Jocelyn Bioh and Whitney White are running it back on Broadway.
Manhattan Theatre Club has announced that Bioh’s School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play will make its long-awaited Broadway debut this fall, with performances beginning September 8 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. The production will be staged in association with Chase This Productions and Susan Kelechi Watson.
Set in 1980s Ghana at the Aburi Girls Boarding School, the play centers on a tight-knit group of students competing for the Miss Ghana pageant. At the center is Paulina, the school’s reigning “queen bee,” whose confidence starts to unravel when a new transfer student from America arrives—shifting the dynamics of beauty, identity, and power in ways none of them expected.
Originally premiering Off-Broadway in 2017 with MCC Theater, School Girls quickly became a standout, going on to rack up dozens of regional productions and even a UK run. Now, it finally makes the leap to Broadway—nearly a decade after its debut.
The upcoming production also marks a reunion between Bioh and director Whitney White, who previously brought Jaja’s African Hair Braiding to Broadway in 2023. That collaboration earned critical acclaim and Tony nominations, making this next chapter feel less like a return—and more like a continuation of a creative partnership that clearly works.
Bioh shared her excitement in a statement, saying she’s “beyond thrilled” to bring the play back to New York audiences and spotlight “bold, funny, complicated young women,” while also reuniting with White, whose direction she praised for its heart and brilliance.
The announcement comes as part of Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2026–2027 season rollout, led by newly appointed artistic director Nicki Hunter. Alongside School Girls, the company will also stage the American premiere of Nick Payne’s The Unbelievers, a drama centered on a family navigating faith and loss after the disappearance of their teenage son. That production will begin performances Off-Broadway on October 13 at New York City Center Stage I.
Casting and additional creative team details for both productions have yet to be announced.