Works by Amara Janae Brady:
MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRLS AREN’T BLACK
THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS ARE GONNA KILL YOU
THE SUPADUPA KID
WHEN WE WERE GODS
Synopses:
Manic Pixie Dream Girls Aren’t Black – As a video game designer (well, almost!), Delilah has never had a problem with her untamed imagination. But when her boss suggests that the lead character in her latest video game is too unrealistic and unrelatable because “Black women don’t play video games,” she decides it’s time to reel her imagination in. Fortunately for her, her video game has another idea- Delilah gets sucked into the amazingly colorful world she created. She finds there’s nothing wrong with her lead, but there is something wrong with the massive, violent changes she didn’t make! Now, she must defeat her greatest foe, self-doubt…but…kinda disguised as white supremacy.
the beautiful things are gonna kill you – Somewhere between the vastness of time and the liminal space of our physical universe, a Black femme, O, sits wondering why the f***ck she loves this yt woman, Ele. Together, they traverse the dangerous realities, dreams, and nightmares that come with being in an interracial relationship in a “post-racial society.” Inspired by Tanya Barfield’s Bright Half-Life comes a wildly vulnerable and heartbreakingly amusing exploration of why we accept the love “we think we deserve” while examining the cost. Can Ele get past the entitlement ingrained in yt womanhood? Can O figure out why she’s dating a yt person at all? And can they grow beyond who society tells them they should be? Probably not…but it might be fun to try.
The SupaDupa Kid – Javon Williams was just a normal kid until a freak accident gave him amazing superpowers. The only problem? The neighborhood bully, Hoody, acquired superpowers of his own — and is using them to terrorize the city! Javon must work to save the city by becoming… The Supadupa Kid! Ty Allan Jackson’s book comes alive on stage in this brand-new play featuring one of the first-ever teenage Black superheroes in America!
When We Were gods – Inspired by a wooden carving and a nefarious poem about how Black women were not as beautiful, but for some “inexplicable reason” really enticing, When We Were gods tells the story of the Sable Venus’ search for purpose and levity at the precipice of a massive shift in power on Olympus. Where were these gods during slavery and what do they owe to the humans they sought to create? And also how the hell do we dethrone Zeus?
Bio:
Amara (She/Her/Hers) is a generative artist & cultural dramaturg hailing from the Windy City (Chicago). Her artistic goals are to show the humanity and divinity of Black women and connect underserved communities with experiences that mirror their own. She is a current fellow of WP Theater’s Playwrighting Lab (2022-2024) & The Public Theater’s Devised Working Group (2023-2024). Favorite credits: “my dick is david duke”…or (Ars Nova’s ANTFest-Actor; Creator; Producer), This is Where We Go (MCC- Actor + Writer), NYT Critic’s Pick,Jillian Walker’s SKiNFoLK (Bushwick Starr- Assistant Producer). YouTube series, ‘Skinny & White’ Aren’t Character Traits. She is a proud member of Joe Iconis & Family. And frequently collaborates with Dominique Rider and Xander Browne. For acting, she is repped by Bernard F. Bunye at Forte Artists Management. For writing, she is repped by Bonnie Davis at Bret Adams. She currently resides in Brooklyn, where she spends her days playing Just Dance and perfecting her coq au vin recipe. All Power to all people. Ashé.
Website: linktr.ee/ajbrady