LITTLE WHITE LIES
(book/lyrics/music, musical)
Set in 1923, little white lies follows Ella Carter, a woman who decides to pass for white after meeting the love of her life. 100 years later, her great-great-granddaughter, Brooklyn, is faced with the same decision – to pass or not to pass – to save her struggling acting career. This multigenerational musical uncovers the obscured American history of passing, exploring the ways racial presentation has evolved to the present day and the ways these histories still haunt us. Through an ensemble of ten actors, little white lies asks us how far we are willing to go for a life we deem “better” – and the price we are willing to pay.
february 2025 - production, yale university
samples available upon request.
CREATIVE TEAM (2025)
creator/music director - natalie brown
director - aj walker
co-producers - genesis browne, gia george-burgher
choreographer - camille lawson
stage manager - davianna inirio
sound engineer - samuel ostrove
sound designer - michael willen
lighting designer - emiliano caceres-manzano
costume designer - anaiis rios-kasoga
wig-ometrist - yvonne agyapong
graphic designer - james tibang
dramaturg - zadie winthrop
photographer - melany perez
assistant director - nire oloyede
assistant music director - lula talenfeld
assistant choreographer - amara neal
associate sound engineer - ember mcmullen
assistant lighting designer - maya molina
assistant costume designer - jaela landowski
assistant stage managers - eula doele, andy tan
CAST (2025)
ELLA/BROOKLYN - victoria pekel
KATHERINE/IRENE - kendall grimes
JACK/COP - abram knott
MARIENNE/ROBIN - adell ateshim
ROY/MILES - malcolm grant
BOOKER/TYLER - jordan mincy
ROSA/TONI - tori browne
ALICE/LEONA - nneka moweta
SAMUEL/JAMES - gbemiga salu BARTENDER/CHARLIE - poe doub
BAND (2025)
PIANO - gabriel marous
BASS - thara joseph
GUITAR - grace halak
DRUMS - mandy buster
VIOLIN - keeley brooks
TRUMPET - jj wyetzner