Dr. Catherine Fox is busy with a new Broadway venture.

Grey’s Anatomy star Debbie Allen reveals promise made to Shonda Rhimes before directing Broadway play

Dr. Catherine Fox is busy with a new Broadway venture.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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May 3, 2026 3:40 p.m. ET

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Debbie Allen on 'Grey's Anatomy'. Credit:

Anne Marie Fox/Disney

- Debbie Allen just celebrated the opening night of *Joe Turner's Come and Gone, *a revival she directed for Broadway.

- The actress revealed that while the project couldn't be more different from *Grey's Anatomy,* she plans to use what she learned on upcoming episodes of the medical drama.

- Series creator Shonda Rhimes attended the opening night in support of Allen.

Debbie Allen is clocking out at the Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital to devote a few working hours to Broadway.

The longtime *Grey's Anatomy** *star, producer, and director recently celebrated the opening night of* Joe Turner's Come and Gone*, a limited engagement revival of an August Wilson classic that she directed. The production is yet another notch in the belt of the six-time Emmy-winner and two-time Tony-winner whose multifaceted career has seen Allen act, sing, dance, produce, and choreograph, in addition to spending 15 years on the beloved medical drama.

Staying so busy "keeps me youthful," Allen said, speaking to PEOPLE at the premiere of her play, "It keeps me on my toes. It keeps me curious. And it keeps me ever the student of life."

Debbie Allen on 'Grey's Anatomy'.

Ser Baffo/Disney

To that same point, Allen shared that while exploring the legacy of slavery with the 20th century-set play is a very different undertaking than the work she does on *Grey's, *she expects that the project will still have an impact on her work as Dr. Catherine Fox.

"I promised Shonda Rhimes, I will bring all my sharpest skills back to *Grey's Anatomy*," Allen shared.

Explaining how creatively satisfying the play has been thus far, she continued, "We had the best rehearsal period in the world. It was closed. No one was allowed — no one. We had a safe space where we got to know each other. We got to stand up, fall down, laugh, cry, make mistakes, get it right, get it wrong, get it wrong. Wrong, now right, right, right. It was the best. I love theater."

She added, "In film, we get maybe 10 minutes to do what we do in four weeks, so it's been a pleasure for me."

*Joe Turner's Come and Gone *sees Taraji P. Henson making her Broadway debut alongside Cedric the Entertainer. Set during a pivotal era of migration and transformation, the play follows Seth and Bertha Holly, who run a warm, orderly boardinghouse for those navigating uncertain paths. But the couple are forced to reckon with the past when a mysterious man named Herald Loomis arrives with his young daughter.

Shonda Rhimes and Debbie Allen in Beverly Hills in 2016.

Allen Berezovsky/WireImage

Among those who turned up to support Allen on opening night was Rhimes, who told PEOPLE, "I'm just excited to be here to see the show and to see Debbie's work and to see this incredible cast."

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Allen didn't join the long-running ABC medical soap until its eighth season, but swiftly became an integral part of the show. Beyond *Grey's Anatomy*, Allen has become a Shondaland staple, directing episodes of *Scandal *and *How to Get Away With Murder.* Throughout their years of working together, Allen and Rhimes have also become close friends, frequently praising one another and their various collaborations.

In 2024, Rhimes made sure to praise Allen while being honored at *Variety’s *Power of Women for her work with the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.

"If you feel unseen, Debbie sees you. If you are feeling broken, Debbie will help you repair," Rhimes said, per Variety. "If you need a safe place to sleep or to rage or to heal, Debbie provides one. If you are hungry, Debbie feeds you. And then she puts you back in ballet class."

- Grey's Anatomy Fandom

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