Actors Theatre of Louisville is ready for March Madness and Final Four, bringing drama to the court with their performance of “FLEX.” Written by Candrice Jones and directed by Kendra Ware, “FLEX” runs from Wednesday, March 26 to Sunday, April 6, 2025 at the Bingham Theatre (316 West Main St.).
“FLEX” is heartfelt and nuanced yet also full of action, as it follows the experiences of a high school basketball team who aspire to go pro. This story of teamwork through adversity was originally scheduled to premiere at the Humana Festival in 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the premiere was relocated to Atlanta and Arkansas in 2022.
The play is set in 1997. Houston Comets point guard Cynthia Cooper was named Most Valuable Player of the WNBA Finals for what would become the first of four consecutive years. Every player on the Lady Train basketball team from the fictional city of Plainnole, Arkansas wants to go pro — but none more passionately than point guard Starra Jones. The team is undeniably excellent, but the intersectional struggles of everyday life for Black women in rural Arkansas disrupts their team dynamics and their dreams for the lives they aspire toward.
“FLEX” is divided into four acts that represent quarters of a basketball game. The play requires real basketball skills from its performers and includes real shots, with endings that vary depending on whether the final basket is made. This narrative unpredictability allows the the audience to watch the performance progress like a real basketball game.
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Playwright Candrice Jones is also a poet and an educator from Dermott, Arkansas. She was a fellow at Callaloo — the journal of writing and art from the African diaspora — in the Department of Literary Arts at Brown University, as well as at Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation, a multi-genre workshop for BIPOC Writers. While a resident at Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2018, she developed “FLEX.”
“I wrote ‘FLEX’ because I wanted to celebrate young African American women while creating a nostalgic snapshot of ’90s,” Jones said. “FLEX” celebrates the sport of basketball as it explores teamwork through the lens of social justice. Through her characters, Jones explores topics including religion, LGBTQ relationships, and abortion. “The narrative covers so many issues; poverty, sexuality, and freedom of choice are all major themes. Still, the relationships the Lady Train share is the ultimate catalyst that moves the narrative forward.”
Actors Theatre of Louisville centers experiences that reflect a commitment to social good as well as to the health and wellness of their audience. The production of “FLEX” is emblematic of that commitment. “As it stands, ‘FLEX’ is a brutally honest love letter to women of the American South,” Jones said. “That’s exactly how I want it to be received.”
Actors Theatre of Louisville presents “FLEX”
Friday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. Sunday — post-performance conversation
Monday, March 31 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 5 at 2:00 p.m
Saturday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Buy tickets here.
Performances are recommended for ages 14 and older.
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2025.
