A new play by Anna Deavere Smith about tennis icon Billie Jean King is in development, with Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) set to direct. A reading in August is planned as part of the New York Stage and Film 2022 Summer Season.
Love All is described as the story of “the rise of sports icon and trailblazer for equality Billie Jean King against a backdrop of the social upheaval and countercultural revolutions of the 1960s. A tale of tough competition on the court and gritty teamwork in the world, it asks what it takes to be a champion and what more it takes to change the course of history.”
“As a fan of the theatre,” King said in a statement, “being part of a project like Love All is an honor and honestly a surreal experience and being able to work with brilliant minds like Anna Deavere Smith, Marc Bruni and [producer] Harriet Leve make this project even more special. Our hope is to tell a story that is authentic, inspiring and entertaining and one that speaks to people from all walks of life.”
Casting, the creative team and further details about the New York Stage and Film reading will be announced at a later date. Love All is produced by Harriet Newman Leve and Stephanie Sandberg.
Smith’s plays include Fires in the Mirror and Twilight Los Angeles. As an actress her credits include Inventing Anna, The West Wing, Billy Crystal’s new movie Here Today and many others. Bruni, in addition to Beautiful, directed the recent Off Broadway production of Trevor the Musical, among other credits. Leve’s producing credits include Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations; An American in Paris; Beautiful and Hedwig and the Angry lnch, among others. Sandberg is a Partner at Accordant Advisors, which advises organizations – particularly those in the performing arts – on diversity, equity and inclusion.