As a class, we have gone to many readings of literature, from the hands-on poetry workshop with Melanie Goodreaux to Susana Ventura’s reading of her new script in the class featuring Penny Arcade. Amongst these, the readings of MacArthur Fellow playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ scripts stand out as one of the most memorable. We start off in class watching videos and interviews about his work and what had inspired him to explore controversial subjects ranging from blackface to slavery (which aren’t too far apart in American history). He has workedon pieces including his 2012 work, Appropriate, which features an entirely white cast in blackface, and his 2014 work, An Octoroon, which juxtaposes America’s past with the present and reveals the lasting impact and legacy of slavery.

When we arrived at the intimate theater space on the lower levels of Baruch, we settled in to experience three excerpts of his works, from the critically acclaimed Gloria to the comedically strong Gurls to a recently written (and not fully developed) piece meant to test the waters and gauge the audience’s response. The excerpt chosen from Gloria was from the second act, where two characters face the aftermath of a shooting and probe reactions from each other. It was interesting to see how nuanced each character felt about what it was they should do now that the attack has passed. One felt that it was his duty to write out a memoir detailing that day, to which the other argued that he had no right to take her story and commodify or make a profit out of it. This argument has been made in the context of other settings in the real world such as in art, photography, and books, where the creators have been criticized for taking big issues and making profit off of them, whether their intentions were good or not. Throughout the readings of all three excerpts, I enjoyed how Branden Jacobs-Jenkins took issues that applied to a lot of people that helped us relate to the plays. In the reading of the excerpt from Gurls, which I enjoyed the most, he makes an abrupt change from the heavy atmosphere brought by Gloria and leaves the audience in tears from the comedic gold. The actresses chatter about their experiences in a way that mimics stand-up comedy, with ridiculous stories and irony-filled punchlines. Yet as I laughed with the audience, I realized the dark undertones of the lines they were acting and how the script brought in so many real-life issues that were innocently masked under their exaggerated drawls – theperfect embodiment of a satirical play.