“Saturday Church,” a new musical based on the 2017 film by Emmy Award nominee Damon Cardasis, has set a world premiere staging Off-Broadway. Tony Award nominee Whitney White will direct the musical, set to feature songs by Grammy Award nominee Sia and Grammy winner Honey Dijon. The production is scheduled to run this fall at New York Theatre Workshop. “Saturday Church” is being produced by special arrangement with five-time Tony winner Tim Levy and fellow Broadway producer Cindy Tolan.
Featuring a book co-written by Cardasis and Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames, “Saturday Church” tells the story of Ulysses, a New York City kid, devoted son and the fiercest acolyte at his aunt’s church. A chance encounter on the subway introduces him to the world of Saturday Church, a thrilling sanctuary for LGBTQ+ youth. Caught between these two worlds, Ulysses wrestles with family, faith and identity as he strives to find the place where he can love and be his true self.
Sia is being credited as the musical’s primary songwriter with Honey Dijon as the crafter of additional music; “Saturday Church” will mark their first collaboration on a stage musical. It is currently not known whether the musical will feature all original music or previously released songs by the duo. Sia is a nine-time Grammy nominee known for penning such hits as “Chandlier,” “Try Everything” and “Never Give Up.” Honey Dijon won a Grammy in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album for her collaboration with Beyoncé on “Renaissance.”
In addition to writing and directing the “Saturday Church” film, Cardasis was nominated for an Emmy for producing the HBO documentary “Arthur Miller: Writer.” He earned a pair of Writers Guild of America Award nominations with Shannon Walker for penning “Vicky & Lysander.” Ijames won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and earned a Tony nomination for “Fat Ham,” a modern-day adaptation of “Hamlet.” Ijames is also the playwright of “Kill Move Paradise” and “Good Bones.”
White, a Tony nominee for directing “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” is represented on Broadway this season by “The Last Five Years” and Off-Broadway by “Liberation.” White is also currently at work on a “Queen’s Gambit” musical. She was recently announced as the recipient of a 2025 Drama League Special Award.
“Saturday Church” will feature choreography by Obie Award winner Darrell Grand Moultrie, music supervision/orchestrations/arrangements by Jason Michael Webb and Luke Solomon, scenic design by Tony winner David Zinn, costume design by Obie winner Qween Jean, lighting design by Drama Desk Award nominee Adam Honoré, sound design by Tony winner Gareth Owen, music production by Grammy winner Chris Penny and stage management by Jhanaë K-C Bonnick.
Exact production dates, as well as casting, by Nicholas Petrovich and Erica Hart, are still to be announced.
“We could not be more excited to bring ‘Saturday Church’ to New York Theatre Workshop this fall alongside a true dream team: Whitney White, Sia, Honey Dijon, Jason Michael Webb, Luke Solomon, Qween Jean, David Zinn and Darrell Grand Moultrie,” Cardasis and Ijames told Broadway News. “We’re excited to bring this story to life in the form of a new musical and feel it’s more important now than ever to welcome audiences into the world of ‘Saturday Church.’”
