Jocelyn Bioh: Three Plays: Merry Wives; Nollywood Dreams; School Girls, Or, The African Mean Girls Play

(Paperback)

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"Ms. Bioh, a native New Yorker whose parents emigrated from Ghana in 1968, has made it her mission, theatrically and personally, to tell stories about African and African-American characters that buck expectation and defy stereotype." (New York Times) This first collection of plays from American contemporary playwright Jocelyn Bioh brings together a trilogy of celebrated work recently seen in New York and around the world. Merry Wives: Set in South Harlem, amidst a vibrant and eclectic community of West African immigrants, Merry Wives is a New York story about tricks of the heart. A raucous spinoff featuring the Bards most beloved comic characters, this hilarious farce tells the story of the trickster Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a new celebration of Black joy, laughter, and vitality. Nollywood Dreams: It's the nineties and in Lagos, Nigeria, the "Nollywood" film industry is exploding. Looking to make the first Nollywood film with Western crossover appeal, Gbenga Ezie, Nigeria's hottest director, has decided to host an open casting call for the female lead of his new romantic drama/thriller "The Comfort Zone." Casting for the film draws on more emotions than expected in this imagining of what the growing Nollywood film scene was like as it rose to become the phenomenon it is today. School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play: Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter--and Paulinas hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe. How far would you go to be queen bee

Reviews

Biohs dialogue is purposefully sitcom-ish and charming, whether its exaggerated or playing to emotions more subtle, and her language is seamless. Never allowing herself to be held down by the weighty, social-cultural constructs of class and money in Nigeria in the 90s, Biohs fast-moving comic text is warm, wonky and laugh-out-loud funny. * Variety (on Nollywood Dreams) *
Jocelyn Bioh reshapes a comedy of clever women, frail men and harsh revenge into one of love and forgiveness, just when New York needs it. * New York Times (on Merry Wives) *

Author Bio

Jocelyn Bioh is an award-winning Ghanaian-American writer/performer from New York City. Her written works for theatre include: Jajas African Hair Braiding (Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club, 2023,) Merry Wives (Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park, PBS Great Performances, 2022 Drama Desk Award Winner for Outstanding Adaptation,) Nollywood Dreams (MCC Theater,) book writer for the Broadway bound musical Goddess (Berkeley Rep, 2022) and the multi award winning School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play which was originally produced at MCC Theater in 2017/2018 and has gone on to have over 60 regional productions and premiered in the UK in 2023. Jocelyn has also written for TV on Russian Doll, Spike Lee's Shes Gotta Have It, (Netflix,) Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu,) the upcoming new Star Wars series The Acolyte (Disney+) and she is also writing the live screen film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Once on This Island for Disney.