FLEX
by Candrice Jones
directed by Kendra Ware
March 26 - April 6, 2025
Live in the Bingham Theatre

With all the swagger of a four-quarter game, FLEX tells the story of the Lady Train, a high school basketball team whose futures ride on reaching the state championship. It’s 1998, and the newly-formed WNBA inspires dreams of going pro—but the realities of being young, Black women in rural Arkansas and a teammate’s pregnancy threaten to block their shot. Will their choices off the court tear the team apart, or bring their dreams closer? Candrice Jones’s award-winning, adrenaline-packed play celebrates the fierce athleticism of women’s basketball and the joy of teamwork.

Actors Theatre of Louisville is thrilled to have FLEX back in our court five years after developing the play as part of the 2020 Humana Festival. FLEX was only days away from a world premiere in the Bingham Theatre when the pandemic forced theatres around the country to suspend live events, and it has since been recognized as a breakout play. With this production, Actors Theatre is also proud to welcome back Kendra Ware, our recent Lloyd Richards New Futures Resident Artist, as the show’s director. 

“Critic’s Pick! A slam-dunk debut… There’s an alchemy to FLEX that conjures ardent home-team affinity from the audience… But the special sauce is also in the careful economy of Jones’s character development, which offers just enough detail to inspire curiosity about who these women could become without claiming to know exactly who they are.” —The New York Times 

MEET THE ARTISTS

 Closed Captioned Performances: Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, April 3 at 7 p.m.* 
 ASL Interpretation &  Audio Description: Available by request. Email boxoffice@actorstheatre.org to make arrangements.

Run Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.
Age Recommendation: 14+, accompanied by an adult
Grade Recommendation: For student matinees, the production is recommended for high school and up.
Content Warning: Production contains loud sounds, dark lighting, and bright flashes. Production also contains strong language, discussion of sexual abuse and abortion. This is a non-exhaustive list, as it can be challenging to recognize how elements will affect individuals. Please email boxoffice@actorstheatre.org if you need more information.

*On the scheduled dates, Closed Captioning is available on your personal mobile device. Any smartphone browser can access the transcription during the performance. The link to access the Closed Captions will be available at the ticket scanning stations as you enter the theater. For any guest who needs a device on which to access closed captions, the Radical Hospitality Team can assist with providing a tablet.

The Co-World Premiere was produced by TheatreSquared (Robert Ford, Artistic Director; Martin Miller, Executive Director/Producer) and by Theatrical Outfit (Matt Torney, Artistic Director; Gretchen E. Butler, Managing Director)

Developed with support from The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Berkeley, CA
FLEX was developed at the 2019 Bay Area Playwrights Festival, a program of the Playwrights Foundation
FLEX was presented at NNPN’s 2020 National Showcase of New Plays
Produced by Lincoln Center Theater, New York City, 2023