New York City's Irish Repertory Theatre and Dublin, Ireland's Fishamble: The New Play Company have joined together to create the Transatlantic Commissions Program, a year-long program aiming to address the historic marginalization of artists of color in the Irish canon. Together, Fishamble and Irish Rep have commissioned four Black Irish artists and writers for the inaugural group: CN Smith, Felicia Olusanya (also known as Felispeaks), Jade Jordan and Kwaku Fortune.
The inaugural cohort is comprised of Felispeaks, Kwaku Fortune, Jade Jordan and CN Smith. These writers spent a year under the mentorship of the Obie Award-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith (Yellowman, Until the Flood). Orlandersmith adds, "I am thrilled to be a part of the Diaspora of new work and new voices. It's a privilege."
Playwright notes on Transatlantic Commissions Programme plays
89 by Jade Jordan
89 is set in Dublin, a woman "Christine Buckley" relives her story as she tells it aloud for the first time. We hear of industrial abuse, abandonment, seeking, incorrect information... while abuse was at the core of it all inflicted by evil. This play is honest, not easy to digest but has to be heard.
I always felt stories like Christine's should be told... as hard as the stories are to hear. I just remember as a child the movement that happened in Ireland when Christine spoke out. She was part of a massive shift in this country and saved a lot of people's lives. Christine gave permission to the people and that I believe is an outstanding achievement.
BENT! by Felispeaks
BENT! Is a Black Irish story of a young woman, Shayo, and her attempt to find and understand her purpose by achieving balance within herself. Shayo's life has been influenced by well meaning masculine energies; such as her father. Shayo's journey to finding balance is dotted with inspiration from Yoruba mythology and the universal elements of Air, Fire and Water. Through the integration of these elements, she has now decided she must take control of her own life and find her purpose.
The Black Wolfe Tone by Kwaku Fortune
My play is about muddled identity. A son who let down a father and how trauma can be passed down generation to generation. It's about the mind, and how young men deal, or don't deal, with the darkness. It's about a culture of silence and raging against the machine. At its heart, it's about a young boy seeking forgiveness, the inner child wanting only to be loved.
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The inaugural cohort is comprised of Felispeaks, Kwaku Fortune, Jade Jordan and CN Smith. These writers spent a year under the mentorship of the Obie Award-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith (Yellowman, Until the Flood). Orlandersmith adds, "I am thrilled to be a part of the Diaspora of new work and new voices. It's a privilege."
Playwright notes on Transatlantic Commissions Programme plays
89 by Jade Jordan
89 is set in Dublin, a woman "Christine Buckley" relives her story as she tells it aloud for the first time. We hear of industrial abuse, abandonment, seeking, incorrect information... while abuse was at the core of it all inflicted by evil. This play is honest, not easy to digest but has to be heard.
I always felt stories like Christine's should be told... as hard as the stories are to hear. I just remember as a child the movement that happened in Ireland when Christine spoke out. She was part of a massive shift in this country and saved a lot of people's lives. Christine gave permission to the people and that I believe is an outstanding achievement.
BENT! by Felispeaks
BENT! Is a Black Irish story of a young woman, Shayo, and her attempt to find and understand her purpose by achieving balance within herself. Shayo's life has been influenced by well meaning masculine energies; such as her father. Shayo's journey to finding balance is dotted with inspiration from Yoruba mythology and the universal elements of Air, Fire and Water. Through the integration of these elements, she has now decided she must take control of her own life and find her purpose.
The Black Wolfe Tone by Kwaku Fortune
My play is about muddled identity. A son who let down a father and how trauma can be passed down generation to generation. It's about the mind, and how young men deal, or don't deal, with the darkness. It's about a culture of silence and raging against the machine. At its heart, it's about a young boy seeking forgiveness, the inner child wanting only to be loved.
New York City's Irish Repertory Theatre and Dublin, Ireland's Fishamble: The New Play Company have joined together to create the Transatlantic Commissions Program, a year-long program aiming to address the historic marginalization of artists of color in the Irish canon. Together, Fishamble and Irish Rep have commissioned four Black Irish artists and writers for the inaugural group: CN Smith, Felicia Olusanya (also known as Felispeaks), Jade Jordan and Kwaku Fortune.
The inaugural cohort is comprised of Felispeaks, Kwaku Fortune, Jade Jordan and CN Smith. These writers spent a year under the mentorship of the Obie Award-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith (Yellowman, Until the Flood). Orlandersmith adds, "I am thrilled to be a part of the Diaspora of new work and new voices. It's a privilege."
Playwright notes on Transatlantic Commissions Programme plays
89 by Jade Jordan
89 is set in Dublin, a woman "Christine Buckley" relives her story as she tells it aloud for the first time. We hear of industrial abuse, abandonment, seeking, incorrect information... while abuse was at the core of it all inflicted by evil. This play is honest, not easy to digest but has to be heard.
I always felt stories like Christine's should be told... as hard as the stories are to hear. I just remember as a child the movement that happened in Ireland when Christine spoke out. She was part of a massive shift in this country and saved a lot of people's lives. Christine gave permission to the people and that I believe is an outstanding achievement.
BENT! by Felispeaks
BENT! Is a Black Irish story of a young woman, Shayo, and her attempt to find and understand her purpose by achieving balance within herself. Shayo's life has been influenced by well meaning masculine energies; such as her father. Shayo's journey to finding balance is dotted with inspiration from Yoruba mythology and the universal elements of Air, Fire and Water. Through the integration of these elements, she has now decided she must take control of her own life and find her purpose.
The Black Wolfe Tone by Kwaku Fortune
My play is about muddled identity. A son who let down a father and how trauma can be passed down generation to generation. It's about the mind, and how young men deal, or don't deal, with the darkness. It's about a culture of silence and raging against the machine. At its heart, it's about a young boy seeking forgiveness, the inner child wanting only to be loved.
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The inaugural cohort is comprised of Felispeaks, Kwaku Fortune, Jade Jordan and CN Smith. These writers spent a year under the mentorship of the Obie Award-winning playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith (Yellowman, Until the Flood). Orlandersmith adds, "I am thrilled to be a part of the Diaspora of new work and new voices. It's a privilege."
Playwright notes on Transatlantic Commissions Programme plays
89 by Jade Jordan
89 is set in Dublin, a woman "Christine Buckley" relives her story as she tells it aloud for the first time. We hear of industrial abuse, abandonment, seeking, incorrect information... while abuse was at the core of it all inflicted by evil. This play is honest, not easy to digest but has to be heard.
I always felt stories like Christine's should be told... as hard as the stories are to hear. I just remember as a child the movement that happened in Ireland when Christine spoke out. She was part of a massive shift in this country and saved a lot of people's lives. Christine gave permission to the people and that I believe is an outstanding achievement.
BENT! by Felispeaks
BENT! Is a Black Irish story of a young woman, Shayo, and her attempt to find and understand her purpose by achieving balance within herself. Shayo's life has been influenced by well meaning masculine energies; such as her father. Shayo's journey to finding balance is dotted with inspiration from Yoruba mythology and the universal elements of Air, Fire and Water. Through the integration of these elements, she has now decided she must take control of her own life and find her purpose.
The Black Wolfe Tone by Kwaku Fortune
My play is about muddled identity. A son who let down a father and how trauma can be passed down generation to generation. It's about the mind, and how young men deal, or don't deal, with the darkness. It's about a culture of silence and raging against the machine. At its heart, it's about a young boy seeking forgiveness, the inner child wanting only to be loved.
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