The Black Lavender Experience: Theatre and Conversation Sparked by Queer Artists of Color

The Department of Africana Studies/Rites and Reason Theatre presents The Black Lavender Experience, our annual celebration of theatre and conversations sparked by queer artists of color. This year’s program features Uncover and Discover Self, a constellation of new short plays created and performed by students in AFRI 0990 – Black Lavender: Black Gay/Lesbian Plays/Dramatic Constructions in the American Theatre, instructed by Stacey Karen Robinson.Uncover and Discover Self includes installation design by renowned costume designer Qween Jean, in conversation with students, multidisciplinary theatre artist Stacey Karen Robinson and Guest Director-in-Residence, Shariffa Ali. We invite the campus community and beyond to hear these new plays and participate in rituals that honor our self discovery journey. A conversation with the artists will follow the performance. The Experience is free to attend. Suitable for audiences 13+ with an accompanying adult. Please RSVP to secure a seat. More about our special guests:Qween Jean is a New York costume designer and human rights activist who has fully committed her voice to the advocacy of marginalized communities. She has designed costumes for Liberation, Swamp Dwellers, Wedding Band, Jordans, Macbeth In Stride, Walden, Amen Corner, Seagull, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball at PAC NYC. Qween founded Black Trans Liberation, organization that provides weekly access, food, groceries and housing resources for the TGNC community. Jean is the author of Revolution is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation (Aperture). In 2023, she joined the Board for TCG. 2024 Audelco Award, Obie Award for Excellence in Costume Design; finalist for NYC David Prize. MFA from NYU Tisch. Learn more at blacktransliberation.com (https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/blacktransliberation.com__;!!FBl7RhjNdtJEi0k!oEdxQj811IjvXBiM1IqfUYKsnjA0TErMvCDpu3450L392momQGmMIYMaQ6FY73s4eBHitGdIi7nl_zsC1YsA$)Stacey Karen Robinson Stacey Karen Robinson (she/they) is a queer multidisciplinary theater artist. Stacey creates experimental solo work about the emotional & Spirit lives of Black folx. She received a commission from True Love Productions, was a Resident Artist at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club (59th Season) and was a Bushwick Starr Reading Series playwright (2020-2021). She was awarded an Art Matters Grant (2019). Stacey performed her solo work, You Never Can Always Sometimes Tell, at JACK (NYC) and Salvage Vanguard Theater (TX). A previous monodrama, Quiet Frenzy, is published in solo / black / woman, Northwestern University Press (2014). As an actor, Stacey has appeared on numerous stages and collaborated with notable theater makers including Black Lavender Experience luminaries Sharon Bridgforth and Daniel Alexander Jones. Stacey received a BA in Africana Studies from Brown University and was fortunate to be a student of Black Lavender Experience Founder, Associate Professor Emeritus Elmo Terry-Morgan.Shariffa Ali Shariffa Ali is an international creative leader committed to advancing radical change through the power of art & activism. She works across disciplines directing and producing plays, virtual reality experiences & film. Originally from Kenya and raised in South Africa, Shariffa has been a New York resident since 2013 where she has worked primarily as a director and administrator. Her artistic endeavors have extended beyond conventional boundaries, encompassing pioneering Afrofuturist virtual reality projects showcased at esteemed venues including the Sundance Institute Lab and the Royal National Theater. Her directorial achievements encompass acclaimed productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Off-Broadway premieres at Classic Stage Company. Read more here (https://africana.brown.edu/about-shariffa-ali).