Contemporary Black Playwrights Workshop

Otis Cortez Ramsey-Zöe (Director, Arena Stage dramaturg and Yale lecturer) leads this one-day workshop exploring contemporary Black American playwrights and the aesthetic and cultural influences that shaped their style. What connections exist between Black Arts Movement playwright Ed Bullins and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins? Where do we see traces of Zora Neale Hurston in the work of Terrell Alvin McCraney? Explore the dramatic lineate of Black playwrights by focusing in on the shoulders upon which these dramatists stand. Participants will discuss such writers as Alice Childress, Owen Dodson, Adrienne Kennedy, and their influence on contemporary American playwrights like Christina Anderson, Robert O’Hara, and Suzan-Lori Parks.

An excellent forum for actors, directors, and producers to understand the traditions of contemporary Black American playwrights and the art of bringing the works to life.