By Jocelyn Bioh.
Welcome to Jaja’s, a buzzing, bustling Harlem salon where West African immigrant braiders create masterpieces on New Yorkers’ heads. Pull up a chair as love blossoms, dreams flourish, and secrets are revealed. But beneath the surface lies a current of uncertainty, pushing this close-knit community to confront the challenges of being outsiders in the place they call home. Fresh off a twice-extended Broadway run, this laugh-out-loud comedic gem “is equally affecting as it is hilarious” (Entertainment Weekly). After a sold-out run of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, Tony Award-nominated playwright (and Ohio State graduate) Jocelyn Bioh and Columbus director Shanelle Marie return to The Contemporary!
CAST:
JAJA – La Baker*
MARIE – Aliyah Graham
BEA – Wilma Hatton
AMINATA – Anita Davis
JAMES – Brandon Anderson
MIRIAM– Shauna Marie
NDIDI – Leigh
JENNIFER – Lori Lindsey
VANESSA/RADIA/SHEILA – Tirzah Washington
MICHELLE/CHRISSY/LANIECE – Bry’ana Bentley
CREATIVE TEAM:
Director – Shanelle Marie
Movement Director – Cherelle Brown
Scenic Designer – Laura Carlson-Tarantowski
Lighting Designer – Kelsey Gallagher
Costume Designer – Tabi Abney
Wig Designer – Ludie Senatus
Costume/Wig Consultant – Angelina Herin
Sound Designer – Krate Digga
Sound Supervisor – Dave Wallingford
Props Designer – Brooklynn Sabino Smith
Dialect Coach – Debora Crabbe
Costume Consultant – Esther Sands
Stage Manager – Kirsten Upchurch*
Assistant Stage Manager – Skyler Kyser
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
