An exciting new play with music: "Cold War Choir Practice"

WRITTEN BY RO REDDICK MFA ’24

Join us for another popular Brown Club in NY theater event, Cold War Choir Practice, which had its world premiere at Trinity Rep and subsequently ran in Clubbed Thumb’s 2025 Summerworks where it was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Written by Ro Reddick MFA ’24, directed by Tony Award nominee Knud Adams, with a cast that includes Crystal Finn MFA ’07, Cold War Choir Practice is a production of Clubbed Thumb (Maria Striar ’91, Founder & Artistic Director), MCC Theater and Page 73.

Following the performance, there will be a post-show discussion featuring Ro Reddick. We have “Preferred” tickets at $72 in the comfortable Newman Mills Theater at the MCC Theater Space.

Tickets will only be distributed by a Brown Club representative in the theater lobby from 6:15pm to 6:45pm. Please do NOT go to the box office and please arrive no later than 6:45pm.

A young girl is embroiled in intrigue when her estranged uncle, a prominent Black conservative, brings his mysteriously ill wife home for the holidays. A fugue of Reaganomics, espionage, roller disco, and cults—underscored by the cryptic Syracuse, NY chapter of the Seedlings of Peace Children’s Chorus.

"A must see in 2026"
— Vulture / New York Theater Guide / TimeOut NY

“Compelling, highly entertaining musical dramedy thriller”
— Christopher Verleger, BroadwayWorld

“A funny, spirited play that delivers a deep undercurrent of truth.”
— Nicole Serratore, Exeunt

RO REDDICK (author) is a queer Black playwright and songwriter. She writes off-kilter comedies (mostly); the theme songs to your late capitalist nightmares. Her play COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE (NEW YORK TIME’s Critic’s Pick, director KNUD ADAMS), premiered in Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks 2025, co-produced by Page 73. COLD WAR CHOIR PRACTICE was also produced in September 2025 at Trinity Repertory Company (director AILEEN WEN MCGRODDY). RO is a member of the Page 73 Writers Group and a 2024-2025 DGF Playwriting Fellow. She is also under commission at People’s Light Theatre for their Queerways PA commissioning and residency program. Her plays have been developed with Clubbed Thumb, Page 73, Trinity Rep, The Ground Floor (Berkeley Rep), Bushwick Starr Reading Series, and Williamstown Theatre Festival (NYC Reading, dir. Jamario Stills). Other fellowships, residencies, and honors include Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nomination, Venturous Fellowship nomination, Lambda Literary Fellow in Playwriting, Playwrights’ Center Core Apprentice, Adele Kellenberg Seaver Fellow in Creative Writing at Brown University, La Mama Umbria International Playwright Retreat, Miranda Theatre Company Playwright Grant, and 3-time O’Neill finalist. She is an alum of the Brown BAI Songwriting Workshop and writes original songs for her plays. In a past life, RO performed in shows at the Hartford Stage, McCarter Theatre Center, Long Wharf, and KC Rep, and more; Off-Broadway in “SILENCE! THE MUSICAL,” and on screen in “THE AMERICANS,” “LOUIE,” and “SEX AND THE CITY 2.” RO holds an MFA in playwriting from Brown and an MBA from NYU (which she has no intention of using).

CRYSTAL FINN (Virgie) is an affiliated artist with Clubbed Thumb where she has developed and performed in dozens of plays including many iterations of Will Arbery’s “PLANO” and most recently “DEEP BLUE SOUND” by Abe Koogler. She made her Broadway debut in “BIRTHDAY CANDLES” by Noah Haidle, for which she won a Theatre World Award. Other New York theater includes world premiere plays at Playwrights Horizons, MTC, Roundabout, The Public, PlayCo, Women’s Project, 59E59, and many others. Film/TV: BABES, KINDA PREGNANT, SIXTEEN WORDS OR LESS, “THE TICK.”

Clubbed Thumb commissions, develops and produces funny, strange, provocative new plays by living American writers. In 30 years, Clubbed Thumb has produced over 100 new plays and developed hundreds more. Founded by Brown alums in 1996, this production is the latest milestone in a long history between Brown and Clubbed Thumb, whose programs, productions and executive board have been home to dozens of Brown graduates.

Questions? Email: jh@brownnyc.org