Based upon the book by Jason Reynolds.
Castle Crenshaw, a.k.a. Ghost, has been running his entire life, but for all the wrong reasons. Then one day he meets Coach, an Olympic medalist who sees his unique raw talent. Can Ghost achieve the speed he needs for success, or will his past finally catch up to him?
Inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk and designed and developed for children, Jacked! fuses storytelling and poetry with hip-hop and break-beat music to encourage a dialogue about substance abuse and the overwhelming effects the opioid epidemic is having in our communities.
At a small Catholic school in 2017, Florence has just been banned from all school related activities thanks to her hair, and is forced to decide how she will make her stand. Inventor Annie Malone’s hair products at the turn of the 20th century revolutionized mobility for Black women, but her biggest supporter and critic, Sarah Breedlove, believes they are only scratching the surface of success. In a fantasy universe, a struggling leader decides to make a deal with a demon to battle against a foe that she will never be able to tame—western beauty standards.
Told through three entangled timelines, GOOD HAIR weaves together the lives of women and the central question: Does the cost of beauty outweigh the proof of science?
A play about family secrets, gossip, colorism, voodoo and the magic of the stories we grow up hearing.
Meet the Berrys, a multi-generational Black family living under one roof in the 1970s. Their lives orbit around Rose, a strong-willed matriarch whose superstitions and secrets drive her relatives nuts. Through pointed wit and playful sarcasm, the family elders share fantastical stories about their collective past that call into question the family hierarchy and inspire the youngest generation to take pride in their heritage (and physical appearance). Tender, comedic conversations between tight-knit relatives are interspersed with moments of intense drama that mirror the internal conflicts every family must face at some point.
10 year old Jabari loves to paint. With his Forever President Barack Obama as a guide, Jabari escapes the violent reality of an encounter with the police through his colorful paintings where he meets children from the past who teach him how to be fearless. He then meets his hero, Barack Obama, as a 6 year old boy on the eve of the assassination of MLK, Jr. Will Jabari be able to instill in young Barack the lessons he’s learned and therefore ensure that Barack will have the necessary tools to become president? Will he learn to take these lessons back into his own life and heal his community? JABARI DREAMS OF FREEDOM is a 45 minute dream, a piece for ages 8 and up, using rap, freedom songs, hip hop dance, history, and humor to tell the story of a young Black boy from the South Side of Chicago who is afraid to leave the house, but learns to dream of freedom.
Foxes follows Daniel, a young black man trying to keep up with his life in London’s Caribbean community while balancing his own goals with his family’s expectations. When his relationship with best friend Leon brings an unexpected change it creates turmoil, bringing a taboo into his family home that has the power to tear the closest and most loving relationships apart. A deeply moving and complex story of family, community, and sexual identity.
Shortlisted for the 2018 Alfred Fagon Award, Dexter Flanders’s debut play Foxes explores masculinity and identity within London’s Caribbean community and Black street culture.
Set in the legendary Parisian café Les Deux Magots in 1953, LES DEUX NOIRS reimagines the meeting between Native Son author Richard Wright and essayist/activist James Baldwin. It explores the tension between Baldwin’s searing critiques of Native Son and Wright’s unbridled indignation in response—a confrontation between two mighty African-American artists, with echoes of a present-day rap battle.
Veralynn Jackson knows hair, her neighborhood, and she also knows that the invention of the Jheri Curl marks the end of the world… or at least a career shift. When she takes a job in Mr. Kim’s Korean-owned Black beauty supply store, she’s in her element, until the posters start talking to her. For Mr. Kim, closed off by what he’s left behind to be in the U.S., the last thing he wants is this nosy new employee prodding him to expose old wounds. Their eventual friendship opens a door for each of them to reclaim their lost art.
When racism and oppression manifest in a scary, physical form, a social media influencer and a boots-on-the-ground activist form a complex bond of friendship to help each other survive. The play explores the effects of a never-ending barrage of trauma on the women who are continually looked at to lead a movement of resistance and change. What happens when there’s no more outside space for the growing monster that is American racism?
EIGHT TALES OF PEDRO begins in 17th century Mexico, as Pedro and his companion travel from a small port town into the fabled Veracruz, telling stories while following Pedro’s one true love. Meanwhile, in the present day, in a van full of Mexican immigrants, Peter crosses a border into an unfamiliar country, while his companions tell him stories to chase away his fears. The two storytellers risk everything as their lives and plots intertwine.
