Bowl EP

Bowl EP is a comedic stage play written by playwright Nazareth Hassan. The play debuted in 2025 at the Vineyard Theatre, featuring rap, live skateboarding and original music, and was a 2026 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Plot

The play follows two teenagers, Kelly K Klarkson and Quentavius da Quitter, in a small suburban town, spending their days skateboarding and writing rap music. Set in an old pool used as a skateboarding bowl, the play features freestyle rap sessions, and explores race, masculinity and the desire for connection in youth, as their friendship turns to romance.

Production history

Off-Broadway (2025)

Bowl EP first premiered Off-Broadway at Vineyard Theatre in a co-production with National Black Theatre in May 2025. The production was directed by Hassan and starred Essence Lotus, Oghenero Gbaje and Felicia Curry with original music by Free Fool. The production received critical acclaim, with The New York Times calling it a "messy, poignant and memorable new work" and TheatreMania praising it as "magnificently imaginative."

The show was nominated for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, along with three Lucille Lortel Award nominations, an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, and four Dorian Award nominations.

Cast and characters

Awards and nominations

2025 Off-Broadway production