Megan Fisher
Contributing Writer
On Friday, Feb. 26, the world premier of the new play “Well Run Dry” occured as one of the last events for Black History Month. The play was written by Lisa Langford, a Cleveland native who is currently a part of Dobama Theatre’s playwriting gym. “Well Run Dry” is part of a larger series from The College of Wooster called “Artistic Responses to 2020,” a set of five new plays commissioned by the College to be written by playwrights of color. Jimmy Noriega, professor of theatre and dance at the College, is both the creator of this series and the director of this play, with Jaz Nappier ’22 as the assistant director. The cast was composed of five Black actresses: Amari Royal ’23, Nasua Labi ’21, Anailah Funchess ’23, Angela Danso Gyane ’21 and Jayla Riven ’24. The play is about “the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and the role of Black women in social justice organizing,” as described by the College’sTheatre and Dance Department.
This play is broken up into three short acts, each with a different cast of characters. The first act is about five women discussing their views on a BLM protest. Some characters seem to only want to go for the opportunity to meet men and obtain food or merchandise while others do not want to attend the protest. Septima (played by Gyane), who appears to be the biggest activist of all, does not want to attend the rally. She says she is tired of her issues as a Black woman not being addressed because she “can’t be Black at the women’s march” and “can’t be a woman at the Black march.” Septima’s message does not seem to hit home until another character, Candace (played by Royal), a republican, begins to agree with Septima. All the women start to come together on this point because they have all experienced this phenomenon, even with their different perspectives and backgrounds.
The next act features the same actresses playing Black men at the BLM protest. These characters appear to be the male versions of the women in act one. Throughout their discussion, they realize something about this rally is off. The podium stands empty, and there are not many people in attendance. It is not until the men realize that there are no Black women present that they can really pinpoint the issue. They realize that “without Black women, [there] ain’t no movement.”
In the final act, the actresses play themselves. Floating among the stars, they explain that “Black girl magic is a mask” and that they “hold worlds on their backs without fail.” They appear ethereal as they express a perspective closest to their own for the first time.
After the production, there was a discussion with the director, assistant director and the cast. They spoke about their experience in building this show during a time of political turmoil, as it was filmed just a few weeks before the 2020 election. They spoke of finding a community of Black women and how this playwright used their conversation and shared experiences as inspiration for the characters. Nappier stated that “the connection that the cast had was so tied to their identities as Black women artists working on a play centered around Black women. Being allowed in that space can be unique in mainstream theatre.” Funchess stated that she was ecstatic to work on a Black women-focused production with other Black women. Both Nappier and Funchess spoke of the bonds of friendship this experience created among the cast and how the play created a safe space to share the joy and pain of their everyday lives.
As Black History Month comes to a close, this event can remind us of the continuing work that we all need to do to become more antiracist and to support Black women. You can watch this production on Youtube on the C.O.W. Theatre and Dance Channel.