Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope

Micki Grant’s
DON’T BOTHER ME I CAN’T COPE
Directed and Choreographed by Patdro Harris
Musical Direction by Sanford Moore
March 12 through April 5, 2026

This history-making musical opened on Broadway in 1972 and continues to provoke and inspire more than five decades later. In Micki Grant’s uproarious revue, nine singer-dancers perform 20 numbers in a kaleidoscope of musical genres, from rock to jazz to gospel to funk. Veering from block party to revival meeting to pointed social critique, Don’t Bother Me is a tour de force of Black joy, resilience, and resistance.

For Saturday (evening) ticket holders – March 14, 2026

Due to forecasted winter weather conditions, we have made the decision to cancel the 7:30pm performance of Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope on Sunday, March 14. To exchange your tickets for a different performance, please email boxoffice@penumbratheatre.org or call us at 651-224-3180.

We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we prioritize the safety of our audiences, artists, and staff. Please check our website at penumbratheatre.org/events for updates regarding future performances.

For Sunday ticket holders – March 15, 2026

Due to forecasted winter weather conditions, we have made the decision to cancel the 4:00pm performance of Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope on Sunday, March 15. To exchange your tickets for a different performance, please email boxoffice@penumbratheatre.org or call us at 651-224-3180.

We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we prioritize the safety of our audiences, artists, and staff. Please check our website at penumbratheatre.org/events for updates regarding future performances.

 

Biographies

Playwright, Micki Grant

Lyricist, composer, writer and performer Micki Grant was born to Gussie and Oscar Perkins on June 30, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. Encouraged by her parents to pursue music, writing and acting, Grant began taking piano lessons at eight years old and studying drama soon after. She later moved to Los Angeles and then New York City, where she studied acting with Herbert Berghof and Lloyd Richards and earned her B.A. in English and Theatre from CUNY’s Lehman College, graduating summa cum laude.

Grant consolidated her talents as a writer, composer, and performer in New York. While appearing in Jean Genet’s The Blacks, she began collaborating with director Vinnette Carroll. Their work together included the groundbreaking musical Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, as well as The Ups and Downs of Theophilis Maitland, Step Lively, Boy, and Croesus and the Witch. Her Broadway credits also include Your Arms Too Short to Box With God and Working.

Grant’s career garnered numerous accolades including a Grammy Award for Best Score, an OBIE Award, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and five Tony nominations. She also received an NAACP Image Award and the National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award.

Director + Choreographer, Patdro Harris

Patdro Harris is a nationally and internationally recognized director, choreographer, and writer. The Washington Post describes him as a “superb choreographer,” while the New York Times calls his artistry “praiseworthy.” Harris has directed at distinguished theaters across the country including The Alliance Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, Round House Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, and Penumbra Theatre.

His choreographic and artistic collaborations include work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre DC, the Guthrie Theater, and the National Black Arts Festival. Harris has also toured internationally as choreographer and lead dancer for Stevie Wonder and has worked with artists such as Yolanda Adams, Daryl Coley, and India Arie.

He received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography and multiple Suzi Bass Awards for Outstanding Director and Choreography. In 2024 he received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Music Director, Sanford Moore

Penumbra: Girl Shakes Loose, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, The Ballad of Emmett Till, The Amen Corner, I Wish You Love, Black Pearl Sings, Black Nativity, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Get Ready, Dinah Was. Ordway Music Theater: Smokey Joe’s Café; Children’s Theater: The Wiz (Co-Produced with Penumbra), Last Stop on Mrkt St. Guthrie: Parchman Hour, Disgraced, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Choir Boy, Crowns. Park Square: Nina Simone: Four Women. Mixed Blood: Two Queens, One Castle, Black Belts. Illusion: Always and Forever. Lab Theater: When a Man Loves a Diva. Other: Director, Arranger for the vocal jazz ensemble Moore by Four. Threads Dance: Composer, Warriors of Light. Minister of Music at Kingdom Life Church, N. Minneapolis, MN.

Assistant Director + Choreographer, Angel Ceara Clark

Cast, Aimee K. Bryant

Aimee K. Bryant has built a celebrated career as a theatre artist in the Twin Cities since graduating from Howard University. Her Penumbra credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Jar the Floor, Con Flama, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Black Nativity. She is also a director, teaching artist, songwriter, and vocalist. Bryant was named City Pages’ 2015 Actress of the Year and is a McKnight Theatre Artist Fellow.

Cast, Aliya Grace

Aliya Grace has appeared in productions including Kiss Me, Kate, Once on This Island, Singin’ in the Rain, and Sweet Charity at Artistry Theatre, and Hair and Carrie: The Musical at Children’s Theatre Company. She was a Triple Threat Winner at the Hennepin Theatre Trust Spotlight Showcase and a YoungArts Popular Voice Winner.

Cast, Antonisia (Nisi) Collins

Antonisia Collins is an Alabama native who moved to Minnesota in 2023 to join Children’s Theatre Company as a performing apprentice. Her credits include Once on This Island, Frozen, A Year with Frog and Toad, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Cast, Austene Van

Austene Van is an award-winning director, actor, choreographer, and producer with more than 30 years of experience. Her work has appeared at the Guthrie Theater, Ordway, Mixed Blood Theatre, Park Square Theatre, and others. She is the Executive Artistic Director of Yellow Tree Theatre and New Dawn Theatre and a McKnight Fellowship recipient.

Cast, Charles Holt

Charles Holt is a Broadway performer known for his roles in Jesus Christ Superstar, Smokey Joe’s Café, and The Lion King. In addition to acting, he is a motion-capture artist for video games and a mentor focused on emotional literacy and trauma-informed education through his Open Frames Project.

Cast, Daonna Lewis

Daonna Lewis is a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist based in St. Paul, Minnesota. A graduate of the University of Minnesota with a BFA in Dance, she has performed with TU Dance and choreographed for community and theatrical productions throughout the Twin Cities.

Cast, Darius Gillard

Darius Gillard is a Minneapolis-based vocalist and actor who has performed with Dutch National Opera, Detroit Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Grand Rapids, Artistry Theatre, and Lyric Arts. He holds advanced degrees in vocal performance from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.

Cast, Demetrius McClendon

Chicago-born dancer Demetrius McClendon (ImagineJoy) has trained with Joffrey Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. They have performed with companies including TU Dance, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Minnesota Opera. McClendon is a 2023 McKnight Dancer Fellow.

Cast, Nathan Barlow

Nathan Barlow has appeared in numerous productions at Penumbra including Sugar in Our Wounds and The Dutchman/The Owl Answers. His work has also been seen at the Guthrie Theater, Mixed Blood Theatre, and Ten Thousand Things. In addition to acting, he performs as a musician with his band Barlow.