An assortment of plays by Black playwrights that everyone should be reading.
BY EVAN CAIN
VICE-PRESIDENT/ CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF/ ARTS AND LEISURE HEAD
All sources embedded in images. Pictured: Jackie Sibblies Drury, Jeremy O. Harris, Antoinette Nwandu and Jordan E. Cooper, four Black playwrights.
The QuaranTimes denounces the unfair deaths of various members of the Black Community. We stand in solidarity with the protestors and all victims affected by these senseless acts of violence. It is our job to keep educating ourselves, donating, speaking out, and advocating for the Black Lives Matter movement. Together we can work in unison to create a more accepting, and inclusive world, one article at a time.
The Power of Theatre
Theatre has the power to heal. It has the power to touch one’s soul in a way that simple words, lyrics, or pictures cannot. It’s emotional, raw, and real. Artists have the power to not only document but reflect society and human interaction through emotion and through crafted scenes of life and the emotions that surround them. Now more than ever, during the thick of the Black Lives Matter movement, we must continue to amplify Black voices and share their stories through this magic we call theatre. The Black community has always been under-represented in art, ranging from things like whitewashing casts on stage to only casting Black actors as secondary characters in tv as an act of performative diversity. Black art has always and will always matter. It deserves a chance to shine during this time of great change. Take a look and read a few of my favourite plays by Black playwrights.
Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith
Yellowman is a play by Dael Orlandersmith, an American actress, playwright, and poet known for being a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Dael was described as “an otherworldly messenger, perhaps the sorcerer’s apprentice, or a heaven-sent angel with the devil in her" by the New York Times, confirming her place as one of the most powerful and unique voices in the history of contemporary American Drama. The story surrounds two young people named Alma and Eugene, who have a long history of friendship that soon blossoms into a romantic relationship. The two struggle with their own problems such as poverty and unstable parental relationships while also being held under the unjust ideals of systemic racism.
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Little Baby Jesus by Arinzé Kene
Little Baby Jesus by the British actor and playwright, Arinzé Kene, is a monologue based show surrounding the lives of three inner-city teenagers in London navigating their way to adulthood in an unforgiving world. Structured as about three loosely connected monologues, the three teens each find the turning point from being a teen to becoming an adult, while continuing to face their own difficulties either at home or in their personal lives. It was first performed at Oval House Theatre, London, on May 25, 2011, in a co-production by various theatre companies.
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Ruined by Lynn Nottage
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Ruined by Lynn Nottage, an American playwright whose work often surrounds marginalized people, won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for drama. This haunting work displays the life of a young, powerful woman named Mama Nadi, a businesswoman trying her best to survive through a civil war. This is a show about the resilience and passion of the human spirit and the things it can overcome, even in time of war. It is truly an inspiring story that is worth reading.
Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau
American actress and playwright Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline follows the story of an inner-city public school teacher who is dedicated to her students but also wants to create opportunities for her son, Omori. He is threatened to be expelled by the school for a certain incident, which leads his mother to have to make a choice. Will she be able to confront Omori’s rage or will the world pull him away too soon? The story brings up an important and urgent conversation through a mother who is trying to find a future for her son.
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Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney, an American playwright and actor, outlines the resilience of a young, Black, queer choir boy who faces anti-gay bullying at his all-boys prep school. The play opened on Broadway on January 8th, 2019 and is essentially a coming of age story deeply infused with African American culture, including step dancing and choir song.
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