Gloria Majule

Gloria Majule is a storyteller from Dodoma, Tanzania. She seeks to tell stories that bring multiple black voices together from across the world, and are accessible to black audiences no matter where they are. She writes for and about Africans and the African diaspora.
Gloria has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell and Artist Trust; commissions from Audible, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, and Princeton University/The Civilians; and residencies at Yaddo, Art Omi, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The New Harmony Project, and New York Stage and Film.
A three-time O'Neill Finalist and six-time Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nominee, Gloria's work includes UHURU (Upcoming World Premiere at the Alley Theatre), MALA ARIA (Upcoming New Play Production at...

Gloria Majule is a storyteller from Dodoma, Tanzania. She seeks to tell stories that bring multiple black voices together from across the world, and are accessible to black audiences no matter where they are. She writes for and about Africans and the African diaspora.
Gloria has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell and Artist Trust; commissions from Audible, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, and Princeton University/The Civilians; and residencies at Yaddo, Art Omi, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The New Harmony Project, and New York Stage and Film.
A three-time O'Neill Finalist and six-time Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nominee, Gloria's work includes UHURU (Upcoming World Premiere at the Alley Theatre), MALA ARIA (Upcoming New Play Production at Premiere Stages), MY FATHER WAS SHOT IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD (Relentless Award Finalist), CULTURE SHOCK (Leah Ryan Prize Winner), and FIFTEEN HUNDRED (Blue Ink Award Finalist).
Her work has been developed at New York Theatre Workshop, Union Arts Center, The American Playwriting Foundation, Abingdon Theatre Company, The Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration, Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater, American Blues Theater, The New Group, The Alliance Theatre, and Great Plains Theatre Commons, among others.
Gloria graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University with a BA in Performing & Media Arts and Spanish, and was the first African woman to receive an MFA in Playwriting from Yale School of Drama.

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Scripts

(American Theater)

by Gloria Majule

1
Cast Size
2
Genre
comedy,
farce

FIVE MINUTE PLAY
A writer and a producer meet to discuss plays.

FIVE MINUTE PLAY
A writer and a producer meet to discuss plays.

African Moms' Book Club

by Gloria Majule

Cast Size
5
Genre
dark comedy

Commissioned by Milwaukee Repertory Theater:
Four ultra-wealthy Tanzanian women gather every month for their book club to read the Bible and gossip.  When one of them invites someone new – a young widow who has just moved home after living abroad – tensions rise and cracks begin to form in the women’s perfectly manicured lives and fiercely held beliefs. 

Commissioned by Milwaukee Repertory Theater:
Four ultra-wealthy Tanzanian women gather every month for their book club to read the Bible and gossip.  When one of them invites someone new – a young widow who has just moved home after living abroad – tensions rise and cracks begin to form in the women’s perfectly manicured lives and fiercely held beliefs. 

Afropick

by Gloria Majule

4
Cast Size
5
Genre
dark comedy,
drama

Commissioned by Atlantic Theater Company:
Pendo can’t stay in America. At least, not without an enormous amount of money that she does not have. The faster time runs out on her visa, the more desperate she gets, and the more she is forced to confront the horrors and opportunities of migration in this transatlantic dramedy.

Commissioned by Atlantic Theater Company:
Pendo can’t stay in America. At least, not without an enormous amount of money that she does not have. The faster time runs out on her visa, the more desperate she gets, and the more she is forced to confront the horrors and opportunities of migration in this transatlantic dramedy.

Blessings

by Gloria Majule

Cast Size
4
Genre
dark comedy

ONE ACT PLAY
Commissioned by Yale Summer Cabaret:
Three black women from distinct walks of life try to move forward in the wake of an untimely death.

ONE ACT PLAY
Commissioned by Yale Summer Cabaret:
Three black women from distinct walks of life try to move forward in the wake of an untimely death.

Culture Shock

by Gloria Majule

Cast Size
7
Genre
dark comedy,
drama

Two brilliant East African students start school in an Ivy League Institution and are placed in an all-black dorm. They experience new levels of (dis)orientation in a whirl of competitive placements and cultural clashes.

Two brilliant East African students start school in an Ivy League Institution and are placed in an all-black dorm. They experience new levels of (dis)orientation in a whirl of competitive placements and cultural clashes.

Fifteen Hundred

by Gloria Majule

1
Cast Size
7
Genre
comedy,
drama,
movement/physical

Nantei, Vivi and Rachel are equally fast when it comes to running the fifteen hundred, but there is only one spot available on the Kenyan Olympics Team. Faced with high expectations from their relentless mothers and their unforgiving coach, they will each stop at nothing to get the chance to win a gold medal for their country.

Nantei, Vivi and Rachel are equally fast when it comes to running the fifteen hundred, but there is only one spot available on the Kenyan Olympics Team. Faced with high expectations from their relentless mothers and their unforgiving coach, they will each stop at nothing to get the chance to win a gold medal for their country.

