American Theater Group has announced the complete cast for a one-night concert presentation of WE ARE, a musical screenplay exploring identity, family, love and America's civil rights legacy, set for Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the DMK Black Box Theater in Union. The 15-person lineup includes Tony Award winner Lillias White and Tony Award nominee Christiani Pitts, alongside writer-director Timothy Ware-Hill, who will host the evening.
According to njartsmaven.substack.com, the all-star concert will feature 15 prominent Broadway, film and television artists performing a story told through poetry, humor and music styles ranging from hip hop, rap, R&B and gospel. White brings credits from Hadestown, The Life and Fela!, while Pitts is known for her Broadway role in Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York. Ware-Hill, a Peabody Award-winning writer and director, also carries a performance credit in Kinky Boots and will star in the presentation himself.
The DMK Black Box Theater sits inside the Union Arts Center at 1980 Morris Avenue, as reported by newjerseystage.com. The 15-person cast will be backed by a three-piece orchestra for the single performance. Per the Township of Union, the venue is a modern, 160-seat flexible performance space that opened in 2025.
A Story Rooted in a Peabody-Winning Short Film
Cops and Robbers grew from material originally conceived for the WE ARE screenplay. The screenplay centers on a community of poets confronting the unfinished work of America's civil rights legacy through language, music, humor and memory, and it examines how history shapes families and communities and how art can help people reckon with the past.
The project went on to receive first place and a fellowship from the CineStory Foundation, the same account notes. It is being produced by Ware-Hill, Anant Das and Jonathan Unger of Unger Media. The Monday concert is intended as a step toward developing WE ARE into a feature film, giving the creative team a chance to hear the screenplay and music performed live with the full cast.
Rest of the Ensemble
The remaining cast members bring their own résumés to the Union stage. Amar Atkins has credits in Moulin Rouge and The Color Purple, while Don Burroughs appeared in Dessa Rose. Toni Campbell is a New York-based vocalist and music educator, and Carrie Compere has performed in The Color Purple and Holler If Ya Hear Me.
Raquel Jennings brings a credit from Watch Night, and Jared Wayne Gladly has appeared in The Fear of 13 and Aladdin. Mduduzi Madela has a credit in The Lion King, and Jarran Muse has performed in Ain't Too Proud and Motown the Musical. Gayle Turner has a credit in The Wiz, Debra Walton in Cookin' at the Cookery, Eugene Ware-Hill in The Lion King and Kinky Boots, and Laurent Grant Williams in Hong Kong Disneyland's Festival of the Lion King.
Tickets and Venue Details
Ticket pricing is listed inconsistently across available sources: njartsmaven.substack.com puts the price at $35, while newjerseystage.com lists it as $39.19. NJ Arts Maven says tickets are available through the Union Arts Center and American Theater Group websites, while New Jersey Stage says they are available for purchase online.
The Union Arts Center is part of the Union Public Library complex and includes an art gallery, television studios, classrooms and the Center Café. American Theater Group, founded in 2012, produces thought-provoking theater and supports new works, and it offers arts-education programs including New Works/New Voices for high school students and PlayLab for BIPOC and queer playwrights, according to the organization's own site. The concert gives audiences an opportunity to experience the material as the team develops WE ARE as a feature film.
