BRAATA Productions Presents Radio Play Series CARIBBEAN IN QUEENS - A Borough, A People, A Vibe, In A Time Of COVID 19

Braata Productions joins a long list of arts organizations documenting this time in our history when a pandemic has changed us forever! Braata's Radio Play series Caribbean in Queens features 5 audio plays about 5 different Caribbean-American households in Queens as they navigate life as family, as immigrants, during a pandemic, and just life in general!

On one block in Queens you could easily hear the cacophony of Trinidadian, Jamaican and Haitian Creole blending with the Spanish of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The histories of these families and how they got to that block and sustain life, maintain or relinquish their customs makes for great storytelling. Hence the radio play "Caribbean In Queens." Through a process of interviews with families and individuals living in the famed borough of Queens, Braata Productions team of collaborating research-writers will use these true stories as the catalyst and base for an original series of plays.

The characters and situations we bring to life in each radio play will focus on a different household and what and how they are threaded together by what it means to be pursuing life in a 21st Century America. How people play and work, cook and clean, assimilate or not, raise children, practice religious beliefs, rituals rites: marriage and intimacy, birth and death. How people struggle, fight, and reconcile are all on the table for audiences to experience.

Schedule

(in order of island representation)

Puerto Rico

Interview with "Flor" playwright Nelson Diaz-Marcano: Monday February 15th. Episodes of "Flor" stream Wednesdays: February 17th, 24th, & March 3rd.

Jamaica

Interview with "Will We Make It?" playwright, Nyanda Cammock: Monday March 15th. Episodes of "Will We Make It?" stream Wednesdays March 17th, 24th, & 31st.

Dominican Republic

Interview with "Bodega de la Sol" playwright, Janelle Lawrence: Monday April 12th. Episodes of "Bodega de la Sol" begin streaming Wednesday April 14th.

May features the work of Trinidadian writer Krishen Persad while Haitian-American playwright, France-Luce Benson (Risen from the Dough, and Showtime Blues) closes the first season of the series in June: a fitting end to Caribbean-Heritage month in New York City.

All plays will be available for streaming (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, & Google Podcasts) after June 30th! Braata Productions' Caribbean in Queens Radio Plays Series is sponsored in part by the Venturous Theatre Fund.

Braata Productions is a not-for-profit, Caribbean performing arts and education organization, dedicated to showcasing Caribbean culture, history, lifestyle, traditions and customs, through folk music, arts and theatre. The organization is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers.

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