"The New York Times" Raves About Actor Mirirai Sithole ’12

Mirirai Sithole ’12

To be described as “simply extraordinary” by a New York Times critic is a feat few actors achieve. Less than four years after graduating from Adelphi with a B.F.A. in Theatre, Mirirai Sithole ’12 has received this very rare acclaim for her performance in the Classic Stage Company’s highly publicized staging of the Bertolt Brecht classic Mother Courage and Her Children. Sithole’s performance in the role of Mother Courage’s mute daughter Kattrin in the production, which opened on January 19, 2016, marks yet another impressive milestone in her blossoming career.

Sithole has already been admitted to the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) for her costarring role in Comedy Central’s Broad City, which was followed by a costarring role in Aziz Ansari’s Master of None on Netflix. She has also made a number of New York theater appearances, including a role in the 59East59 Theaters production of C.O.A.L. (Confessions of a Liar).

In a January 19, 2016, article, New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood described Mother Courage as “terrific” and “searing.” He devoted two paragraphs of the brief review to Sithole’s performance, noting that she “provides the production with a moving emotional center.”

“Mirirai has a tremendous amount of integrity,” said Maggie Lally ’82, associate professor, who worked with Sithole during her undergraduate days and has remained close to her. “She leads with her integrity, and I think that was able to help sustain her in her latest role because that character is so vulnerable. …The person she is informs the artist she is, and I’m just thrilled her work has been acknowledged.”