appalachian blackface

(in development) at the turn of the 20th century in Southern West Virginia, Jacob, the son of a European coal mining family and Prince, the star of an African-American touring minstrel troupe, struggle to break through the social & economic codes keeping them from living the lives they desire. as their worlds collide and their relationship grows, Jacob and Prince fight the obligations of family and history during america’s first attempt at a post-racial society.

a night at Gladys’ clam house

(current project) gladys bentley, one of the most notorious and successful queer, African-American, lesbian entertainers of the Harlem Renaissance, takes an autobiographical musical journey on the stage of harlem nightclub where she performed dazzling, raunchy, gender-bending numbers.