African American Plays

In order to find love, you have to take a chance. You have to open yourself up to the possibility of being hurt. You have to expose yourself in a way that you usually wouldn't; allow others to see vulnerabilities that you try to hide. Journalist Aria Smith tried that three years ago and it ended in disaster. Now, she's just trying to focus on moving up the ladder in her career. She's just been handed the most coveted interview in sports writing, so it looks like she's well on her way. Basketball star Tory Barker is fresh off of a championship season and is in high demand right now.

No matter how tough the odds, Ricky, Derrick, and Jamal learned to unite and fight during their time at the Branch Avenue Boys' Youth Institute. But their adult lives have driven them apart - and set off a series of events their friendship may not survive. All Jamal's political achievements can't erase his bargain with DC's corrupt mayor. And when he finds himself the latest target on Mayor Johnson's hit list, he'll risk everything to end the mayor's deadly reign - even if it's the last move he ever makes.

Kimera Davis finds comfort in dating married men. It's easier that way. Her needs are taken care of, and she doesn't have to give more of herself than she wants to. No messy feelings involved. But when the man she's seeing poses an unexpected question, Kimera quickly realizes she's not the only woman pulled in by his charm. Their new arrangement doesn't require much from Kimera, but she soon discovers someone else is pulling the strings. She's not looking for complications, yet she can't help feeling there's something devious at play.

In God Don't Play, trouble comes a woman's way just when she thinks she's finally got it all figured out. Annette Goode couldn't be happier with where she is in life. She has a good job, a comfortable home, and a wonderful husband and daughter. But tough times lie ahead. Out of the blue, Annette begins receiving anonymous hate mail and threatening phone calls. It seems her life isn't as settled as she thought, and demons from her past surface in unexpected ways.

Norah Pettiway spends her life worrying about one person and one person only; herself. After being swooped up by her much older husband and being placed in hip-hop royalty she quickly became acclimated to the world of the finer things with every man, woman and credit card at her whim. One day her insatiable thirst for the finer things takes over and she finds herself not being the main priority of her life. Quickly her life is turned upside down as she finds love for the first time in her life with the hottest up -and -coming rapper in the game who coincidentally is her husband’s ...

Legacy Myle’s life takes a dark turn when her mother, desperate to pay off debt, sells her to a ruthless pimp entangled in the world of drugs. Thrust into the unforgiving streets, Legacy quickly learns that the price of survival is steep and trust is a rare commodity. Betrayed and broken, she struggles to find her place in a game where everything comes at a cost. But when she meets Saint — a man who sees beyond her scars and offers her the security she's been denied — Legacy begins to question her path. Can Saint Clark love heal the wounds of her past, or will the shadows of her ...

Nikki is about to be married to her longtime boyfriend, Charles. Right before her wedding, she learns she’s already married to professional basketball player Marcus Black. Marcus is as surprised as Nikki when he learns of their marriage. The last thing he was looking for was a wife, yet for some reason, he can’t seem to let her go. When Nikki asks him for an annulment, he refuses. Although she’s never done anything impulsive in her life, Nikki decides to give their surprise marriage a chance. She agrees to go on three dates with Marcus. If she still wants an annulment after those ...

*Chase* I have the billions, women, cars, friends, anything a man wants, I have it all except the one person that I want the most. What I desire I can't have so I just play the field until I can awaken the desire in her. She has already awakened mine. When the time comes, there will be no stopping me from claiming what's mine. Tianna Ballard, I will possess. *Tianna* I have loved Chase Dominick from as far back as I remember. But I'm no more than his kid sister best friend. Chase has awakened my desire without even trying, and I need him like I need oxygen to breathe. I won't give up until ...

Doing Time: For the prison writers whose work is included in this anthology, it means more than "serving a sentence"; it means staying alive and sane, preserving dignity, reinventing oneself, and somehow retaining one's humanity. For the last quarter century the prestigious writers' organization PEN has sponsored a contest for writers behind bars to help prisoners face these challenges. The contest honors the best short stories, plays, essays, and poems among hundreds submitted annually by men and women nationwide.

NYC, 2013. During late night trips on the A train, we get snapshots of Tyrone's life - his close relationship with his mother, his attempts to flirt with a coworker, Niesha, his job as a bouncer, and his dreams of going back to school. As new traumas accumulate, Tyrone's world becomes as claustrophobic as the subway car, with as few opportunities to exit or change course.

