ABOUT THE SHOW
This 60-minute solo performance, written and directed by Ebonie Marie, will serve as the capstone project for her M.A. in Acting from the University of Connecticut—a degree she was coerced into accepting after being removed from her MFA program, classes, and projects. Denied participation in departmental and repertory productions, she was left with no alternative but to create this work independently, in less than 60 days, to receive this alternative degree.
Through original poetry, music, and short vignettes, this show expresses the hurt, disappointment, and hope she has since found while confronting the systemic barriers Black artists face in Fine Arts programs across the country. From the lasting psychological damage of Ivy League MFA programs to the microaggressions and lack of culturally informed support at PWIs, to the glaring absence of MFA programs at HBCUs, this show sheds light on an industry that profits from Black creativity while restricting access to education, funding, and true career readiness. Cultural exclusionary gatekeeping remains deeply embedded in the Fine Arts, reinforcing a cycle of erasure and inequity.
Told through the lens of comedic satire, this performance fuses storytelling with activism, challenging institutions that have silenced and sidelined Black artists for decades. It is a space for truth-telling, healing, and collective empowerment, pushing audiences to confront the realities of racial inequity in the arts and beyond.
*** This show is an evolving work in progress.
www.EbonieMarie.com
