Horizon Theatre Premieres “Other Paths to God” Rooted in Atlanta Stories

Horizon Theatre Company launches the world premiere of Other Paths to God, a new dramedy by acclaimed Atlanta playwright Kelundra Smith, running Oct. 9–Nov. 8. Billed as a “juicy hospital whodunit” that blends humor, scandal and heartfelt storytelling, the play draws inspiration from interviews with Atlanta nurses and explores the pressures, secrets and resilience that shape their lives.

Directed by Alexis Kulani Woodard, the production follows five ICU nurses at fictional Morey Medical Center whose already demanding work lives are upended when $3 million goes missing and suspicion falls on their unit. According to the release, the play is “funny, poignant and just the right amount of scandalous, while revealing that the path to healing and redemption is never a straight line.”

A Story Rooted in Real Conversations

Smith developed the play through interviews and “coffee chats” with Black women across Georgia as part of Horizon’s New Georgia Woman Project: Black Women Speak. The conversations explored work, faith, relationships and the emotional toll of caregiving. “Other Paths to God is a play, but it’s also a spiritual reckoning about the way we tie our value to our labor,” Smith explains in the release.

The playwright, whose previous work The Wash earned multiple Suzi Bass and AUDELCO Awards, created characters inspired by women she knew—and wished she knew—who navigate faith, exhaustion, hope and the complicated realities of modern healthcare. She aimed for the play to “move like an episode of your favorite medical drama but also feel deeply personal.”

The Ensemble and Their Stories

The production features a cast of Atlanta actors portraying nurses whose personal crises collide with workplace chaos:

• Renée (Tonia M. Jackson), the charge nurse, returns from a mysterious leave and attempts to steady the unit.
• Colleen (Amer-Marie Woods) is on the brink of divorce after an affair with a doctor.
• Rel (Trevor Rayshay Perry) is preparing to adopt a baby while trying to avoid the unit’s drama.
• Kai (Kenedi Deal), the youngest nurse, is recovering financially after being left at the altar.
• Amy (Arizsia Staton), their supervisor, struggles to contain the scandal and maintain peace at home.

The ensemble also includes Cheryl Booker as Mrs. Shorter, a former dancer and nurse who offers wisdom and levity to the ICU staff.

A Director on the Rise

Woodard, a Princess Grace Award winner and Spelman College graduate, leads the production. Her directing credits include The Dark Lady at Synchronicity Theatre and Hands Up at the Alliance Theatre, which earned six Suzi Bass Award nominations.

A Multi‑City Rolling World Premiere

Other Paths to God is part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. After its Horizon Theatre debut, the play will move to Coalescence Theatre Project and Perceptions Theatre in Chicago in November 2026, followed by Celebration Theatre in San Francisco in 2028.

Tickets are available at HorizonTheatre.com.