IMITATION OF LIFE At The Shed Announces New Production Dates & Creative Team Member
The new musical IMITATION OF LIFE has announced new production dates and a new creative team member for its world premiere engagement at The Griffin Theater at The Shed (Meredith “Max” Hodges, Chief Executive Officer; Alex Poots, Artistic Director), in a co-production with National Black Theatre (Sade Lythcott, Chief Executive Officer; Jonathan McCrory, Executive Artistic Director).
Featuring a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, music and lyrics by Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winner John Legend, and directed by Two-Time Tony Award nominee Whitney White, IMITATION OF LIFE will now begin performances on Saturday, November 21, 2026 in an extended for two weeks strictly limited 6-week engagement through Sunday, January 3, 2027.
National Black Theatre, John Legend and Mike Jackson of Get Lifted Film Co., Liesl Tommy and Jennifer Mudge of Crocodile Eyes, Universal Theatrical Group (UTG), Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon of LD Entertainment and The Shed serve as producers.
Whitney White joins the creative team of IMITATION OF LIFE as a 2026 Tony Award nominee for direction of the Pulitzer Prize winning play Liberation. This season, she also helmed Saturday Church at New York Theatre Workshop and is set to direct the Broadway premiere of School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play on Broadway next season at Manhattan Theater Club. She will also direct The Whoopi Monologues at Lincoln Center Theater this summer. White previously worked with Lynn Nottage on the musical The Secret Life of Bees at the Almeida in the UK.
Tickets for IMITATION OF LIFE go on sale to the public on Friday, May 29. The Mastercard cardholder presale begins Wednesday, May 27. For tickets and pre-sale access for Shed members and Mastercard cardholders, visit theshed.org/imitationoflife.
Additional details including casting, design and creative team members and more will be announced at a later date. For more information visit https://nationalblacktheatre.org/production/imitationoflife/. For tickets, please visit theshed.org/imitationoflife.
Inspired by the 1933 best-selling novel by Fannie Hurst and the beloved 1934 and 1959 Universal films, Imitation of Life follows two single mothers, one Black and one White, as well as their daughters, who build a shared life while each strives for success and love in a society divided by race and class. Set across the vibrant backdrop of 1920s Atlantic City and 1930s New York, this new, profoundly moving musical explores themes of identity, the American Dream, and what we leave for future generations.
The novel Imitation of Life by Fannie Hurst was originally published in 1933. Universal Pictures produced two film adaptations based on the book: in 1934 directed by John Stahl, starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers; and in 1959 directed by Douglas Sirk, starring Lana Turner and Juanita Moore. The 1934 film is included in the U.S. National Film Registry of The Library of Congress for its “cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.” It was nominated for the 1934 Academy Award for Best Picture. The 1959 film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Actress, Juanita Moore and Best Supporting Actress, Susan Kohner).