Black Girl Nerd: A Workshop Production (Fall 2024)
About BLACK GIRL NERD: A WORKSHOP PRODUCTION
A new play development process is a living organism brimming with opportunities for theater artists, theorists, craftspeople and academics alike. How does the nature of the collaboration change as the work changes? How do ideas formed at the table transform into scene work? How do frameworks such as intersectionality steer a theatrical process? For the Fall ‘24 Production Studio, students were invited to examine the broader context of Black theater production and performance in America as they engaged in a production process for Black Girl Nerd, a new play by Susan Blackburn finalist Tori Sampson and directed by course lead and Princess Grace Award winning Miranda Haymon. Through research, studio work, rehearsals and discussions, students workshopped a play in a course that takes absurdity, fun and collaboration as seriously as accessibility, wellbeing and care for our ensemble. Black Girl Nerd braids the aesthetics of stand-up comedy, auto-fiction, game shows, comic books, and more into a story of–as the play’s subtitle says–“One Nappy-Headed girl’s Superhero Journey to understanding her Blackness.”
Performance Dates & Times
Thursday, December 5 at 7:30pm
Friday, December 6 at 7:30pm
Farkas Rm. 303, 12 Holyoke Street, Cambridge
The performance runs approximately 90 minutes.
Written by Tori Sampson
Directed by Miranda Haymon
Performed by
Hannah Alexis '27
Dominic Carter
Victoria Marshall '27
Layo Oloritun ‘25
Nia Weeks '25
Featuring Contributions by Tiffany Agkpo ’25, Verda Annan ’25, Darcel Rockett, Jonah Sorscher ’25, and Haley Stark ‘25
Scenic Design by Luciana Stecconi
Costume Design by Trevor Bowen
Lighting Design by Kayla Bey ’25 and Olafade Omole ‘25
Sound Design by Carsen Joenk
Wigs, Hair & Makeup Design by Earon Nealey
Props Supervision by Jesse Cannon
Stage Management by Mara Sims ‘25
