Reno, 1980. A black hitchhiker is hit by a white cowboy and waitress speeding down the freeway on a getaway. They become an unlikely trio as they bond through humor and observations, then realize that two of them are inextricably linked through long-buried secrets of their past. They are forced to return to everything they escaped and stand up against their deepest fears in a vicious stand-off. “Onaje” is set...
Reno, 1980. A black hitchhiker is hit by a white cowboy and waitress speeding down the freeway on a getaway. They become an unlikely trio as they bond through humor and observations, then realize that two of them are inextricably linked through long-buried secrets of their past. They are forced to return to everything they escaped and stand up against their deepest fears in a vicious stand-off. “Onaje” is set in two worlds, Maryland 1980, and the civil rights riots in the Eastern shore in 1967. “Onaje” is a riveting story about working class Americans, and the long journey from violent racism to the seed of a hopeful future.
Dan’s wife. Black, in her early 50s, she is dressed in work clothes that are informal, but clean and neat.
Can be played by:
Age:
40s, 50s
Race/Ethnicity:
Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
Gender:
Female
Richard Middleman Sr.
50s,
White
,
Male
A white man in his mid 50s. An alcoholic Chesapeake Bay waterman dressed in
working clothes and work boots.
Can be played by:
Age:
50s, 60s
Race/Ethnicity:
White
Gender:
Male
Richard Middleman Jr.
early 30s,
White
,
Male
A white man in his early 30s who is overdressed in completely new cowboy clothes.
Can be played by:
Age:
20s, 30s
Race/Ethnicity:
White
Gender:
Male
Onaje (William) Claggett
30s,
Black
,
Male
A black man in his mid-30s, who is
lonely from his long exile on the road. He is dressed in an
old bomber jacket, work pants and work boots, all extremely
dusty and worn. He carries a duffle bag and sextant for
navigation.
Can be played by:
Age:
30s
Race/Ethnicity:
Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
Gender:
Male
Henderson
early 50s,
White
,
Male
A white ex-policeman in his early 50s, who is dressed in a work shirt and work pants but wears a policeman’s hat.
Can be played by:
Age:
50s, 60s
Race/Ethnicity:
White
Gender:
Male
Dan Claggett
50s,
Black
,
Male
A black man in his mid 50s. A solid Chesapeake
Bay waterman and factory worker dressed in work clothes and work boots. He is the patriarch of his family.
Can be played by:
Age:
40s, 50s, 60s
Race/Ethnicity:
Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
Gender:
Male
Belle
late 20s,
White
,
Female
A white woman in her late 20s who is sassy, streetsavvy, and attractive. She is dressed as a Reno truck stop
waitress.
Can be played by:
Age:
20s, 30s
Race/Ethnicity:
White
Gender:
Female
Andrew
teens-20s,
White
,
Male
A white boy in his late teens or early 20s, he is an affable, naïve, hitchhiker in a faded madras shirt, khaki pants and work boots. He is a civil rights worker of the 60s vintage.
Can be played by:
Age:
Teens, 20s
Race/Ethnicity:
White
Gender:
Male
Development History
Reading
,
National Opera Center
,
2019
Reading
,
Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills
,
2018
Reading
,
African-American Shakespeare Company, San Francisco