Jocelyn Bioh

Jocelyn Bioh

JOCELYN BIOH (Playwright) is a Ghanaian-American writer/performer from New York City. NYC acting credits include In the Blood (Signature Theatre, Drama Desk Nomination) , Everybody (Signature Theatre, Lortel nomination); Men On Boats (Playwrights Horizons); An Octoroon (Soho Rep); Neighbors (The Public Theater); and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2015...
JOCELYN BIOH (Playwright) is a Ghanaian-American writer/performer from New York City. NYC acting credits include In the Blood (Signature Theatre, Drama Desk Nomination) , Everybody (Signature Theatre, Lortel nomination); Men On Boats (Playwrights Horizons); An Octoroon (Soho Rep); Neighbors (The Public Theater); and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2015. Her plays include 2015 Kilroys’ List selection Nollywood Dreams which was presented in 2017 as part of The Cherry Lane Mentor Project, School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play (MCC Theater, 2017/18, Lortel Award, OCC John Gassner Award, Hull-Warriner Award, Drama Desk Nomination, Drama League Nomination, Off Broadway Alliance Nomination, Kilroys’ List 2016), African Americans (Ruby Prize Finalist 2011), Goddess (book writer) and The Ladykiller’s Love Story of which she conceived the story and wrote the libretto with music/lyrics by Cee Lo Green. She is a commissioned playwright with Manhattan Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Second Stage Theater. She is a resident playwright at Lincoln Center and is a Tow Foundation Playwright-in-Residence with MCC Theater for 2017–18. BA in English and Theatre from Ohio State University and MFA in Playwriting.

Plays

  • GODDESS by Jocelyn Bioh
    Cast: 
    12–20
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: African, musical + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale, musical, romantic comedy
    Keyword: African, musical, mythology
    A young man returns home to the African coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya to marry his fiancée and step into his family’s political dynasty. But when he visits Moto Moto—a steamy afro jazz club and the stomping ground of his youth—he finds himself drawn to a mysterious new singer. Soon, he must decide whether to fulfill the legacy of his lineage or give in to his love of music and a newfound attraction. A new...
    A young man returns home to the African coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya to marry his fiancée and step into his family’s political dynasty. But when he visits Moto Moto—a steamy afro jazz club and the stomping ground of his youth—he finds himself drawn to a mysterious new singer. Soon, he must decide whether to fulfill the legacy of his lineage or give in to his love of music and a newfound attraction. A new musical inspired by the ancient myth of Marimba, the goddess of music.
  • School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: school, beauty pageant + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, musical, pageant, parody/spoof
    Keyword: school, beauty pageant, Colorism
    Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter--and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the...
    Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter--and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe. How far would you go to be queen bee?
  • Nollywood Dreams by Jocelyn Bioh
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: African, show business
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: African, show business
    It's the nineties and in Lagos, Nigeria, the "Nollywood" film industry is exploding. Looking to make the first Nollywood film with Western crossover appeal, Gbenga Ezie, Nigeria's hottest director, has decided to host an open casting call for the female lead of his new romantic drama/thriller "The Comfort Zone." Casting for the film draws on more emotions than expected in this...
    It's the nineties and in Lagos, Nigeria, the "Nollywood" film industry is exploding. Looking to make the first Nollywood film with Western crossover appeal, Gbenga Ezie, Nigeria's hottest director, has decided to host an open casting call for the female lead of his new romantic drama/thriller "The Comfort Zone." Casting for the film draws on more emotions than expected in this imagining of what the growing Nollywood film scene was like as it rose to become the phenomenon it is today.