Think Fast, Jordan Chase!
Photo by Works by Willow
Photo by Works by Willow
Photo by Works by Willow
NPX link here!
I had the honor of being one of Filament Theatre’s inaugural SPARK artists-in-residence in 2021. SPARK is a six week long artistic development residency for individual artists creating work for young audiences. Artists receive a $1500 stipend, a $250 materials budget, access to Filament Theatre’s space and stock, and administrative and artistic development support from Filament’s staff and youth artistic teams throughout the residency.
After holding workshops with youth to inform the content and characters, I built this Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style anti-bullying play, Think Fast, Jordan Chase! There was a public reading of the first draft on April 30th, 2021, and several additional workshops throughout 2022.
Think Fast, Jordan Chase! had its World Premiere at Filament Theatre in Spring 2023!
It was READER RECOMMENDED!
It ran March 18th - April 23rd, and even got EXTENDED! Click here for the cast announcement.
Think Fast, Jordan Chase! was directed by Jamal Howard, and featured Christabel Donkor, joolz stroop, Xela Rosas, RJ W. Mays, and Brittany Ellis.
Photo by Rudy Schneider
“The audience participation is a gift that knocks down the fourth wall enough to allow us to encounter the struggle for equity and justice on the playground in just the right proportions.”
Joolz Stroop, Christabel Donkor, Brittany Ellis, Xela Rosas - photo by Rudy Schneider
The Back Pocket Play
NPX link here!
For my honors undergraduate thesis at Butler University, I wrote and produced a play based on my experiences as a mixed race woman: a member of both the Black community and the White community. To inform this work, I spent a year researching institutionalized racism, as well as the history, psychology, and rhetoric of racial prejudice.
My capstone production, The Back Pocket Play, features three young women preparing for their dear friend to come home after being wrongfully imprisoned and exposed to police brutality. They grapple with feelings of anger, confusion, and guilt as they find out what it means to break the cycle of oppression through open communication and compassion.
The Back Pocket Play was presented in Spring of 2017 as a part of Butler University’s Founder’s Week Celebration, honoring the school’s historical commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equality.
An article in The Butler Collegian about my play can be found here.
My thesis essay and the accompanying script are available in Butler University’s digital records.
Fundraiser & Zoom Reading – 2020
In light of the protests following the death of George Floyd, and the increased awareness of police brutality and systemic oppression, I arranged a Zoom reading of The Back Pocket Play for my Chicago community and beyond. Immediately following the reading, I facilitated a talkback discussion on White privilege and its contribution to institutionalized racism.
This digital remount of The Back Pocket Play raised $1500 for the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality.