Jocelyn Bioh

Playwright Bio

Joceyn Bioh is a first generation Ghanaian-American actress and playwright born and raised in NYC. She grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood, and her love for theater began at Milton Hershey School, a boarding school for low income children in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She received a BA in English and Theater from The Ohio State University and an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University. Her journey to playwriting began as an actor at Ohio State, where many of the plays in her theater department were type casted and therefore provided few roles for folks of color. After she was cast as a cockroach in a production, she threw in the towel and realized if she wanted better roles she would have to write them herself. With an emphasis on African comedy and changing the narrative of stories told of African people, notable works of hers such as Nollywood Dreams and School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play have received critical acclaim and transformed the theater world like never before.

Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, MaameYaa Boafo and Latoya Edwards in the MCC Theater production of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play. Photo by Craig Schwartz

Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, MaameYaa Boafo and Latoya Edwards in the MCC Theater production of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Highlighted Play: School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play

Synopsis: Paulina, the reigning queen bee of the exclusive Aburi Girls' Boarding School in Ghana, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with beauty, talent, and most importantly, incredibly light skin, shakes up Paulina's plans and threatens to steal her popularity and chance at the pageant. School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play takes a deep look at colorism, bullying, and overall the influence that Western beauty standards has on the lives of teenage girls.

Recommended audience: Middle school age and up

Key themes:

  • Colorism

  • Mixed privilege

  • Eurocentric beauty standards

  • Body image

Sample activity:

  • Explain the concept of colorism and its presence globally using this article from Modern Ghana.

  • Give students about thirty minutes to do research on the effects of colorism on a particular industry of their choosing. Some examples could be the television and film industry, advertising, the influencer industry (especially TikTok) etc.

  • Have students report their findings to the class.

  • Put students in pairs or small groups and have them create a piece of art that encourages and celebrates all skin tones. These pieces can be short scenes or plays, visual art pieces, songs, collages, or whatever the students choose.

Discussion questions:

  • What are your thoughts on these articles about theater critics of color?

  • How do you think Arielle Gray’s (WBUR article) identity affected how she saw and commented on School Girls?

    • What do you see as the impact of having more critics or color review theater, and idea of expanding what it means to be a theater critic?

    • How can we consume theater more critically, based on our different identities?

  • How do you think Jocelyn Bioh portrays the effects of colorism on Black women and Black girls in the play?

  • How is comedy used to convey important messages and themes in the play?

  • What is the significance of having this play being specifically and uniquely African, and furthermore Ghanian?

    • How can conversations on American influence, American identity, and mixed privilege come into this conversation?



Kelechi Ezie and Dorcas Sowunmi in Nollywood Dreams at Cherry Lane Theatre. Photo by Russ Rowland.


Nollywood Dreams

In the nineties in Lagos, Nigeria, the "Nollywood" film industry is exploding and Gbenga Ezie, Nigeria's hottest director, is looking to making Nigeria's first Western crossover film. An open casting call brings together a wild array of characters, both old and new to the Nollywood scene, in a way that comedically and critically looks at the complexities of Nollywood's beginnings, the sacrifices made in the name of fame, and the Nigerian pursuit of the American dream.

Saheem Ali, Jocelyn Bioh and Michael Thurber. Photo by Buck Lewis.

Goddess

In this new musical inspired by the ancient myth of Marimba, the goddess of music, a young man returns home to the African coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya to marry his fiancée and step into his family’s political dynasty. He visits an Afro-jazz club that served as the stomping ground of his youth, and finds himself drawn to a mysterious, steamy singer. He soon must decide between fulfilling his legacy or following his passion for music and his newfound attraction.