Coming from the author of the Amazon best-selling novel, The Heartbreak Hotel, Josh Conley Jr is back with this riveting drama, Fatherless.Fatherless unravels the traumatic life of Seven Bradford, a young black man, who has been through a plethora of tribulations. Growing up in a single-parent family, all Seven ever wanted was to find and connect with his dad, Jerri. Living a life plagued with loneliness, poverty, and abuse, Seven is determined to end this vicious cycle. His mission? To prove to those who hurt and abused him that he had worth, while desperately wanting to be loved and ...

Few television shows revolutionized comedy as profoundly or have had such an enormous and continued impact on our culture as In Living Color. Inspired by Richard Pryor, Carol Burnett, and Eddie Murphy, Keenen Ivory Wayans created a television series unlike any that had come before it. In Living Color shaped American culture in ways both seen and unseen. Now, Homey Don't Play That! reveals the complete, captivating story of how In Living Color overcame enormous odds to become a major, zeitgeist-seizing hit.

In Stupid Black Men, Larry Elder takes on the mind-set of those people who always capture the most media attention - as well as masses of public money - people who say that racism is the root of all problems and who end up hurting precisely those they claim to be helping.

Jacobi spotted me on the prison yard wandering around like a pet with no owner. And once we hit the showers, he decided to claim me as his. On the outside, I would have never taken the bait from someone like him. It would be a stain on my masculinity. I'd be alienated from everyone for being such a sissy. But prison has different rules. Here is where a man like me, who'd bend to another man, belongs. Word is spreading that the biggest man in our wing has claimed the smallest. Even the guards know--do they look at me funny because they want in? Regardless, I'm about to abandon all shame to ...

From acclaimed actor and producer Wendell Pierce, an insightful and poignant portrait of family, New Orleans and the transforming power of art. On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina barreled into New Orleans, devastating many of the city's neighborhoods, including Pontchartrain Park, the home of Wendell Pierce's family and the first African American middle-class subdivision in New Orleans. The hurricane breached many of the city's levees, and the resulting flooding submerged Pontchartrain Park under as much as 20 feet of water.

Acclaimed author Marita Golden is a respected voice in both fiction and nonfiction. She is also the founder and CEO of theHurston/Wright Foundation, whose mission is to develop, nurture and sustain the world community of writers of African descent. In this thoughtful and personal work, Golden tackles the dangerous notion that it is preferable for African-Americans to have lighter instead of darker complexions.

Following the best-selling novel, The Heartbreak Hotel, Trey, is the much-anticipated sequel in Josh Conley’s emotionally captivating saga of crime drama. Julius, obsessed with revenge for the setup of his cousin Jackson, attempts to kill the person he holds as responsible, Jade. When ambushed in a parking garage, Jade unveils a truth that saves her life, for the moment. Overwhelmed with emotion Julius reveals a truth of his own, that someone close to Jade may be responsible for the murder of their father, Trey. As they search for answers into Trey’s murder, they stumble upon a homeless...

Take the bribe, and I’ll let you slide deep inside. I’m Officer Landon, a straight police officer who fantasizes about being with men. My weakness is black men. I desire to be with them intimately and romantically, but I never indulge because I’m straight, shy, and have a girlfriend who would kill me if she found out. I’m tempted daily because my colleagues and the criminals we arrest are mostly men with some of the most amazing physiques I’ve ever seen. I take my job seriously, follow all the rules, and never mix business with pleasure, even though it’s tough. One morning, my ...

Papio and Special are back! Their love for one another has withstood the drama and turmoil of their chaotic lives, but their thirst for the dollar has once again set them on a crash course for mayhem. They’ve accumulated a long list of enemies, and now it’s time to do battle. Calling on some strong allies to assist them, they insist that no one will be spared, and no one will get in their way. Papio and Special are going all out to get what they want and what they feel they deserve. Whatever it takes, their goals will be reached.

When Laila James, self-proclaimed "Golden Goddess," sets her sights on Marcus and shops a reality show based on their affair - and then a dangerous stalker threatens his family - Vanessa turns to her best friend Nia to save her marriage and her life.