the work of
farah lawal harris
plays
“Kimmy”
A Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) Radio Play
by farah lawal harris
Commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
(Directed by Paige Hernandez)
Remounted by the University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance
(Directed by Yunina Barbour-Payne)
SYNOPSIS: 12-year-old Kemi and her parents, immigrants from Nigeria, moved from Washington, D.C. to a smaller town in Maryland halfway through the school year. On her first day at her new school, her teacher mispronounces her name as “Kimmy,” and in an effort to fit in, Kemi lets it slide. Kemi’s passion and talent for rapping help her make a few new friends, but personal problems and the COVID-19 pandemic that get in the way of Kemi’s new life in a new place as she struggles to negotiate her relationship with her parents, her new friends, and herself.
Play teaser from the University of Texas at Austin
silence is violence: mothering while black
A choreopoem
by farah lawal harris
Produced by Young Playwrights’ Theater in 2018 at Anacostia Playhouse
(Directed by Farah Lawal Harris)
Remounted in 2019 at Anacostia Arts Center
(Directed by Farah Lawal Harris)
SYNOPSIS: Examines Black motherhood, identity, and coming of age through a choreopoem devised from the poetry and monologues of the residents of Olaiya's Cradle, a Sasha Bruce Youthwork independent living program for displaced young mothers ages 18-21 and their children.
america’s wives
A one-act Play
by farah lawal harris
Commissioned by the Capital Fringe Festival
(Directed by Jared Shamberger)
SYNOPSIS: One Older Wife. One Younger Wife. One Bald Eagle. And Absent America. Inspired by a Nigerian Folktale, this poetic script explores identity, love, and greed in today’s world. Delve into what it means to be faithful and moral to yourself and to others, in a time of tremendous change.
black girl, black pearl
A one-act Play
by farah lawal harris
Workshop Reading at the 16th Annual Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival
(Produced by FRESHH, Inc.; Directed by Angelisa Gillyard)
SYNOPSIS: In this poetic, heart-wrenching, empowering drama, drawing on ancient Greek drama traditions, 25-year-old Danah was raped on her birthday. Seeking freedom and healing, she engages in a pattern of public nudity as The Playground Girls, a “Greek Chorus” of narrators, along with revolving supporting characters lead us through Danah’s journey to empowerment.
Presented at the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival (Directed by Leslie Felbain)
SYNOPSIS: “I love you” or “I lust you”? What's the difference? A young, black woman tries to find out. Experience the beauty and horror of love and dating in this one-woman show that features spoken-word poetry and storytelling.
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