Life Sentence

by Gloria Majule

Cast Size
5
Genre
comedy,
drama

Baba Grace faces a lawsuit where he must pay a large sum of money or go to jail. He plans to marry off Grace to a wealthy lawyer in exchange for a hefty bride price that will save him and his reputation. However, Grace has secrets of her own that could completely jeopardize his plans.

Baba Grace faces a lawsuit where he must pay a large sum of money or go to jail. He plans to marry off Grace to a wealthy lawyer in exchange for a hefty bride price that will save him and his reputation. However, Grace has secrets of her own that could completely jeopardize his plans.

Mala Aria

by Gloria Majule

1
Cast Size
4
Genre
dark comedy,
movement/physical

Hoping to discover a way to eradicate malaria, Amazia leaves her family in Tanzania to pursue a PhD abroad. Experiences with love and loss force her to decide between staying in the West and going back home to honor a promise.

Hoping to discover a way to eradicate malaria, Amazia leaves her family in Tanzania to pursue a PhD abroad. Experiences with love and loss force her to decide between staying in the West and going back home to honor a promise.

My Father Was Shot in the Back of the Head

by Gloria Majule

5
Cast Size
8—20
Genre
dark comedy,
drama,
movement/physical

In this dark comedy, a Tanzanian girl collides with her family's expectations and societal pressures as she trailblazes into elite spaces. Underscored by traditional puppetry, My Father Was Shot in the Back of the Head uses conventions of African Storytelling Theater to tell a coming-of-age story that traverses continents and cultures, legacies and languages.

In this dark comedy, a Tanzanian girl collides with her family's expectations and societal pressures as she trailblazes into elite spaces. Underscored by traditional puppetry, My Father Was Shot in the Back of the Head uses conventions of African Storytelling Theater to tell a coming-of-age story that traverses continents and cultures, legacies and languages.

Possessed (or, "The Crazy African Girl" Play)

by Gloria Majule

Cast Size
3
Genre
adventure,
comedy,
drama

When Furaha returns home to Tanzania on medical leave from grad school in the US, she’s thrilled to be reunited with her big brother Angaza. Unfortunately for her, Angaza believes that her chronic depression is, in fact, a demon possession. But it’s okay! Angaza has a plan—one that has them undertaking the road trip of a lifetime from Dar Es Salaam to Singida.

When Furaha returns home to Tanzania on medical leave from grad school in the US, she’s thrilled to be reunited with her big brother Angaza. Unfortunately for her, Angaza believes that her chronic depression is, in fact, a demon possession. But it’s okay! Angaza has a plan—one that has them undertaking the road trip of a lifetime from Dar Es Salaam to Singida.

Pretty Privilege

by Gloria Majule

1
Cast Size
2
Genre
drama

TEN MINUTE PLAY
Coffee and Caramel meet after a big audition. Their conversation unpacks the complexities of beauty standards and how they shape their experiences.

TEN MINUTE PLAY
Coffee and Caramel meet after a big audition. Their conversation unpacks the complexities of beauty standards and how they shape their experiences.

Savage Training

by Gloria Majule

1
Cast Size
7
Genre
adventure,
dark comedy,
science fiction

Commissioned by Audible:
Four rebellious teenagers from across the African continent are invited to a leadership program in the Serengeti that promises to shape them into outstanding global citizens. As they uncover the sinister truths lurking behind the program's facade, what begins as a bizarre training quickly spirals into a fight for survival.

Commissioned by Audible:
Four rebellious teenagers from across the African continent are invited to a leadership program in the Serengeti that promises to shape them into outstanding global citizens. As they uncover the sinister truths lurking behind the program's facade, what begins as a bizarre training quickly spirals into a fight for survival.

Uhuru

by Gloria Majule

2
Cast Size
4
Genre
adventure,
comedy,
drama

Mshale, a Mount Kilimanjaro tour guide, leads an expedition to Uhuru peak, joined by Sprite, who sets out to decolonize his mountain, and Henry and Frannie, missionaries who call Tanzania home. Uhuru is a dramedy that follows this unlikely foursome as they journey together to the roof of Africa.

Mshale, a Mount Kilimanjaro tour guide, leads an expedition to Uhuru peak, joined by Sprite, who sets out to decolonize his mountain, and Henry and Frannie, missionaries who call Tanzania home. Uhuru is a dramedy that follows this unlikely foursome as they journey together to the roof of Africa.

Uncut

by Gloria Majule

1
Cast Size
5
Genre
dark comedy

ONE ACT PLAY
In the fictional village of Kabus in Northern Tanzania, only the men enjoy sex. Tumaini and Chilyawanhu are "happily married": Tumaini daily fulfills her wifely duties, and Chilyawanhu is running for chief-hood. An unexpected change in the family threatens to destroy their fragile illusion of happily ever after.

ONE ACT PLAY
In the fictional village of Kabus in Northern Tanzania, only the men enjoy sex. Tumaini and Chilyawanhu are "happily married": Tumaini daily fulfills her wifely duties, and Chilyawanhu is running for chief-hood. An unexpected change in the family threatens to destroy their fragile illusion of happily ever after.