2023-2024 Season:
Representation Still Matters
Emerging Black Playwright Staged Reading Series
Two years ago Different Strokes! partnered with American Myth Center to create “A Different Myth“, which seeks to amplify stories that center Black voices and characters. After reading through 48 submissions from emerging Black Playwrights, we selected three playwrights as members of our 2022 cohort and have spent the last two years working with them to develop new plays. Two of those plays (Dear God by Lisa Langford, and Juked by Mildred Inez Lewis) will see a full production later this season, but before that happens, we have one more phase. As part of the development process, each playwright has had the opportunity to hear actors read their words and get their feedback but now they are ready to hear from an actual audience about how the work impacts them. These live, fully cast, Stage Readings (script in hand) of the plays, allow the audience to engage with the material and provide feedback afterward. Your thoughts and observations as theater enthusiasts will be crucial in shaping the future development of these exciting new plays. Your participation in these Stage Readings automatically makes you a member of our creative team -which gets you 20% savings on tickets to the full production.
DEAR GOD Stage Reading
written by Lisa Langford
November 10-11, 2023
In the world in which Dear God is set, Aliens have arrived from space, and they are turning Rev. Vonnie Braxton’s world upside down. Her congregation is freaking out; her husband is distant, and her faith is challenged. When someone from her past shows up, Vonnie must choose between the way things are and her commitment to social justice.
JUKED Stage Reading
written by Mildred Inez Lewis
November 17-18, 2023
Juked is a retelling of Sophocles’ tragedy Electra. This version is set in 1950s Asheville, and the “kingdom” is a chain of drink houses (private homes offering illegal alcohol) owned by the well-off, African-American Memnon family. Juked examines the relationship between Electra, her mother, and her sister, and asks what happens after tragedy – how do we recover?
The Glorious World of Crowns Kinks and Curls
written by Keli Goff
Thursday – Sunday, February 1 – 18, 2024
In the tradition of The Vagina Monologues and For Colored Girls…, The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks, and Curls is a collection of monologues and scenes exploring the often complex relationship Black women have with their hair. From Afros to braids, weddings, and funerals, falling in love to grieving a loss, these stories serve as a powerful reminder that for Black women in particular, hair is both deeply personal and political. These heartbreaking, heartwarming, and hilarious stories will take audiences on an unparalleled journey into the world of Black womanhood.
369 Monologue and Short Play Festival Part 2
written by A Curated Selection of Emerging Playwrights of Color
Thursday – Saturday, June 6-22 @ 7:30 pm, and Sunday June 23 @3:00 pm
369 Monologue and Short Play Festival is back again for the second year in a row, and still features nine evenings filled with fifteen heart-warming, dramatic, funny, heartbreaking, and provocative theatrical pieces focused on PRIDE as it is experienced by a cross-section of humans of varying race, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. Join us as we mix and match 6 short plays, and 9 monologues during the course of 3 weekends, for 10 different evenings of entertainment.
Dear God
World Premiere Production
written by Lisa Langford
Thursday – Saturday, October 3-19 @ 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 20 @ 3:00 pm
Aliens have arrived from space, and they are turning Rev. Vonnie Braxton’s world upside down. Her congregation is freaking out; her husband is distant, and her faith is challenged. When someone from her past shows up, Vonnie must choose between the way things are and her commitment to social justice. Dear God is part of the Emerging Black Playwrights New Play Series and first debuted in the development phase, as a staged reading in November 2023.
Juked
World Premiere Production
written by Mildred Inez Lewis
Thursday – Saturday, February 6-22 @7:30, and Sunday February 23 @3:00 pm
Juked is a retelling of Sophocles’ tragedy Electra. This version is set in 1950s Asheville and the “kingdom” is a chain of drink houses (private homes offering illegal alcohol) owned by the well-off, African-American Memnon family. Juked examines the relationship between Electra, her mother, and her sister, and asks what happens after tragedy. How do we recover? Juked is part of the Emerging Black Playwrights New Play Series and first debuted in its development phase, as a staged reading in November 2023.