s social order and intensifying competition among the girls.
The production will star:
- Denée Benton as Paulina
- Patina Miller as Eloise Amponsah
- Jasmine Amy Rogers as Ericka
- Lucia Aremu as Ama
- Erin Morton as Nana
- Nia Otchere-Sarfo as Gifty
- Jordan Rice as Mercy
- Heather Alicia Simms as Headmistress Francis
Produced by Manhattan Theatre Club, in association with Chase This Productions and Susan Kelechi Watson, the production is directed by Whitney White, reuniting with Bioh following their collaboration on Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.
Creative team includes:
- Teresa L. Williams (scenic design)
- Qween Jean (costume design)
- Stacey Derosier (lighting design)
- Cody Spencer (sound design)
- Nikiya Mathis (wig, hair and makeup design)
- Dawn-Elin Fraser (dialect coach)
Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting and Kelly Gillespie. Sara Gammage serves as production stage manager. The production includes a special benefit performance on October 20 supporting Manhattan Theatre Club’s season programming and ticket access initiatives.
School Girls is part of Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2026–2027 season, which also includes Montauk starring Laura Linney, a Broadway revival of Awake and Sing starring Danny Burstein, Jessica Hecht, and Jeremy Shamos, and the American premiere of The Unbelievers starring Lauren Ambrose and Tom Riley.