The Jungle's website describes the play thusly: "Originally conceived as a dance-theater experience, Vie Boheme adapts a portion of her dynamic one-woman show CenterPlay into an immersive and multi-layered sonic journey. Using spoken word, poetry, and song, Vie Boheme submerges the audience in the auditory realm to share the stories of Black women - inviting listeners to see the complexity and nuance of experiences that are often over-simplified and minimalized."
The story takes place on the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., when writer Vega (voiced by Vie Boheme) is told by her white editor (Nathan Keepers) that her writing needs to sound "more Black." Her cousin (Dame-Jasmine Hughes) chastises her for not wanting to join the marches, instead staying home to work on her writing. She works through her feelings in a letter to her grandmother, and the piece ends with a song (music composed by Sean Mason). It's a well and innovatively (using audio only) told story of the journey of a Black artist finding and using her voice.
Mondo Tragic, CenterPlay, and one more upcoming play in the "Jungle Serial" series are available to stream for $20 for all three (available through January 17), or as part of the fall bundle, which includes the Jungle's recently released fantastic virtual play Is Edward Snowden Single?, (available through December 20). Click here for info and to purchase tickets.
