Contemporary Plays by Women of Color: An Anthology

533 Pages·2017·3.61 MB·English

by  Roberta Uno

Contemporary Plays by
Women of Color
In the two decades since the first edition of Contemporary Plays by Women of Color
was published, its significance to the theatrical landscape in the United States has
grown exponentially.
Work by female writers and writers of color is more widely produced, published,
and studied than ever before. Drawing from an exciting range of theaters, large and
small, from across the country, Roberta Uno brings together an up-to-date selec-
tion of plays from renowned and emerging playwrights tackling a variety of topics.
From the playful to the painful, this revised and updated edition presents a rich array
of voices, aesthetics, and stories for a transforming America.
Roberta Uno is a theater director and Director of Arts in a Changing America
based at the California Institute for the Arts.
“I wish I could be in the room when a reader experiences seeing themselves repre-
sented on a page, perhaps for the first time. It is a powerful, even life-changing, gift.
Fierce, intelligent, flawed and funny, these voices are too often unheard.”
Maha Chelahoui, Co-founder, NOOR Theatre
“If we want to claim America belongs to all of us, then we better make sure the
theater is a place where all of us can speak. Roberta Uno’s wonderful book provides
stirring support for that inclusive vision.”
Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater
“Roberta Uno once again is forging a path a decade ahead. These inspired, complex,
and brilliant playwrights are accelerating us towards the future of the American
theater.”
Kamilah Forbes, Director
“The first edition found its way to me freshman year of college. It was truth and
permission—unapologetic, funny, furious, and as diverse as the world I had experi-
enced. Local theaters were not producing these plays, high school teachers were not
assigning these plays, but yet here they were—showing me these stories do exist, do
matter.”
Quiara Alegría Hudes, Playwright, Pulitzer Prize for Drama
“An invaluable collection of works from voices at the frontiers of our culture. I have
always looked to Roberta Uno to find the bravest voices of writers who will ulti-
mately define their generation’s collective spirit.”
Jim Nicola, Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop
“This book fills me with joy at seeing many of the contemporary plays I most ad-
mire, anticipation of meeting new writers whose work it is essential that I know,
and hope that our field doesn’t have to lag behind in fully reflecting who we are as
a society. This is a must-have volume.”
Bill Rauch, Oregon Shakespeare Festival
“This anthology is at the vanguard of theater that challenges and transforms … this
anthology is not only about diversity and excellent theatre, it is essential to under-
standing ourselves.”
Mia Yoo, Artistic Director, La MaMa Theatre, NYC
Contemporary Plays by
Women of Color
An Anthology
Second Edition
Edited by
Roberta Uno
Assistant Editors:
Kristen Adele Calhoun,
Daniela Alvarez, and
Kassandra L. Khalil
Second edition published 2018
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 selection and editorial matter, Roberta Uno; individual chapters, the
contributors
The right of Roberta Uno to be identified as the author of the editorial material,
and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 1996
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Uno, Roberta, 1956- editor.
Title: Contemporary plays by women of color / edited by
Roberta Uno; [and three others].
Description: Second edition. | Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxon: New York: Routledge, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017011437 | ISBN 9781138189454 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781138189461 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315641584 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: American drama—Minority authors. | American drama—
Women authors. | American drama—20th century. | American drama—
21st century. | Women—United States—Drama. | Minority women—
Drama. | Minorities—Drama.
Classification: LCC PS627.M5 C66 2017 | DDC 812/.60809287—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017011437
ISBN: 978-1-138-18945-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-18946-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-64158-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by codeMantra
In memory of my mother, Kiku Uno, and aunt, Fumiko Ide.
The sisters who taught me to love words and story.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction by Roberta Uno xiii
1 Cardboard Piano 3
Hansol Jung
2 Clothes 30
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
3 Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary 39
Marissa Chibas
4 Eclipsed 53
Danai Gurira
5 Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue 80
Quiara Alegría Hudes
6 Etchings in the Sand 100
Meena Natarajan and Ananya Chatterjea
7 Food and Fadwa 106
Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader
8 Gunshot Medley 138
Dionna Michelle Daniel
9 He Lei no Kākā‘āko: Woven Memories 150
Tammy Haili‘ōpua Baker
10 Lines in the Dust 164
Nikkole Salter
11 Mala Hierba 200
Tanya Saracho
12 N*gg* 229
Lynn Nottage
viii Contents
13 Our Lady of Kibeho 237
Katori Hall
14 Our Voices Will Be Heard 283
Vera Starbard
15 Scenes From 68* Years 308
Hannah Khalil
16 Standoff at Hwy#37 340
Vickie Ramirez
17 Sun Sisters 367
Vasanti Saxena
18 The Adventures at Camp KaKeeKwaSha and the Magic Musky Casino! 395
Marcie R. Rendon
19 The Wild Inside 405
Cusi Cram
20 The Wong Street Journal 427
Kristina Wong
21 What Would Crazy Horse Do? 448
Larissa FastHorse
22 Zafira the Olive Oil Warrior 472
Kathryn Haddad
Appendix: Published plays by American women of color: selected works
after 1940 499
Acknowledgments
We extend our gracious thanks to the following individuals who connected us to
many of the playwrights included in this collection: Keith Josef Adkins, Leonard
Berkman, Maha Chehlaoui, Jorge Cortiñas, the Nathan Cummings Foundation,
Tim Dang, Ty Defoe, Snehal Desai, Abby Dobson, Oskar Eustis, Kamilah Forbes,
Jamil Khoury, Jenny Koons, Danielle Kovacs, Quiara Alegría Hudes, M aurine
Knighton, Steven Lavine and the California Institute of the Arts, Eun Lee, Madison
Lee, Jeff Liu, Sade Lythcott, Raphael Martin, Jonathan McCrory, M argaret
Morton, Dipankar Mukherjee, Meena Natarajan, Jim Nicola, Evren Odcikin,
Margaret Odette, Jorge Ortoll, Ralph Peña, Kathy Perkins, Corey Pond, Marlène
Ramírez-Cancio, Bill Rauch, Emily Simoness and SPACE on Ryder Farm, Lloyd
Suh, Diana Taylor and the New York University Hemispheric Institute for Perfor-
mance and Politics, Mia Yoo, Darren Walker and the Ford Foundation, and Torange
Yeghiazarian.
The editors are deeply appreciative of Elizabeth Webb for manuscript preparation
as well as the work of Maia Paraginog, T. J. Keanu Tario, and Namiko Uno for their
assistance with appendix research.
The publisher would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce
their material:
He Lei no Kākā‘āko: Woven Memories © 2015 TRGBaker. For permission for a staged
reading or production of this work, please contact Tammy Haili‘ōpua Baker
([email protected]). All rights reserved.
Etchings in the Sand © 2000 Ananya Chatterjea & Meena Natarajan. For permis-
sion for a staged reading or production of this work, please contact Meena
Natarajan at [email protected]. All rights reserved.
Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary © 2007 Marissa Chibas. For permission for a staged
reading or production of this work, please contact CalArts Center for New
Performance at 661-253-7853 or [email protected]. All rights reserved.
The Wild Inside © 2009 Cusi Cram. For permission for a staged reading or produc-
tion of this work, please contact Christ Till at Creative Artists Agency, Chris.
[email protected] or 212-277-9000. All rights reserved.