The Broadway Black approved production of Head of Passes by Tarell Alvin McCraney has officially been extended and rightfully so. It will now play until April 24th at the Public Theater. Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad leads the cast as Shelah, a woman who “must fight to survive the rising flood of life’s great challenges” as her family and friends come to celebrate her birthday.

Completing the cast and telling this moving story is Alana Arenas (The Bluest Eye) as “Cookie”, Francois Battiste (Bronx Bombers) as “Aubrey”, Kyle Beltran (The Fortress of Solitude) as “Crier”, J. Bernard Calloway (All the Way) as Spencer, Robert Joy as “Dr. Anderson”, John Earl Jelks (Holler If Ya Hear Me) as “Creaker Johnson”, and Arnetia Walker (Dreamgirls) as “Mae”.

It’s also time for a giveaway and this is a really special one for us! The return of “Mutha”, aka Phylicia Rashad, to an Off-Broadway stage is nothing to be taken lightly. She is currently serving the people all kinds of master class skills in the production of Head of Passes at The Public Theater. You can’t NOT see this show so, we want to give you the opportunity to do so.

If you don’t know why we’re so adamant about making sure you see it, read about our experience in our #WeWereThere article HERE. After you’ve finished that and you’re clearly sold on the experience, follow the rules below to qualify to win a pair of tickets to the April 22nd performance. There will be more than one winner and each winner will receive a pair of tickets to that show ONLY. If you can’t make it on that date you can still purchase tickets HERE.

How to WIN!:

1. Must be following @BroadwayBlack & @PublicTheaterNY on twitter

2. Like our Broadway Black Facebook page HERE!

3. Comment below & tell us: What has been your greatest challenge in life & why?!

Must enter before Wed April 20th at 5pm! Winners will be announced on that same day at 7pm!

Check out Head of Passes production photos by Joan Marcus below!

Giveaway made possible by our friends at PPLMVR! Thank you!

Unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you’ve heard about Broadway’s new smash musical, Hamilton. It’s being described this way:

From bastard orphan to Washington’s right hand man, rebel to war hero, loving husband caught in the country’s first sex scandal to Treasury head who made an untrusting world believe in the American economy, Hamilton is an exploration of a political mastermind. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Eliza Hamilton, and lifelong Hamilton friend and foe, Aaron Burr, all attend this revolutionary tale of America’s fiery past told through the sounds of the ever-changing nation we’ve become.

A lottery for $10 tickets began a few weeks ago to kick off the premiere. Since then, hundreds of people have shown up outside The Richard Rogers Theatre to stand in lines that stretch around the block in the hopes of winning a ticket.  Every evening, two hours before the performance, cast members come out to perform for the crowd in surprising ways.  For example, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda have come out and sung random songs as well as selections from the musical, answered questions using Les Mis quotes, and interacted with the crowd.  The buzz on social media for the lottery is growing and is becoming as much of a must-see as the musical itself.

At Monday’s #Ham4Ham, fans were treated to @reneeelisegoldsberry putting her own signature flow on George Washington’s song “Right Hand Man” with @phillipasoo on the beat! See the full video on our FB page!#HamiltonBway #YayHamlet #WaitForIt

A video posted by Hamilton (@hamiltonmusical) on Jul 21, 2015 at 6:01am PDT

Today at #Ham4Ham, #LinManuelMiranda answered fan questions using only quotes from Les Miserables!

A video posted by Hamilton (@hamiltonmusical) on Jul 18, 2015 at 9:01am PDT

Today’s #Ham4Ham entertainment brings us a role switch in the show’s first cabinet meeting. Here, #LinManuelMiranda plays Thomas Jefferson, @daveeddiggs plays Alexander Hamilton, and @cjack930 officiates! See the full video on our Facebook page.

A video posted by Hamilton (@hamiltonmusical) on Jul 17, 2015 at 7:05pm PDT

In case you don’t get to see Hamilton, have no fear; the cast album will be released this fall, executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, two members of Hip Hop group, The Roots.  The New Yorker describes the music in Hamilton as “rooted in hip hop, but also encompassing R&B, jazz, pop, Tin Pan Alley, and the choral strains of contemporary Broadway.”

Hamilton has been well received in previews and will officially open on August 6.