S2 E11: A Spike Lee Joint

Join me for this special bonus episode as I speak with playwright, Aleshea Harris. Harris' new play, On Sugarland, is in performances at the New York Theatre Workshop until March 13th, 2022. I had the pleasure of speaking with Harris about her career as a playwright and how her passion for telling stories about black people shines through all of her work. Aleshea Harris' play Is God Is (directed by Taibi Magar at Soho Rep.) won the 2016 Relentless Award, an Obie Award for playwriting in 2017, the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award in 2019, was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and made The Kilroys’ List of “the most recommended un and underproduced plays by trans and female authors of color” for 2017. What to Send Up When It Goes Down (directed by Whitney White, produced by The Movement Theatre Company), a play-pageant-ritual response to anti-Blackness, had its critically-acclaimed NYC premiere in 2018, was featured in the April 2019 issue of American Theatre Magazine and was nominated for a Drama Desk award. Harris was awarded a Samuel French Next Step Award in 2019, the Windham-Campbell Literary Prize and the Steinberg Playwriting Award in 2020 and the Hermitage Greenfield Prize in 2021. She has performed her own work at the St. Mary’s College, Edinburgh and Orlando Fringe Festivals, REDCAT and as part of La Fête du Livre at La Comèdie de Saint-Étienne. She is a two-time MacDowell fellow and has enjoyed residencies at Hedgebrook and Djerassi. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this special bonus episode, join me as I speak with the playwright of Chicken & Biscuits on Broadway, Douglas Lyons. Douglas Lyons is an award-winning actor, director, composer-lyricist and teacher. TV writing: "Fraggle Rock" (Apple TV). Theatre: the Off-Broadway Alliance-winning Polkadots (Atlantic Theater Company), Beau (Adirondack Theatre Festival), and Five Points (Theater Latte Da), now in development with Hamilton's Andy Blankenbuehler. Broadway acting: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (original cast), The Book of Mormon. Tours: Rent, Dreamgirls, and The Book of Mormon first national. DouglasLyons.net @Chocolatehipster Music: www.purple-planet.com

In the season finale episode, join me as I interview the playwright of the hit Broadway play, Pass Over, Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu. Throughout the interview, we talk about the birth of Pass Over, her personal journey with the play, and her small act of self-care which resulted in a new beginning to Broadway. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com/

In this special interview episode, join me as I speak with the original Candyman, Tony Todd. Throughout the episode, we talk about his early love for the arts in high school, his theatrical background, the world of horror, and of course, the evolution of Candyman. Music: www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, join me as I take a look at the career of director, actor, writer, and producer, Spike Lee. Throughout the episode, I'll be talking about Lee’s early background, his road to directing, the success of his major blockbuster films, and the incredible impact he has had in the portrayal of black Americans in the cinema. Music: www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, join me I as take a look at the prolific playwright, Lynn Nottage. Throughout the episode, I'll be talking about her early background, each of her transformative plays, and the work that has led her to becoming a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright.  Special thanks to Iykechi McCoy for co-writing this episode and all of the guest voices featured: Mikayla Johnson, Brittany Onukwugha, Megan Lomax, and Jabari Williams. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, join me as I take a look at the life and groundbreaking career of the late and great, Cicely Tyson. Throughout the episode, I’ll be talking about Tyson's early stardom in acting, the roads she paved for black actors, her beauty and grace in the industry through strong portrayals of black women, and the wisdom she has left on this Earth and in the hearts of many in her 96 years of living. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this special episode, join me as I interview Tony-nominated choreography, Camille A. Brown. Known for Once On This Island, Choir Boy, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Camille is one of the most unstoppable choreographers in the industry. After discovering her episode in Season One Episode 10, Camille was thrilled to come on the show herself to talk about her amazing career. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, join me as I take a look at one of the most recognizable voices in the industry, Morgan Freeman. Throughout the episode, I’ll be talking about Freeman’s upbringing and road to acting, his award-winning roles in the motion picture industry, and where he stands today as a black actor in his 80s. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com

In this episode, join me as I take a look at the life of jazz pianist and American music icon, Nat King Cole. Music: https://www.purple-planet.com