Danny

by Jennifer Barclay

Set in an African-American hair salon adjacent to Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project, Danny straddles two different eras within one room. The play begins in 2011; the last-standing Cabrini tower is on the brink of demolition, the neighborhood is being gentrified, and the salon is now defunct. Two sisters escape their mother's funeral to break into the place that used to be her sanctuary, desperate...

Set in an African-American hair salon adjacent to Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project, Danny straddles two different eras within one room. The play begins in 2011; the last-standing Cabrini tower is on the brink of demolition, the neighborhood is being gentrified, and the salon is now defunct. Two sisters escape their mother's funeral to break into the place that used to be her sanctuary, desperate to find an understanding of the complicated legacy she left behind, and seeking answers about their family's involvement in the murder of a young boy. In Act II, we go back 27 years to the heyday of both Cabrini and the salon, and witness the story from the perspective of the mother and her two closest friends. Both acts use the same three actresses to explore the legacy of this place, and we are asked to piece together our own understanding of what happened. A play about motherhood, reinvention, and the place we call home.

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Danny

Recommended by

  • Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Danny

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Jennifer Barclay and their play Danny as a finalist for our 2016 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one of 54 finalists out of more than 1,450 submissions, the strength of its writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process. Our readers really responded to the way this play explored questions of gentrification, community, and grief across generations.

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Jennifer Barclay and their play Danny as a finalist for our 2016 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one of 54 finalists out of more than 1,450 submissions, the strength of its writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process. Our readers really responded to the way this play explored questions of gentrification, community, and grief across generations.

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company, Year 2018
  • Type Reading, Organization Center Stage, Year 2016

Awards

  • BETC New Generations Award
    Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company
    Winner
    2018
  • O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
    O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
    Finalist
    2016
  • MacDowell Fellowship
    The MacDowell Colony
    2016