by Rajiv Joseph
directed by Monteze Freeland
April 19 - May 11, 2025
Basketball legend LeBron James is the undeclared king of Cleveland, Ohio. Taking place over twelve years, from LeBron’s rookie season through the 2016 NBA Championship, King James is a buddy comedy that tracks the unlikely friendship of two super fans and examines the bonds that sports can create in an “intensely watchable and astutely observed” (The New York Times) new play.
A co-production with Cleveland Play House.
This production contain strong language.
This production will feature lights and loud noises resembling a sports event.
RAJIV JOSEPH’s play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama and also awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts. He has twice won the Obie Award for Best New American Play, first in 2016 with Guards at the Taj (also a 2016 Lortel Winner for Best Play) and then in 2018 with Describe the Night. Other plays include King James, Letters of Suresh, Archduke, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Animals Out of Paper, The Lake Effect, The North Pool and Mr. Wolf. Joseph has been awarded artistic grants from the Whiting Foundation, United States Artists and the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal.
MONTEZE FREELAND (Director) is a multi-disciplinary artist from Baltimore, MD whose talents include acting, directing, writing, producing and teaching. Monteze is the current Co-Artistic Director of City Theatre Company and was named City Paper’s Person of the Year for Theatre in 2021, in addition to being named the Performer of the Year in 2017 by the Post-Gazette. Select directing credits include: The Santaland Diaries, The Young playwrights Festival ‘17 & ‘21, Claws Out: A Holiday Drag Musical, The Garbologists, and Clyde’s (City Theatre Company); King Hedley II & Fences (Co-Director with Mark Clayton Southers), Savior Samuel, Miss Julie, Clarissa and John, Christmas Star and Poe’s Last Night (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company); I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Prime Stage Theater); Hairspray, Shrek, The Addams Family, and Freaky Friday (CLO Summer Academy); readings of Trouble in Mind and The Coffin Maker (Pittsburgh Public Theater). Many thanks to the incredible cast, design team, community partners, and City Theatre staff.
ROBERT HUNTER is an accomplished actor and community leader celebrated for his compelling performances in theater, film, and television. His notable stage credits include standout roles such as Jonas Nightingale in Leap of Faith at Karamu House, where critics described him as “dynamic and electrifying,”; and Bruce in Jelly Belly at Ensemble Theatre, a portrayal praised by Cleveland Scene as “masterful” and “absolutely hypnotic.” On screen, he has appeared in The Land (directed by Stephen Caple Jr.) and Criminal Activities (starring John Travolta). A recipient of the American Black Film Festival’s Best Actor Award at just 20 years old, Robert also directs his passion toward youth advocacy as the CEO and founder of 5 Pillars Inc., empowering underserved communities through mentorship and leadership programs. Standing at 6 feet with a commanding presence and emotional depth, Robert continues to captivate audiences and inspire change through his work.
MICHAEL PATRICK TRIMM is thrilled to be returning to City Theatre after previously appearing in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. Other Select Theater credits include: Public Theater (Julius Caesar) Pittsburgh Public Theater (A Few Good Men, American Son, Dial M for Murder, The Merchant of Venice), PICT (As You Like It, A Christmas Carol), Kitchen Theatre (Hand to God), Hangar Theatre (Little Women), Oldcastle Theater (Sheepdog), Ithaca Shakespeare Company (Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Kinetic Theater (The Illustrious Invalid), W.H.A.T. (Raging Skillet), and 4615 Theater (Dracula). Michael is an alumnus of Ithaca College (BFA Acting). michaelpatricktrimm.com
TAYLOR MESZAROS
Production Stage Manager
She/Her
TMeszaros@citytheatrecompany.org
Taylor K. Meszaros (she/her) is in her 15th season at CTC. She spends her time as an AEA Stage Manager and as a Standardized Patient for local university medical programs. Select regional credits include King James (Cleveland Play House), Somewhere Over the Border (People’s Light), Fat Ham (TheatreSquared), White Christmas, The Skin of Our Teeth, Hair! (Berkshire Theatre Group), 12th Night, Frida… A Self Portrait, Young Americans, Two Trains Running, and Schoolgirls…(Pittsburgh Public Theatre), Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Another Kind of Silence, POTUS, Native Gardens, The Garbologists, What the Constitution…, Cambodian Rock Band, The Burdens, Where Did We Sit…Bus?, The Absolute Brightness…, Wild With Happy, Feeding the Dragon, Smart Blonde, and Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir (City Theatre Company). She is eternally grateful for the Pittsburgh arts community and its patrons.
TONY FERRIERI (Director of Production and Resident Scenic Designer) Awards and milestones include: 43 years with City Theatre, The Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for Established Artist, New Works Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, “Designer of the Year” by Pittsburgh City Paper and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Frankel Award,” “Fred Kelly Award for Outstanding Achievement,” “Harry Schwalb Excellence in the Arts Award,” features in Live Design and Stage Directions, and nearly 550 designs. Recent CTC designs include: Downstairs, The Santaland Diaries, One Night in Miami, The Roommate, Pipeline, and Citizens Market. Other recent designs include: Feeding the Dragon for Hartford Stage in CT and Primary Stages at The Cherry Lane in NYC; Clue, Miracle on 34th Street, Sweeney Todd, Big Fish, Mary Poppins, and The Little Mermaid for Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center; The Book of Merman, Double Threat Trio, Perfect Wedding, for CLO Cabaret; The Current War, King Lear, Violetta, The Master Builder, The Winter’s Tale for Quantum Theatre; True West, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Streetcar Named Desire for barebones; Scared of Sarah and A Feminine Ending for Off the Wall; and You Say Tomato I Say Shut Up! for Dana Phil Playhouse Productions. Other credits include designs for Bricolage, Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh, Carrnivale Theatrics, Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre, Emelin Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Madison Rep, TheatreWorks, 1812 Productions, Playhouse Rep, Tuesday Musical Club, and Unseam’d.
HOWARD PATTERSON returns to TheatreSquared, where he was the sound designer for Fat Ham. He is a Pittsburgh based sound designer, audio engineer, and educator. He has worked on many projects in and around Pittsburgh and is passionate about sonic storytelling. Recent designs have been heard at City Theatre Company, Quantum Theatre, and Pittsburgh Playhouse. Howard received his BFA from Point Park University. Howard is an Assistant Teaching Professor of sound design at the University of Pittsburgh.
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