Comprehensive List of Plays

African Americans

GODDESS (book, conceived and directed by Saheem Ali, music and lyrics by Michael Thurber, additional lyrics by Mkhululi Z. Mabija)

Happiness and Joe

Nollywood Dreams

School Girls; Or the African Mean Girls Play

The Ladykiller's Love Story (book, music by CeeLo Green)

Acting Credits

An Octoroon by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins

Blue Bloods (CBS)

Booty Candy by Robert O'Hara

Everybody by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins

In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks

Louie (FX)

Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet by Tarell Alvin McCraney

Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus

Neighbors by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins

One Life to Live (ABC)

Seed by Radha Blank

The Characters (Netflix)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens

The Detour (TBS)

Television Writing Credits

Modern Love on Amazon Prime - Season two

She's Gotta Have It on Netflix - Season two

Russian Doll on Netflix

Currently writing film adaption for Once on this Island on Disney+

Jocelyn Bioh speaking about the inspiration for School Girls with MCC Theater.

Jocelyn Bioh and Eboni Booth in conversation through the Manhattan Theatre Club, speaking about their lives as Black women, playwrights and actresses working in the theater industry and navigating the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additional Resources

Jocelyn's profile on New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/2891/jocelyn-bioh


Bibliography

Amewoyi, S. M. (2020, September 18). Colourism needs to be addressed. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.modernghana.com/news/1030544/colourism-needs-to-be-addressed.html

Bioh, J. (2018). Nollywood Dreams. New York, NY: Dramatists Play Service.

Bioh, J. (2018). School Girls ; or, the African Mean Girls Play. New York, NY: Dramatists Play Service.

Bioh, J. (2021). Jocelyn Bioh. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://newplayexchange.org/users/2891/jocelyn-bioh

Fierberg, R. (2019, July 25). What to expect with new musical from school Girls' Jocelyn Bioh, Fireflies' Saheem Ali, and Michael Thurber. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.playbill.com/article/what-to-expect-with-new-musical-from-school-girls-jocelyn-bioh-fireflies-saheem-ali-and-michael-thurber

Fergus, E. (2012). Skin color and identity formation: Perception of opportunity and academic orientation among Mexican and Puerto Rican youth. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203338247

Fergus, E. (2012). Skin color and identity formation: Perception of opportunity and academic orientation among Mexican and Puerto Rican youth. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203338247

Fitzpatrick, F. (2018, October 15). How mean girls and a dearth of roles inspired jocelyn bioh's school girls. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.playbill.com/article/how-mean-girls-and-a-dearth-of-roles-inspired-jocelyn-biohs-school-girls

Florestal, P. (2019, October 27). Cultivating the next generation of critics. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://howlround.com/cultivating-next-generation-critics

Gray, A. (2019, May 15). How Jocelyn Bioh created a play about Both Teen bullying and Colorism. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.wbur.org/artery/2019/05/15/playwright-jocelyn-bioh-school-girls

Hannon, L., DeFina, R. & Bruch, S. The Relationship Between Skin Tone and School Suspension for African Americans. Race Soc Probl 5, 281–295 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-013-9104-z

Jagernauth, T., & Victor, R. (2017, April 7). The need for cultivating theatre critics of color. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://howlround.com/need-cultivating-theatre-critics-color

McCollum, S., Pettway, A., & Chiariello, E. (2015). Toolkit for "What's 'Colorism'?". Learning for Justice. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/fall-2015/toolkit-for-whats-colorism.

M. (Producer). (2020, September 25). Artists in Conversation: Jocelyn Bioh and Eboni Booth [Video file]. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZLNoHdM72g&t=1412s

Prescod, A. (2020, December 22). Jocelyn Bioh on the Once on This Island film adaptation and Colorism. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://broadwaydirect.com/jocelyn-bioh-on-the-once-on-this-island-film-adaptation-and-colorism/

Soloski, A. (2017, November 1). For This Playwright, Africa With Laughter, Not Tears. The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/theater/playwright-jocelyn-bioh-africa-mean-girls-play.html

W. (2021). Jocelyn Bioh: Off-Broadway Play and Talk. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://my.wlu.edu/lenfest-center/jocelyn-bioh

Williams, P., & Williams, P. (2017, December 12). Shades of black. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://news.uga.edu/shades-of-black/

Webpage compiled by Sharai Dottin (2021)