I Don’t Want to Play Myself
by Toccara Castleman
Directed by Maya Vinice Prentiss*
About
For Black girls who write solo shows when auditioning is not enough.
The Successful Black Woman (also known as Kim Beverly) has climbed the ranks in Corporate America, appeared on countless panels and authored several books. But all she ever really wanted to be was a world-famous actress. So when she is asked by a local talk show host - who deeply admires her - to make an appearance on her very low budget TV show, The Successful Black Woman surprisingly agrees. But instead of giving platitudes and inspiration to the host and her audience, The Successful Black Woman takes center stage to relive the memories of her youth, when she first dared to dream.
“I Don't Want to Play Myself" presents six original characters - seven if you count code switching - to explore the journey of an impressionable young woman who tried again and again...and again to make her artistic hopes come true.
This energetic solo show uses music, movement and humor to dive into the misadventures of getting lost as we search for success, and the unexpected courage we find along the way.
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About Amplify
Our new play commissioning program, Amplify, was developed to empower and uplift underrepresented theatre creatives. Winners of Amplify receive a two-year development process with Definition to further develop their work. Learn more about it’s history →
