Red Velvet
by Lolita Chakrabarti
November 13-22, 2026
It’s like being at a crossroads – a point of absolute, unequivocal change. It makes the blood rush.
Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. The greatest actor of his generation has collapsed on stage while playing Othello. A young Black American actor – Ira Aldridge – has been asked to take over the role, making him the first Black man to play Othello on a London stage. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?
An elegant and revelatory play about race, art, betrayal, and social change.
ICTRep ticket prices are inclusive of all taxes and fees! No hidden fees. Ever.
ICTRep Ticket Policies
Performance Times and Location
November 13 & 14 @ 7:30 p.m.
November 15 @ 2:00 p.m.
November 20 & 21 @ 7:30 p.m.
November 22 @ 2:00 p.m.
The Fisch Haus
524 S. Commerce Street
Wichita, KS 67220
Parking is available in the large lot 1/2 block south at the end of Commerce Street
Running Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes, including intermission.
RED VELVET is best enjoyed by those 13 and up. The play includes the strangling scene from Shakespeare’s OTHELLO, as well as racial slurs and derogatory language.
Seating for this show is general admission. We can, however, reserve seats for those with mobility issues. Just email us at tickets@ictrep.org or call 316-612-2543 and let us know the date of your tickets and what kind of accommodations you will need (wheelchair seating, zero-step seating, etc.) and we will take care of it.
ICTRep is pleased to provide assistive listening services for all of our productions. Look for the “ICTRep” feed in your Auracast™ compatible device, or ask an usher for an assistive listening headset.
A wheelchair lift will be available to access the Fisch Haus building for those who cannot climb the seven stairs at the entry. Please allow additional time for this service.
What to Expect
“Shock waves rarely travel across centuries. But at … Lolita Chakrabarti’s ‘Red Velvet’ … you can experience firsthand what it must have felt like to be part of one seriously rattled London theater audience in 1833.”
New York Times
“Red Velvet is the play to see. … The audience was clearly awestruck.”
The Huffington Post
“It’s a cracker of a play: gripping, intelligent and passionate.”
Financial Times
Cast
Keeley Coon
Margaret Aldridge
James Earlywine
Casimir/Henry Forester
Jill Herbert
Ellen Tree
Jeneé Jenkins Saffold
Connie
Braden LaBrue-Layman
Charles Keen
Lydia Pirilli
Halina/Betty Lovell
Chris Sharkey
Pierre LaPorte
Nick Wetta
Bernard Ward/Terence
Torey Wilson
Ira Aldridge
Creatives
Dr. Julie Longhofer
Director, Costume & Scenic Design
Lolita Chakrabarti
Playwright
Kirk Longhofer
Sound Design
Stan Longhofer
Lighting & Scenic Design and Technical Direction
Abby Lowe
Stage Manager & Intimacy Director
About Playwright Lolita Chakrabarti
Lolita Chakrabarti is an award winning Actress and Writer. She has worked extensively as an actress on stage and screen.
An actor, playwright, and theatrical producer, Chakrabarti’s debut play, Red Velvet (2012), won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright and The Critics’ Circle Award. She also wrote the acclaimed stage adaptation of Life of Pi, which won five Olivier Awards in 2022 and three Tony Awards in 2023 and adapted Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2023.
Chakrabarti runs Lesata Productions alongside her husband Adrian Lester and Rosa Maggiora.