New York, NY - Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 – Abingdon Theatre Company (Chad Austin, Producing Artistic Director) is thrilled to announce the cast of an invitation-only reading presentation of the company’s first-ever commissioned piece, His Name Was Bobby Short, written by previous Carolyn Halpert Artist-in-Residence Cris Eli Blak. The project is conceived and directed by Chad Austin and commissioned by Don and Nancy Watson, with sponsors John Gasdaska and Sue Sugden. The reading presentation will take place on March 4th as a part of the company’s 33rd season Pamela Paul Around the Table Reading Series, and is based on the ‘King of Cabaret,’ Bobby Short. 

The cast will feature Curtis Wiley (Ain’t Too Proud), Maria Bilbao (Sweeney Todd), Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde), Annelise Cepero (Spielberg’s West Side Story), Lorenzo Scott (FX/Hulu’s Feud: Capote vs The Swans), Rema Webb (Hell’s Kitchen), and Jeffrey Grover (FX/Hulu’s Feud Capote’s Women), with stage management by Allison Hohman. 

The play centers around the life of Bobby Short, who notably performed at Café Carlyle for over three decades. Short is often credited with being the best interpreter of the Great American Songbook, with words and music written by national composers from the pre-rock era, such as George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and more. Short recorded and performed songs by Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and more, and received three Grammy Award nominations. Although he had a repertoire of more than 500 songs, Short was best known for his interpretations of the urbane, witty compositions of Cole Porter. This project will be the first biographic play about the iconic performer, featuring music that audiences know and love.

For inquiries and accessibility questions, please email info@abingdontheatre.org. 

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov. 

Established over 30 years ago, Abingdon Theatre Company (ATC) develops and produces critically acclaimed brave, new American work by emerging and established artists. Mainstage Productions include the Off-Broadway premieres of Max Mondi’s Maybe Tomorrow with Dan Amboyer and Elizabeth A. Davis, Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness written and performed by Dave Droxler, the New York premiere of Queens Girl in the World, which was nominated for Outstanding Solo Performance for the Vivian Robinson Audelco Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, and the NYT Critics’ Pick Get on Your Knees written and performed by Jaqueline Novak, nominated for a Drama Desk Award. The One Night Only Series has showcased work such as Alex Edelman’s Just for Us which went on to receive Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations and has just completed its run on Broadway; Back by Matt Webster starring Emmy Award nominee Madeline Brewer and Tony Award nominee James Cusati-Moyer; The Prompter starring Oscar-winning actress Estelle Parsons; Date of a Lifetime, a new musical with book and lyrics by Carl Kissin and music by Robert Baumgartner Jr. ATC’s Around the Table Series has produced staged readings of new plays such as The Inferno by Chris Sherman and Arancini by Joey Merlo. In 2020, ATC established Abingdon Virtual led by Executive Producer Chad Austin, and has since produced three award-winning films, including As Apple Pie written and directed by Artist-in-Residence Pierre Marais, which was an official selection of the Cannes World Film Festival for Best Young Filmmaker and won multiple awards at festivals including Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Drama USA; Abingdon Virtual’s premiere film, It Cries Too Loudly, was an official selection of the Prague International Short Film Awards and won Best Cinematography and Best Short Film at the Eastern European Film Festival. 

www.abingdontheatre.org

Abingdon Theatre Company partners with venues and rehearsal spaces that are ADA compliant.  

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