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BLACK FEMINIST VIDEO GAME
Written By: Darrel Alejandro Holnes
Directed by: Victoria Collado
Enter Jonas: a biracial teenager with autism. Jonas broadcasts all aspects of his life online, including a disastrous first date with his crush, Nicole. Desperate to regain her affections, he dusts off a long-ignored gift from his mother—a classic 2D “Black feminist video game”— hopeful that the game will grant him the key to winning Nicole back. But Jonas soon discovers that, with only the Game Master and his friend Sabine to guide him, he must confront his own misperceptions of the women in his (real) life, or risk losing not only the game but also his first chance at love. In this mashup of live performance, video game design, and online interaction, Jonas and Sabine stream their play on Twitch and find their path through the game together. Along the way, you’ll help (or hinder!) their progress by responding in real time to the choices they make.
This production is a national collaboration with presenters 59E59 Theaters’ Plays in Place Program, Center Theatre Group, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and co-commissioner Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College.
Black Feminist Video Game contains mature themes, explicit language, and some references not appropriate for children under 16.
Support for this production is provided by Venturous Theater Fund, a fund of the Tides Foundation.
Cast:
Christon Andell – Jonas
Kyla Jeanne Butts – Sabine
Starr Kirkland – Nicole
Darrel Alejandro Holnes – DJ/Hype Person and other voices
Constance Fields – Jonas’ Mom
Phillip Patrick Wright – Mark
Michael Diamond – Hans
Mia Anderson – Marguerite
Brandiss LaShai Seward – Audre Lorde
Creative Team:
Playwright: Darrell Alejandro Holnes
Director: Victoria Collado
Video Game Designer: Ché Rose and Jocelyn Short of Cookout Games
Producer: Ilana Becker
Associate Producer: Sarah Boess
Production Coordinator: Hanako Rodriguez
Media Streaming Designer & Programmer: Julia Frey
Video Co-Programmer/Engineer: Jeremy Allen
Video Designer & Editor: Erin Sullivan
Sound Designer: Twi McCallum
Dramaturg: Phoebe Corde
Associate Dramaturg: James LaBella
Production Design Consultant: Anna Driftmier
Neurodiversity Consultant: Cortland Nesley
Consulting Film Producer: Kiran Chitanvis
Costuming Consultant: Kamesha Brinson
Production Assistant (Workshop Rehearsals): Emily Betts
The Civilians are working with members of the Autistic community, as well as Neurodivergent members within our artistic team, in the development of Black Feminist Video Game.
We have worked to make BFVG an accessible experience for Autistic audiences, as well as others with varying access needs. This includes:
- Refraining from jarring or sudden audio and visual cues in an attempt to avoid sensory overload.
- Avoiding strobing effects in our design for audiences prone to seizures.
- Creating an Autistic friendly design when choosing the show’s color pallette, use of background noise, and consistency of volume levels.
- Choosing a font that is friendly to Dyslexic audiences.
- Providing subtitles for Deaf and hard-of-hearing and audiences in recordings of our performance.
While we have attempted to make BFVG as accessible to as many people as possible, we understand that access needs are wide and varied. If you require a particular accommodation to view BFVG, or have any questions regarding our accessibility measures, feel free to fill out our accessibility request form. We’d be happy to hear from you.