A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
The New Black Fest’s HANDS UP: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments
Collection / Anthology, Drama / 1w, 6m
“[A] stirring and often raw compilation." – Broad Street Review
-
Cast Size
1w, 6m -
Duration
105 Minutes -
Subgenre
Not Applicable -
Target Audience
Adult
Details
Summary
In light of the police shootings of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and John Crawford III in Beavercreek, Ohio, among others, The New Black Fest commissioned seven emerging black playwrights to write 10-15 minute monologues that explore their feelings about the well-being of black in a culture of institutional profiling.
The collection includes:
Superiorty Fantasy by Nathan JamesHoles in My Identity by Nathan Yungerberg
They Shootin! Or I Ain’t Neva Scared… by Idris Goodwin
Dead of Night… The Execution of… by Nambi E. Kelley
Abortion by Nsangou Njikam
Walking Next to Michael Brown by Eric Micha Holmes
How I Feel by Dennis A. Allen II
History
Hands Up received its world premiere at Flashpoint Theatre Company at the University of the Arts on June 13, 2015, directed by Joanna Settle.
Cast Attributes
- Time Period Present Day, New Millennium/21st Century
- Duration 105 Minutes
- Cautions
- Intense Adult Themes
- Strong Language
- Mild Adult Themes
Media
REVIEWS
“[A] stirring and often raw compilation. – Broad Street Review, Read More
“These short monologues chronicle each author's encounters with the daily indecencies of racial profiling, stop-and-frisk, harassment, and casual racism inflicted by police, media, and society in general…each author delivers a brutally honest telling of their own experience.” – Philly.com, Read More
“Hands Up: 7 Playwrights; 7 Testaments makes the idea of "conversation" more than a hopeful shibboleth. With community involvement baked in, it responds directly to the world.” – Indy Week, Read More
Videos
Hands Up at the National Black Theatre
Licensing & Materials
- See individual titles for licensing fee.
Authors
Idris Goodwin
Nambi E. Kelley
Nambi E. Kelley has penned plays for Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre and Court Theatre/American Blues Theater in Chicago, Lincoln Center in New York, and internationally with LATT Children’s Theatre/Unibooks Publishing Company (South Korea), Teatri Sbagliati (Italy) and ...
Nathan James
Nathan James is a proud native of Pittsburgh, where he began his acting career with Kuntu Repertory Theater. He received a BA in Africana Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and his MFA from Penn State University. His is one-man play, Growing Pains, has been produced ...
Nathan Yungerberg
Eric Micha Holmes
Nsangou Njikam
Dennis A. Allen II
Dennis A. Allen II was born and raised in Hempstead, New York. He takes his mantra from Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist: “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation.” After receiving his BA in Communications, Dennis tried his hand at acting, thinking it would be ...