5th Annual BIPOC Play Fest

We have brought together 5 playwrights, 5 directors and 11 actors from South Shore, Chicago and the surrounding areas! You can attend the festival in person and will have access to this festival virtually soon after! These plays offer five diverse, intriguing tales that explore: friendship dynamics; job insecurity; Pr*son industrial complex; and what happens when talk shows meet horror. FREE EVENT

When:

Friday, Aug 15th- 7:30pm

Saturday, Aug 16th- 2pm

Sunday, Aug 17th- 2pm w/ talkback

Friday, Aug 22nd- 7:30pm

Saturday, Aug 23rd -2pm

Sunday, Aug 24th- 2pm w/ talkback

Featuring:

1994: clinton files

Written by alfonzo kahlil

Directed by Nia Vines

In the wake of Bill Clinton's notorious "1994 Crime Bill," two Black people exist, incarcerated within a New York Pr*son cell. Desperate and dehumanized, the two use their limited coping mechanisms-conversation, literature, songs, board games, and prayer-in a constant effort to ward off insanity, violence, and self destruction.

Talk Show Terror

Written and Directed by Jerluane “Jae” Jenkins

Imani 'Sinclaire' Johnson is an up and coming author elated to be invited onto the talk show of her childhood idol: thee renown Ro'Chelle Robins. However, when Ro'Chelle begins to micromanage, reimagine, and exaggerate Sinclaire's behaviors and autobiography, the young author must quickly adapt to the insidious and dishonest nature of both her idol and her chosen industry.

Dream On:

Written Antwon Funches

Directed by Maureen Azzun

Trio and Sage are roommates struggling with the circumstances of the 2020s: a devolving job market, a rise in fascism, and a botched economy, and most frightening of all, the impending end of their 20s. The friends spend their evening soothing one another, finding closure and direction despite an increasingly individualistic nation.

Memento:

Written by Vibyana Sacluti

Directed by Ashley Keys

A duo spends their day lounging until one of the two initiates a sensitive topic: their hypothetical demise, complete with a post-death to-do-list for their friend to complete. The pair converses at length, pondering the logistics of some of the bullet points, their perspectives on life and death, and the bubbling emotions born from pondering a loved one's passing.

Kicked to the Curb

By Samantha Magaña Plascencia

Directed by Amy Gerwert Valdez

Not even a night of community, alcohol, and karaoke proves able to distract Oliver and Maya from the sorrow of a friend's passing. Instead, the inebriated duo mourn on an empty street, reminiscing about their friend group's past, contemplating the present, and grieving the futures of peers whose lives were cut short.

Shed:

Written by LN McConnell

Directed by Charlique C. Rolle

Special Filmed Viewing

Imagine, in a rural Southern town, a Black mother holds her daughter’s racist rapist captive. A Time to K*ll meets 12 Angry Men This powerful parable of what could come if change never comes takes place in a small Southern town. Henrietta Nolan’s daughter, Kamalise, is raped by John Joseph Bailey. The Baileys are a prominent, white supremacy family. They basically own the town and therefore, are impervious to the law. The assault on Kamalise unearths buried memories of Henrietta’s own attack, coincidentally, by a member of the same family. Unable to live with this recurring nightmare, Henrietta is determined to put an end to the abuse the Baileys wield in this town. Employing a variety of tactics, Henrietta is hell-bent on exacting a confession from John Bailey. While Henrietta confronts John Bailey, her children explore the systemic racism and injustices in America. Through family stories, American history, and shared experiences, this suspense drama voices the unsaid, challenges the promise of America, and rips through the heart of one’s soul.

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