Olney Theatre Center Launches 2025/26 Season with U.S. Premiere of Red Pitch

Olney Theatre Center opens the 2025/26 season on September 17 with preview performances of the U.S. premiere of Red Pitch by Tyrell Williams in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. Following a successful initial engagement at London's prestigious Bush Theatre, where it captured all five Off West End Awards for Best New Play, Red Pitch enjoyed a critically acclaimed limited run on the West End. Now, Olney Theatre mounts this new production, based on Daniel Bailey's original direction of the story of three young soccer-obsessed Black British teens who gather on a small urban pitch to pursue their dreams of football greatness while their neighborhood gentrifies around them.

Red Pitch at Olney Theatre Center

Bilal, Joey, and Omz have been friends their whole lives, growing up playing soccer on the small pitch outside their south London apartments. But change is coming. Professional teams are signing up prospects, and they all harbor dreams of being chosen. Moreover, the neighborhood is changing, with new apartments and franchise coffee shops displacing longtime residents and businesses. Can their friendship survive the threatened demise of their beloved "red pitch?" While remaining joyous, affectionate, and funny, Red Pitch addresses vital issues, like the lure of stardom, toxic masculinity, gentrification, and the challenges of being Black and Muslim in Western culture.

Jason Loewith, Olney Theatre's Artistic Director, says, "When I saw Red Pitch in London, I was immediately drawn-in by Bilal, Omz, and Joey and the joy of their camaraderie, their passion, and the bravery with which they face an uncertain future, combined with a theatrical dynamism I rarely see onstage. We've worked with playwright Tyrell Williams to tweak some of the dialogue for American ears; and to ensure our audience experience it with the same power London audiences did, we've asked director Daniel Bailey to adapt his West End staging for three stellar American actors, in a design and production unique to Olney Theatre Center and the United States."

The American cast features a trio of DC actors, including Angelo Harrington II (Omz) who previously appeared in last season's productions of Disney's Frozen and the World Premiere of Senior Class. Ty'Ree Hope Davis (Bilal) and Terrence Griffin (Joey) are making their Olney Theatre debuts, with the latter making his professional debut. Chandler Jordan and Quincy Vicks serve as understudies. All members of the ensemble underwent a 3-day soccer boot camp earlier in the summer run by Malcolm Harris, the production's Soccer Consultant, who played professionally for five seasons with the Harrisburg Heat of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) and is now a local soccer coach on staff at the Liverpool FC International Academy Maryland and CEO of Project 77 - whose mission is to use soccer as a tool for personal growth, opportunity, and transformation.

To deepen the connection between the production and America's growing passion for "the beautiful game," Olney Theatre has engaged a trio of soccer legends with local ties to serve as production ambassadors. Oguchi Onyewu, originally from Olney, burst to fame as a mainstay of the U.S. Men's National Team for over a decade, including starts in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups. During his 15-year professional career, he played for elite teams such as Newcastle United (England), AC Milan (Italy), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), and Malaga CF (Spain). He currently serves as U.S. Soccer's Vice President of Sporting. Bruce Murray is a Montgomery County native, the radio voice of DC United, and a 2011 inductee into the US Soccer Hall of Fame. As a US Men's National Team player, Bruce scored 21 goals in 85 appearances, also scoring and assisting goals in the 1990 World Cup. Bruce also represented the United States in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Hamisi Amani-Dove now lives in Howard County; however, as a graduate of Rutgers University, he is the sixth all-time scoring leader at the university with thirty-two goals in seventy-two games, and he was a member of the 1996 Summer Olympics U.S. Men's team. He traveled the world as a professional soccer player in the Netherlands, Austria, and the United States. He was inducted into the Maryland Soccer Legends Hall of Fame in 2017. The three Honorary Producers are lending their names and followings to promote the American premiere of Red Pitch.

The creative team for the production includes Nadir Bey (Scenic Designer), Tony Award-nominee Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Designer), Jeannette Christensen (Costume Designer), DJ Potts (Sound Designer), Siani Nicole (Choreographer), Casey Kaleba (Fight Choreographer), Yetunde Felix-Ukwu (Dialect Coach), and Rachel Harrison (Stage Manager). Kevin McAllister is the restager of Daniel Bailey's original direction.

To add to the "football spirit" of the performances, patrons wearing their favorite soccer jersey can receive 25% off their first drink at the concessions bar.