Every day is opening night.

Press Contacts:
Rick Miramontez / Marie Bshara / Kendall Edwards / Morgan Zysman / Bailey Everett
rick@omdkc.com / marie@omdkc.com / kendall@omdkc.com / morgan@omdkc.com / bailey@omdkc.com
212 695 7400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

LINCOLN CENTER THEATER’S
“THE WHOOPI MONOLOGUES”
A REIMAGINING OF
WHOOPI GOLDBERG’S ICONIC SHOW
TO WELCOME
JURNEE SMOLLETT
TO THE COMPANY
BEGINNING TUESDAY, AUGUST 4 

DIRECTED BY TONY AWARD NOMINEE WHITNEY WHITE
AT LCT’S MITZI E. NEWHOUSE THEATER

HEADSHOT AVAILABLE HERE

New York, NY (July 15, 2026) – Lincoln Center Theater announced today that Emmy Award and SAG Award nominee Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country,” “Smoke”) will join the company of the critically acclaimed production of The Whoopi Monologues, a reimagining of Whoopi Goldberg’s iconic show, beginning Tuesday, August 4.

Smollett will be taking over for Kerry Washington, who will play her last performance on Sunday, August 2.

The Whoopi Monologues began performances on Tuesday, July 7, and officially opened on Monday, July 13 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65^th Street).

Written by Whoopi Goldberg and directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Whitney White, The Whoopi Monologues currently stars Emmy Award Nominee Dominique Fishback (“Swarm,” “The Deuce”), Tony Award winner Kecia Lewis (Hell’s Kitchen), NAACP Image Award Winner Danielle Pinnock (“Ghosts”), Emmy Award-winning producer and Golden Globe-nominated actress Kerry Washington (“Imperfect Women,” American Son), and two-time Tony Award^® winner Kara Young (Purlie Victorious, Purpose), with Kai Heath, Denise Manning, and Pavar Snipe rounding out the cast as understudies.

To download cast headshots, please click here.

The Whoopi Monologues is produced in partnership with Whoop, Inc./Tom Leonardis and Simpson Street.

The creative team for The Whoopi Monologues includes Studio Bent: Adam Rigg & Anton Volovsek (Set Design), Tony Award winner Qween Jean (Costume Design), Cha See (Lighting Design), Fan Zhang (Original Music and Sound Design), Hana S. Kim (Video Design), Nikiya Mathis (Hair & Wig Design), and The Telsey Office (Casting). Tiffany N. Robinson serves as the Stage Manager.

Tickets are currently on sale at LCT.org.

In 1984, then unknown monologist Whoopi Goldberg premiered her provocative, thought-provoking one-woman show at Dance Theatre Workshop before it transferred to Broadway later that year, torching the rulebook of traditional solo performance in one of the most electrifying debuts of the era. Now, the trailblazing work returns— reimagined for a new generation led by a remarkable ensemble of 5 women bringing Goldberg’s unforgettable characters back to the stage. Funny, vivid, and deeply human, these nuanced portraits feel as fresh and irresistible today as they were over 40 years ago.

BIOGRAPHY

Jurnee Smollett is an award-winning actress and activist known for her powerful performances across film and television. Smollett’s previous stage work includes Horton Foote’s The Trip To Bountiful, opposite Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams. She recently starred opposite Taron Egerton in the Apple TV+ series “Smoke.” Other film credits include The Order, which premiered to critical acclaim at the 81st Venice Film Festival, The Burial, and We Grown Now. Smollett is also known for HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” which earned her a Critics Choice Super Award and nominations for an Emmy, Critics Choice, and NAACP Image Award.

ABOUT LINCOLN CENTER THEATER

LCT’s mission is to bring exceptional theater to life. Building on a legacy of artistic excellence, LCT strives to expand what is possible: to make the magic of theatre more palpable, empowering visionary artists and extending the invitation for the community to join in celebrating the power of live performance. This upcoming season embodies this mission-driven work and is the second under the leadership of Kewsong Lee Artistic Director Lear deBessonet, Managing Director Mike Schleifer, Executive Producer Bartlett Sher, Stacey and Eric Mindich Producer Nicole Kastrinos, and LCT3 Artistic Director and Producer Maria Manuela Goyanes.

Founded in 1985 by Board Chair Hon. John V. Lindsay, Executive Producer Bernie Gersten and Director Gregory Mosher, and led for 33 years by André Bishop, LCT is one of the leading nonprofit theaters in the country, producing an annual season of plays and musicals that have been seen by millions around the globe. It is one of 11 autonomous constituents of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Each year, the three theaters that make up LCT welcome nearly 400,000 audience members to its home on the Lincoln Center campus.

Over the last 40 years, LCT and its outstanding productions have received many of the highest accolades, including 91 Tony Awards, 181 Drama Desk Awards, 84 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 36 Obies, 13 NY Drama Critics Circle Awards, and one Pulitzer Prize, as well as two finalists.

# # # #

www.lct.org
www.facebook.com/LincolnCenterTheater
www.instagram.com/lctheater
www.tiktok.com/@lctheater

www.omdkc.com
www.instagram.com/omdkc
www.facebook.com/omdkc
bsky.app/profile/omdkc.bsky.social