Wannabe by James J. Johnson

WANNABE follows a young black dreamer from the age of six to eighteen, as he zealously navigates the distractions of growing up in a small, working-class town nestled in the mountains of Virginia. Jay wants to be a lot of things in life, but his aspirations can feel too big for such a small town. WANNABE is a hilarious exploration of how identities are carved from the people and the environment by which we are...
WANNABE follows a young black dreamer from the age of six to eighteen, as he zealously navigates the distractions of growing up in a small, working-class town nestled in the mountains of Virginia. Jay wants to be a lot of things in life, but his aspirations can feel too big for such a small town. WANNABE is a hilarious exploration of how identities are carved from the people and the environment by which we are surrounded, and how life can not only manifest whom we want to be but also whom we need to be.
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Wannabe

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ACTOR 1 - JAY - African-American Male
ACTOR 2 - QUINTON - African-American Male
ACTOR 3 - OOBIE/DAD - African-American Male
ACTOR 4 - CASSIE - African-American Female, brown-to-dark skinned
ACTOR 5 - GRANDMOTHER/SASHA/PUPPET 1 - African-American Female
ACTOR 6 - AARON- White Male, short
ACTOR 7 - MELODY/BARBARA MANDRELL/SALESPERSON - Jewish/White Female
ACTOR 8 - CHAD/PUPPET 2 - White Male, tall

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
JAY African-American male, marches to the beat of his own drum. Wide-eyed, naïve and sensitive.
QUINTON African-American male, Cool. Jay's earliest friend from childhood. Protective. Considers himself a lady’s man.
OOBIE African-American male, materialistic and worldly. Mispronounces words.
AARON White male. Follower. Tries too hard. Not self-conscious in regard to his racism.
CASSIE African-American female, brown-to-dark skin. Resilient. No-nonsense and yet vulnerable.
MELODY (MEL) Jewish female. Middle class. Genuine. An optimist. Comes from a liberal family.
CHAD White male. Older kid. Bully. Perhaps failed a grade. Brash and bristly.
GRANDMOTHER African-American adult female. Cassie's grandmother. Strict.
SASHA African-American female. Speaks and acts her heart. Down-to-earth. Confident.
DAD African-American adult male. Jay’s father. Loving and supportive.
BARBARA MANDRELL White adult female. Legendary country singer. Figment of Jay’s imagination.
SALESPERSON White adult.
PUPPETS 1 & 2

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Independent
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Anacostia Arts Center
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Independent
    ,
    2018