Keenya Jackson

Keenya J. Jackson is an award-winning Philadelphia playwright and author. Her passion is writing unique and authentic stories about the black community that need to be told.

Recent awards: The Return of the Shogun is a 2023 semi-finalist for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF). Botanicals or Giving It to God, is a 2022 Terrence McNally Award Finalist and was produced (virtual) by Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival and Detroit Public Theatre. Other most recent productions and readings: Celebrity Dream Date (Media Arts Council and Jouska PlayWorks/Simpatico Theatre) Sparkle Bob is a Funk Band (Project Transcend); Four Seasons (Footlighters Theatre); America’s Favorite Feminist (Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival); Going Up (Cape May Stage): Return of the Shogun...

Keenya J. Jackson is an award-winning Philadelphia playwright and author. Her passion is writing unique and authentic stories about the black community that need to be told.

Recent awards: The Return of the Shogun is a 2023 semi-finalist for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF). Botanicals or Giving It to God, is a 2022 Terrence McNally Award Finalist and was produced (virtual) by Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival and Detroit Public Theatre. Other most recent productions and readings: Celebrity Dream Date (Media Arts Council and Jouska PlayWorks/Simpatico Theatre) Sparkle Bob is a Funk Band (Project Transcend); Four Seasons (Footlighters Theatre); America’s Favorite Feminist (Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival); Going Up (Cape May Stage): Return of the Shogun (Media Arts Council).

She has a passion for Young Adult literature and has co-authored a young adult novel Much Ado About Something with Sarah Hyson.

Keenya is a member of The Foundry, A Playwrights Lab at PlayPenn in Philadelphia. She is a co-founder of Jouska PlayWorks at Simpatico Theatre, an assembly of Black playwrights who entertain, empower, and awaken the moral conscience. She is also a co-founder of the Media Arts Council New Play Reading Series, that creates community and supports local playwrights. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild. You can find Keenya’s plays on New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/5629/keenya-jackson

Scripts

Celebrity Dream Date

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

Meet Leva and Sky Parker, the creators of a fresh, new take on the dating scene. Inspired after reading their aunt’s journal about a steamy, love affair with an old Hollywood actor (which had to be made up, right?) Leva and Sky navigate between AI generated dates and real dates and learn that dating for single black females is not for the faint at heart. What does real love look like? And can black women...

Meet Leva and Sky Parker, the creators of a fresh, new take on the dating scene. Inspired after reading their aunt’s journal about a steamy, love affair with an old Hollywood actor (which had to be made up, right?) Leva and Sky navigate between AI generated dates and real dates and learn that dating for single black females is not for the faint at heart. What does real love look like? And can black women achieve it?

Celebrity Dream Date

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

Meet Leva and Sky Parker, the creators of a fresh, new take on the dating scene. Inspired after reading their aunt’s journal about a steamy, love affair with an old Hollywood actor (which had to be made up, right?) Leva and Sky navigate between AI generated dates and real dates and learn that dating for single black females is not for the faint at heart. What does real love look like? And can black women...

Meet Leva and Sky Parker, the creators of a fresh, new take on the dating scene. Inspired after reading their aunt’s journal about a steamy, love affair with an old Hollywood actor (which had to be made up, right?) Leva and Sky navigate between AI generated dates and real dates and learn that dating for single black females is not for the faint at heart. What does real love look like? And can black women achieve it?

Botanicals or Giving It to God

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

Joe Walker has been alone (preferably) for some time. His family and friends are the plants that he nurtures. His sense of community is skewed. When Joe calls the police about a disturbance, he is left to deal with the repercussions.

Joe Walker has been alone (preferably) for some time. His family and friends are the plants that he nurtures. His sense of community is skewed. When Joe calls the police about a disturbance, he is left to deal with the repercussions.

Unprecedented

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

Mary's able to work from home due to the current pandemic. She believes that she'll be able to be treated the same as her white co-workers. Her roommate, Toni, and her smart device, Rasheeda, help her realize that she still has a long way to go before there is racial equality in the work place.

Mary's able to work from home due to the current pandemic. She believes that she'll be able to be treated the same as her white co-workers. Her roommate, Toni, and her smart device, Rasheeda, help her realize that she still has a long way to go before there is racial equality in the work place.

America's Favorite Feminist

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

The year is 2036, and the nation is captivated by the final episode of the groundbreaking reality series, America’s Favorite Feminist.

After a season defined by strategy, only two contestants remain: Minnie and Elizabeth. Their journey to the top has been made possible by their powerful alliance, one that has carried them through every challenge and controversy. But now, with a seat in the U.S. House of...

The year is 2036, and the nation is captivated by the final episode of the groundbreaking reality series, America’s Favorite Feminist.

After a season defined by strategy, only two contestants remain: Minnie and Elizabeth. Their journey to the top has been made possible by their powerful alliance, one that has carried them through every challenge and controversy. But now, with a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on the line, their loyalty will be put to the ultimate test.

As the final challenge looms, the question is no longer just who has what it takes to lead– but whether friendship can survive when ambition takes center stage.

America’s Favorite Feminist isn’t just a competition. It’s a reflection of a new political era, where ideals, identity, and influence collide in front of a national audience.

Who will win the vote, and who will win the hearts of America?

Sparkle Bob is a Funk Band

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

The band Sparkle Bob is looking for a new guitarist. Things go awry when an old acquaintance tries to audition.

The band Sparkle Bob is looking for a new guitarist. Things go awry when an old acquaintance tries to audition.

The Return of the Shogun

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

Saleem, (13) and his mother Amina are working hard to navigate life after the death of Saleem’s step-father. Saleem’s biological father uses this as an opportunity to build a relationship with his only son. Saleem has to discover who he is, what it means to be a man and if he wants a relationship with a man who he assumed had abandoned him.

Saleem, (13) and his mother Amina are working hard to navigate life...

Saleem, (13) and his mother Amina are working hard to navigate life after the death of Saleem’s step-father. Saleem’s biological father uses this as an opportunity to build a relationship with his only son. Saleem has to discover who he is, what it means to be a man and if he wants a relationship with a man who he assumed had abandoned him.

Saleem, (13) and his mother Amina are working hard to navigate life after the death of Saleem’s step-father. Saleem’s biological father uses this as a chance to build a relationship with his only son. Saleem struggles to discover who he is and if he wants a relationship with a man who abandoned him.

Frankie and Johnny The Play

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

Frankie and Johnny are sweethearts.... that's how the story goes. But when Johnny starts to fall for a new girl school, Frankie doesn't know how to deal with this along with her other adversities. This tragic story reminds of how fragile young love can be. And how dangerous it can become in a society that has easy access to drugs and guns.

Frankie and Johnny are sweethearts.... that's how the story goes. But when Johnny starts to fall for a new girl school, Frankie doesn't know how to deal with this along with her other adversities. This tragic story reminds of how fragile young love can be. And how dangerous it can become in a society that has easy access to drugs and guns.

The Thoughtful Lunch

by Keenya Jackson

Synopsis

A woman obsesses over the lunch that her boyfriend makes her to take to work.

A woman obsesses over the lunch that her boyfriend makes her to take to work.