Play Reading:
Lisa B. Thompson's AFRICAN STEW
Saturday, May 17th at 4pm
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
A poignant exploration of love, class, culture, and the Black Diaspora, African Stew by Lisa B. Thompson, is a sharp and satirical comedy that brings complex relationships to the table. When an African American middle-class woman and a wealthy Nigerian immigrant announce their engagement after just six months, their families gather for a meal in Oakland. What begins as a celebration soon simmers with tension, as cultural differences, familial expectations, and questions of identity bubble to the surface.
A post-show discussion will follow, offering a deeper exploration of the play’s themes and significance—culminating in a joyful toast with playwright Lisa B. Thompson, whose birthday just so happens to fall on that very day!
Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can
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Cast & Creative Team
Writer: Lisa B. Thompson
Director: Dawn Monique Williams
Jennifer “Jenny” Lawson: Rolanda D. Bell
Akintunde “Ken” “Tunde” Ogunde: Titus VanHook
Babatunde “Baba” Ogunde: Lamont Thompson
Titilola “Lola” Ogunde: Jeunée Simon
Harold “Harry” Lawson: Michael Asberry
Diana "Didi" Lawson: Margo Hall
Patricia Lopez: Regina Morones
Stage Manager / Stage Directions: Monique Crawford
Dialect Coach: Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
LISA B. THOMPSON is an award-winning artist/scholar whose satirical comedies, poignant dramas, and insightful criticism question stereotypes about Black life in the US, particularly the experiences of the Black middle class. The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body is a finalist for the American Theatre in Higher Education’s 2024 Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award. Her plays have been produced Off-Broadway, throughout the US, and internationally by Crossroads Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, the Vortex, The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 1st Stage Theatre, Austin Playhouse, Soul Rep Theatre Company, The Ensemble Theatre, New Professional Theatre, Pyramid Theatre Company, The Billie Holiday Theatre, Chiswick Playhouse, and The National Black Theatre Festival among others.
Thompson is the author of Beyond the Black Lady: Sexuality and the New African American Middle Class (University of Illinois Press, 2009), Single Black Female (Samuel French, 2012), Underground, Monroe, and The Mamalogues: Three Plays (Northwestern University Press, 2020), and The Mamalogues (Samuel French, 2021). She has also published articles and reviews in Theatre Journal, Journal of American Drama, Theatre Survey, NPR, Criterion Collection, Huffington Post and The Washington Post. Her creative and scholarly work has received support from a number of institutions including the American Council of Learned Societies, Hedgebrook, MacDowell, Millay Arts, National Performance Network, Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, Clayman Institute for Gender Research, W. E. B. DuBois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center, The Fusebox International Festival, and Texas Performing Arts.
Last fall Thompson began the third season as co-host and co-producer of Black Austin Matters, a podcast and radio segment on KUT: Austin’s NPR station that explores Black life, culture, and politics in Central Texas. She is currently the Bobby and Sherri Patton Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and affiliate faculty in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. Thompson also serves as the College of Liberal Arts’ Advisor to the Dean for Faculty Mentoring and Support.
Learn more about this nationally acclaimed playwright at https://lisabthompson.com/