BLACK BOOK - A One Person Show by Austin Dean Ashford

Awarded Best Play - Region 6 ACTF

Citizens Artist Award - Kennedy Center

Rosa Parks Playwriting Award - Kennedy Center

Outstanding New Works - Kennedy Center

Outstanding Performance by an Actor Award - Kennedy Center

((( This will be a LIVE RECORDING for a TV Special & is the Oakland Premiere! )))

Play Synopsis:

Welcome to Melvin Tolson High School—it's summer school, it's hot, the barbwire fence is fixed, and a young African American boy has been shot, leaving his group of friends reeling from the loss and wondering if their voices can ever be heard. Enter a former Great Debater to teach a master class on public speaking and challenge this group of boys to speak out and give voice to their hopes and fears. Filled with pressing issues, inspiring characters, and graced with comic flourishes, this one-person dramedy debates what happens to young minds when our educational spaces begin to resemble a prison more than school and a place to learn and grow.

About Playwright:

I was born and raised in the Bay Area, but my passion for performance has taken me all over the world. During my time in Marshall, Texas - I competed for The Great Debaters of Wiley College, where I earned 21 national championship titles.

I went on pursue a dual-MFA in Acting and Play-writing at the University of Arkansas, graduating with the class of 2019. During that time, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my work and receiving top honors at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in DC, the United Solo Festival in New York City, the San Diego International Fringe Festival, and the Dunedin and New Zealand Fringe Festivals.

Recently, I was nominated for a Latin a Grammy and became a Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador for the US Embassy. Right now, I’m pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts from Texas Tech University. When I'm not on stage or in the classroom, I'm playing my ukulele and dreaming of the beach.