Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
BY JOCELYN BIOH
DIRECTED BY WHITNEY WHITE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH MADISON WELLS LIVE & LACHANZE
A CO-PRODUCTION WITH ARENA STAGE, CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER, AND LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
WEST COAST PREMIERE
PEET’S THEATRE
NOV 8–DEC 15, 2024
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[The play] slyly reveals each of its characters…not as perfect but as the kind of person America should be fighting to have, instead of the opposite. Hailing from Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria, these women are entrepreneurs, artists, empaths and lovers. They’re neighbors who would have your back in an alley fight and friends brave enough to speak hard truths — if only we’d let them.
There’s no denying the depth and urgency of the play’s themes, not to mention the wry pleasures of the text, Bioh’s rich gift for the idiosyncrasies of language and dialect, the rollicking musicality of speech…Bioh delicately laces the hilarity with strands of doubt and foreboding.
And as this remarkably acted play develops under the skillful direction of Whitney White…playwright Jocelyn Bioh lets their stories and personalities naturally emerge amid their funny banter and blabber in the upbeat micro-community that is Jaja’s.
The kind of experience you can only have in the theater: it’s part documentary, part comedy, part drama and part immersion into the richness of a world you might not otherwise be able to access…The rhythms and the repartee are lively and flow beautifully as director White knows just how to bring focus into certain conversations or interactions.
Director Whitney White’s mastery of the play’s beats and humor is obvious…heavy-handed messages are kept to a minimum in Bioh’s script, and we are left with a poignant portrait of people struggling — and literally blistering their fingers — just to achieve some semblance of a dream they were promised.
The characters become multi-layered individuals, each one beautifully developed by the excellent cast…Playwright Bioh strikes an even-handed balance between the everyday ups and downs of the workers — the tension of their interactions, the concerns each has for her own life’s trajectory — and ultimately finds a way to quietly, delicately, dramatize their sisterhood.
Step into the vibrant world of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a beloved Harlem hotspot where West African immigrant braiders work their magic on the locals’ locks. Amidst the lively buzz of a scorching summer, love ignites, dreams soar, and secrets unravel. But beneath the surface lies a current of uncertainty, pushing this close-knit community to confront the challenges of being outsiders in their own neighborhood. From the pen of Tony Award-nominated Ghanaian American playwright Jocelyn Bioh (Goddess, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play) and directed by Tony Award nominee and Obie Award winner Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding is “a play that is equally affecting as it is hilarious,” hails Entertainment Weekly.
Production information
Runtime: 90 minutes; no intermission
Age recommendation: Suitable for ages 10 and up
Stage effects advisory: Haze and herbal cigarettes
Content advisory: Mentions of sexual harassment
Cast
(in alphabetical order)
Melanie Brezill | Michelle, Chrissy, LaNiece
Leovina Charles | Vanessa, Sheila, Radia
Victoire Charles | Jaja
Yao Dogbe | James, Franklin, Olu, Eric
Mia Ellis | Jennifer
Tiffany Renee Johnson | Aminata
Jordan Rice | Marie
Awa Sal Secka | Bea
Aisha Sougou | Ndidi
Bisserat Tseggai | Miriam
Understudies
(in alphabetical order)
Kevin Aoussou | For James, Franklin, Olu, Eric
Renea S. Brown | For Jennifer, Vanessa, Radia, Sheila
Debora Crabbe | For Marie, Ndidi, Aminata
Mia Ellis | For Michelle, Chrissy, LaNiece
Yetunde Felix-Ukwu | For Jaja, Bea, Miriam
Nollywood Dreams actors
Onye Eme-Akwari
Morgan Scott
Creative team
Jocelyn Bioh | Playwright
Whitney White | Director
David Zinn | Set Design
Dede Ayite | Costume Design
Jiyoun Chang | Lighting Design
Justin Ellington | Original Music and Sound Design
Stefania Bulbarella | Video Design
Nikiya Mathis | Hair and Wig Design
Manna-Symone Middlebrooks | Associate Director
Yetunde Felix-Ukwu | Dialect and Vocal Coach
Erica A. Hart, CSA | Casting
Kelly Gillespie, CSA | Casting
David Caparelliotis, CSA | Casting
Mandisa Reed | Stage Manager
Brillian Qi-Bell | Assistant Stage Manager
The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional stage actors and stage managers in the United States
Closed captioning
Closed captioning on your smartphone is available for every matinee through Dec 12. See all closed captioning performances.
Audio description
Audio description is available for the matinee on Dec 14. Through individual headphones provided by our partner, Gravity Access Services, you’ll hear detailed narration of the onstage visual elements of the show. Advance reservation required.
Learn more about our accessibility programs
Events and extras
Docent-led postshow discussions
Join your fellow audience members after all matinees for a thought-provoking postshow discussion led by our knowledgeable docents.
Resource guide
Want to learn how you can uplift the Bay Area’s African diaspora and Black immigrant communities? Explore this resource guide, curated by In Dialogue, which features concrete, approachable calls to action from our community partners. Join us in building a more equitable future for all.
Health and safety
Masks are encouraged but optional for all performances. Visit our health and safety page for full details.
Tiffany Renee Johnson (Aminata) and Awa Sal Secka (Bea) in focus with Aisha Sougou (Ndidi), Melanie Brezill (Chrissy/Michelle/LaNiece), Mia Ellis (Jennifer), and Bisserat Tseggai (Miriam) in the background in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.
Photo by Ben Krantz Studio/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Awa Sal Secka (Bea), Yao Dogbe (James/Franklin/Olu/Eric), and Tiffany Renee Johnson (Aminata) in focus with Leovina Charles (Vanessa/Sheila/Radia), Aisha Sougou (Ndidi), Jordan Rice (Marie), and Mia Ellis (Jennifer) in the background in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.
Photo by Ben Krantz Studio/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Tiffany Renee Johnson (Aminata), Bisserat Tseggai (Miriam), Jordan Rice (Marie), and Aisha Sougou (Ndidi) with Awa Sal Secka (Bea) in the background in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.
Photo by Ben Krantz Studio/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Photo by Ben Krantz Studio/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Awa Sal Secka (Bea) and Tiffany Renee Johnson (Aminata) in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding