Studio Theatre’s first show of the 2024-2025 season will bring a group of exciting young performers together for Exception to the Rule by Dave Harris, with rehearsals starting in mid-August and performances beginning in September. The six-person cast will feature a crop of fresh faces, many new to the DC stage, along with its original Off Broadway director, Studio-commissioned director Miranda Haymon.
Studio’s director commissions give diverse groups of artists an opportunity to conceptualize and develop “passion project” ideas for future productions, with an emphasis on shows that explore the possibilities afforded by Studio’s intimate performance spaces.
Harris’ play made its 2022 debut at the Roundabout Theatre Company as part of the Roundabout Underground, a program fostering new works by emerging artists. Taking place in a purgatorial detention from which there’s no apparent escape, the play presents a Breakfast Club for a new generation. Harris described the central idea of the teen-centric dramatic comedy as “six teenagers figuring out how to deal with the normalized trauma of surviving high school while also confronting the fact that they might be trapped here forever.”
“As a former teacher with DC Public Schools, this play is particularly resonant to me,” says Studio Artistic Director David Muse. “Dave Harris is clever and he has a great ear—the teens in this play sound like real kids. The play is fun and funny, and it’s after something very interesting: exploring the predicament faced by high-achieving students in urban school systems. It’s a perfect back-to-school play for Studio: character-focused, with rich language and cutting insights.”
General Info:
Date: Performances start September 18, 2024
Location: Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW, Washington, DC
Cost: $40-$95 (discounts available)
Appropriate audience age: 13+ (strong language)
Parking: Studio Theatre does not have its own parking garage; however, we do have parking partnerships with both Spot Hero and the Washington Plaza Hotel. More info on the Studio website (https://www.studiotheatre.org/visit/directions-and-parking).
Buy tickets link: https://www.studiotheatre.org/buy/tickets/exception-to-the-rule
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Khalia Muhammad (Mikayla) is an actor, writer, voiceover artist, and content creator originally from Memphis, TN. Exception to the Rule is Khalia’s Studio Theatre debut. Other theater credits include The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and The Bluest Eye at Theater Alliance. She can also be seen in the feature film For What It’s Worth on BET+.
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Steven Taylor Jr. (Tommy) is a New Yorker with a mission to spread love, activism, and compassion through his art. His recent theatre credits include As You Like It and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 at Carnegie Mellon University; Godspell at Pittsburgh CLO; Rent at The Connelly Theater; and Hood at a New 42 Studios workshop. He is a recent graduate of the Musical Theater BFA program at Carnegie Mellon University.
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Jacques Jean-Mary (Dayrin) is an actor, storyteller, dancer and creative, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His theatre credits include Death and The King’s Horsemen at the Shakespeare Theatre Company and 10 Seconds at Imagination Stage. Jacques can also be seen in a commercial for Snipes USA. Jacques is a 2023 graduate of Howard University with a BFA in Acting, including study at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford. During his time at Howard, Jacques performed in the Howard Players’ A Raisin in The Sun. For his senior showcase in DC, Jacques performed scenes from Passover and Follow Me to Nellie’s at Studio Theatre.
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Shana Hill (Dasani) hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, and holds a BFA in Theater from Dillard University (2022) and an MFA in Performing Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2024). Shana is making her professional debut with this production of Exception to the Rule. Shana has a deep passion for theater and is excited to bring her enthusiasm to the stage.
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Khouri St.Surin (Abdul) is an actor, CorePower Yoga sculpt teacher, college student, and Harlemite making his professional debut. Alongside his love for theatre, Khouri has also been seen in multiple TV shows including The Equalizer on CBS and Law and Order: SVU on NBC, as well as A Life List (Netflix), slated to come out later this year. He is currently in his Junior year at NYU, pursuing a BFA in drama.
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Sabrina Lynne Sawyer (Erika) makes her Studio Theatre debut. Select DC-area credits include The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Winters Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Folger Theatre, and a reading of Central Time at Mosaic Theatre. Other recent favorites include Henry IV Pt II at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, the Boston premiere of Chicken & Biscuits at the Front Porch Arts Collective (Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Play), and a national tour with the Olney Theatre Center-based National Players in A Raisin in the Sun and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She received her B.A. in Theatre (Acting) from the University of Southern California.
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