Veal

Written by Jojo Jones
Directed by Ensemble Member dado

Featuring Jojo Brown, Alexandra Chopson, Carmia Imani, Jasper Johnson, and Alice Wu

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Now playing through November 2, 2025

World Premiere!

Following a violent coup, a young woman named Chelsea becomes Queen of North America. Into her new palace walk three friends from middle school — Franny, Lulu, and Noa — with whom she hasn’t spoken in years. They’ve come to ask Chelsea for a big favor, but before she grants it, she’s going to make them revisit their shared friendship — and its terrible end. 

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Description

WRITTEN BY
Jojo Jones

DIRECTED BY
Ensemble Member dado

PERFORMANCE RUN
September 25 – November 2, 2025

World Premiere!

Following a violent coup, a young woman named Chelsea becomes Queen of North America. Into her new palace walk three friends from middle school — Franny, Lulu, and Noa — with whom she hasn’t spoken in years. They’ve come to ask Chelsea for a big favor, but before she grants it, she’s going to make them revisit their shared friendship — and its terrible end.

CAST

Franny | Jojo Brown

Lulu | Carmia Imani

Noa | Alice Wu

Chelsea | Alexandra Chopson

Unnamed Male Concubine | Jasper Johnson

UNDERSTUDIES

Franny u/s | Lola Fratto

Lulu u/s | Christin Prince

Noa u/s | Amy Yesom Kim

Chelsea u/s | Kaitlyn Gorman

Unnamed Male Concubine u/s | Sean McGlynn

CREATIVE TEAM

Playwright | Jojo Jones

Director | dado*

Scenic & Lighting Designer | Tianxuan Chen

Costume Designer | Izumi Inaba

Sound Designer | Connor Blackwood

Props Designer | Ab Rieve

Violence & Intimacy Director | Jyreika Guest

Assistant Director | Faith Hart

Dramaturg | Elliott Puckette

Technical Director | Tom Daniel

Production Manager | Shelbi Weaver

Stage Manager | Lauren Lassus

Assistant Stage Manager | Faith Locke

Assistant Stage Manager | Dorothy Craven

Poster Artwork | Adam T. Crawford

Flashing lights, violence and blood, bullying, body shaming, and discussions and depictions of disordered eating.

About the Artists:

Jojo Jones (she/her) is a writer and performer from New York City. Her work has been read at The Jungle, A Red Orchid Theatre, The Tank, the Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research, and more. Her play VEAL was nominated for the 2023 Venturous Fellowship and the Goldberg Prize and long listed for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award. One time Wallace Shawn held the door open for her at the Jewish Community Center on 76th and Amsterdam.

dado (she/her) has been an A Red Orchid Ensemble Member since 2007. She was most recently seen onstage at AROT as the Moor-Hen in The Moors, the Ancient in Grey House, and Karla Stock in Traitor. At AROT, dado is currently directing Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin and has previously directed In Quietness, Act Five, The Malignant Ampersands, Killing Game, The Room, The Mutilated, Celebration, Red Handed Otter, Simpatico (which moved to McCarter Theatre), Megacosm, The Unseen, The Hothouse, The Sea Horse, The Fastest Clock in the Universe, and The Grey Zone. Other recent directing projects include Edward Allan Baker’s Rosemary with Ginger (Habakkuk Theatre), Harold Pinter’s The Lover (Facility Theatre), and Catherine Anne Toupin’s Right Now (Facility Theatre). Dado is the recipient of the Edes Prize from the University of Chicago and produced David Lang‘s chamber opera little matchgirl passion (Facility Theatre) with this award. She is also the director of Erik Satie‘s surrealist Ruse of Medusa (Facility Theatre) and the original vacuum cleaner opera, which was produced at the MCA and Prop Thtr. Dado holds an MFA in visual art from the University of Chicago. 

Season Sponsor

Heidi Hoblit Graham

Production Sponsor

Becky Coleman

Developmental Sponsors

Terrance & Carol Coleman