‘Power’ Actor Marcus Callender Is Taking ‘Spades: The Play’ On A Five-City Tour

Marcus Callender is taking a beloved Black cultural pastime to the stage. The Power and Wu-Tang: An American Saga actor is making his playwriting and directorial debut with “Spades: the Play,” a 76-performance national tour this fall.

The production, which Callender has written and developed over the past decade, launches with a one-night performance in Harlem on Sept. 3 before heading to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Miami. The play previously had a four-week run in Harlem in November 2025.

Inspired by true events in Callender’s life, “Spades: the Play” takes place in Harlem in 2013 and centers on four friends in their 20s who gather for their weekly spades game. What starts as friendly competition evolves into candid conversations about relationships, friendship, and the complications that come with growing up.

“For generations, the Spades table has been a safe space for the Black community to be open, enjoy banter, and escape from the weight of everyday life. It’s a rite of passage and tradition that unites us culturally,” said Callender in a press release. “I wanted to create a story that marries this rich and important mainstay of our lineage with a coming-of-age masterclass on both life and the game.”

The cast includes Broderick Clavery as Gill, Akilah A. Walker as Cori, Derrick Alexander as Andre, and Erin Nicole Washington as Nefertiti.

“The undeniable chemistry of the cast, coupled with the raw and irreverent conversations every group of friends can relate to, makes this play hilarious, honest, and uniquely Black,” said Callender.

The tour will be shown in culturally significant venues, including Culture House DC, a former Black church dating to the 1800s, and Cam Kirk Studios in Atlanta. Los Angeles performances will take place at Wendy Raquel Robinson’s Amazing Grace Conservatory, while New Orleans will host the production at Fire House Loft. The tour will conclude in Miami during Art Basel.

RELATED CONTENT: From Players To Owners: How FanArcade Is Building The Future Of Black Power In Gaming