←Recommendations of Being Black Outside

The reading of "Being Black Outside" as part of Great Plains Theatre Conference was my introduction to Vinecia's work and I'm so grateful to know this play and playwright! I lived for the moments between the sisters - the musicality of Vinecia's dialogue is a fucking treat for actors and audiences alike!

An incredibly theatrical and brilliantly bold piece that directly confronts what so much other American art refuses to acknowledge. Vinecia masterfully balances tonality - allowing her play to alternate between horror, comedy, and tragedy without ever feeling confused. My favorite kind of work - where a big belly laugh and a gut-wrenching sadness can be present in the same scene - in the same line. And despite the play's pointed absurdism - the characters at the center feel like real, complex people. Vinecia's voice is unlike anything else I've seen in American theater - a genuinely idiosyncratic work.

This apocalyptic, absurdist comedy is a true delight! The snappy, hilarious, realistic arguments between Vee and Niecy are often interrupted by the bizarre. You never know where this play will lead with its delightful (and sometimes horrifying) twists and turns. Woven throughout is hard-hitting commentary of the challenges of religion, mental health, and racism in the black American diaspora. Incredible, dynamic scenes for scene study/acting classes as well as enthralling design opportunities with this play!

I had the pleasure of watching a Zoom reading of this play at the GPTC New Plays Conference, and it had the audience ROARING with laughter. It also tackles a ton of important issues and provides a tour-de-force acting opportunity for the two Black women at its center. This is a fun, elevated, take on horror and apocalyptic movies that asks what we're doing right now to make the real world better. It's a fun and thoughtful ride.