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Wayne Brady has withdrawn from its upcoming production of MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT due to a vocal polyp and the need for vocal rest as ordered by his doctor. Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood is set to join the production in the role of Terence Alan Smith/Joan Jett Blakk. Additional information will be announced shortly.
Mr. Brady shared, “I couldn’t have imagined when I began this journey with MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT two years ago that I would have to step away before we finished it together. Unfortunately, due to vocal strain and a polyp on my vocal cords, I need to step away from the production immediately. I’ll be having a procedure very shortly, and I’m looking forward to healing and returning to the stage next year at 100%.
I’m heartbroken to leave a show and a family that I love so deeply. Tina, Tarell, this incredible cast and creative team, and everyone at Vineyard Theatre have given me so much love, grace and support. It has been an honor to help tell this beautiful, joyful, defiant story of Black Queerness, and I’m deeply saddened that I won’t be able to continue telling it alongside this extraordinary company. I believe in this show, I love these people, and I’ll be cheering them on with my whole heart.”
MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT is co-written by Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, Choir Boy) and Tony Award nominee Tina Landau. Landau also directs. In addition to Blankson-Wood, the cast includes Nic Ashe, Tony Award nominee Gideon Glick, Kelvin Moon Loh, Sawyer Smith and Adina Verson.
Introducing Joan Jett Blakk—the first (and only) Black Drag Queen Candidate for President of the United States of America. It’s the early 90s, the height of the AIDS epidemic, and Joan and the newly formed Queer Nation Chicago set off on an exhilarating and dangerous journey to drag queer politics out of the closet—and onto the floor of the DNC. Inspired—but not bound—by the true story of drag performer and activist Terence Alan Smith, MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT is a joyous stampede through urgent and unfinished business.
Part campaign rally, part nightclub performance, part confessional—and all party—this singular new work by Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tina Landau. Performances will now begin on October 22, 2026 with an opening night on November 8, 2026. The production will play for five weeks.
Ato Blankson-Wood most recently played Duke in The Old Globe’s production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, after starring as Pericles in The Public Works’ production of Pericles at The Cathedral of St John The Divine. Last year, Ato played a leading role in the world premiere of Jeremy O. Harris’ Spirit of the People at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Prior to that, he starred in the Off-Broadway premiere of Wole Soyinka’s The Swamp Dwellers at Theatre for a New Audience. He also played the role of Clifford Bradshaw in Cabaret on Broadway. He is best known for his starring role in Harris’ critically acclaimed Slave Play (Tony, Drama League, and Lucille Lortel Award nominations). Ato played the titular role of Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park’s production directed by Kenny Leon. Ato also starred opposite Bill Camp and Elizabeth Marvel in Long Day’s Journey into Night for Audible. Ato had his breakout performance in The Public Theatre musical The Total Bent (Drama League and Lucille Lortel Award nominations); he has also been seen on Broadway in Hair and Lysistrata Jones. Ato is a recipient of The Vineyard’s 2025 Colman Domingo Award and is currently an Artist in Residence at Vineyard Theatre. Films include Detroit, BlacKkKlansman, Worth, and The Same Storm. Television includes ‘The Good Fight,’ ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ and ‘When They See Us.’ Ato is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and the Yale School of Drama.
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