The lineup for the 13th annual The Fire This Time Festival, inspired by James Baldwin and his novel The Fire This Time, has been revealed. Zhailon Levingston (Chicken & Biscuits) will direct six world premiere short plays written by Agyeiwaa Asante, Rachel Herron, Fedna Jacquet, Marcus Scott, Phillip Christian Smith, and Lisa Rosetta Strum.
Presented by Frigid New York at The Kraine Theatre, The Fire This Time will run January 17–February 6, 2022, with performances also available to live stream. The festival was founded in 2009 by Kelley Girod to provide a platform for playwrights of African and African-American descent to write and produce evocative material for diverse audiences.
READ: Get to Know the Obie-Winning The Fire This Time Festival
Check out the lineup below. Casting and more information will be announced at a later date.
Wildest Dreams by Agyeiwaa Asante
For over 187 years Maybelle and Jimmy Dale have haunted the Mason plantation, a now popular tourist attraction and event venue. Tired of their time on this plane, they wonder what it'll take to get them to the other side.
Red Red Wine by Rachel Herron
Somm was well on her way to becoming the first Black female Master Sommelier in the world, but she gave it all up to produce her own wine label. Now she's enlisted the help of her mentee, Mel, to help grow the brand; the only question is whether Mel will still be on board once she learns the secret ingredient in their bestselling red.
Gurlfriend (Black is Black) by Fedna Jacquet
Two black girls drinking wine and living their best lives. #BlackGurlMagic #UnapologeticAF. We get to see them—jokes and bruises on display. By leaving the world outside, these best friends are able to bond in a fresh and delightful way...until the ever-shrinking classification of blackness threatens to exclude one of them.
Wookiees in The Wilderness by Marcus Scott
Bishop and Smokey are best pals. Smokey will do anything for Bishop, who is in the midst of recovering from a recent trauma. Bishop will do anything for Smokey including going out to the mountainside wilderness of the Lake of the Ozarks to prepare him for his upcoming Wilderness Survival test for the Eagle Scouts. But as the sundown begins and night falls upon them, the boys are reminded to truly be prepared for anything.
Mount Sinai by Phillip Christian Smith
Gladys and Minerva, casual chemo friends, discuss life, the south, children, and the handsome cancer patient in Room A.
By the way... by Lisa Rosetta Strum
Two best friends have been quarantined for the past month. When one of the friends reveals their true feelings for the other, perceptions, prejudices and fears get exposed and a friendship could be changed forever.
