Dr. Juhanna Rogers' SHATTERING

"Shattering" is a solo poetic performance piece that reflects on a young girl's journey, known affectionately as Nicole, as she grows up to be Juhanna. Young Nicole struggles with blazing her own trail and meeting everyone's approval of who they believe she should be. Juhanna feels the weight of becoming her own woman and transitioning into the successful Dr. Juhanna Rogers. Despite her self-discovery, this dynamic business leader and one-woman powerhouse finds herself, once again, seeking approval. As she longs to love, celebrate, and recognize Dr. Juhanna Rogers, her world begins to shatter, reflecting the intricacies of becoming her true self.

"This play is about facing my story and being courageous and sharing it to hopefully comfort and inspire others to do the same," said Dr. Rogers. "There is something magical and heavy about being a Black woman in the world. Shattering explores it all. I am most vulnerable in this work, and I am grateful for the opportunity."

Dr. Juhanna Rogers is a native of Newark, New Jersey which shaped her commitment to social justice, education, and the arts. Dr. Rogers earned a bachelor’s degree in Integrative Arts from Penn State University – Altoona. She earned her Doctorate from Indiana University where she studied Critical Race Theory in Higher Education. Dr. Rogers and seven of her peers made institutional history by completing their degrees simultaneously and are known nationally as the #Great8.

Today, Dr. Juhanna Rogers is a playwright, director, actress and business executive. Dr. Rogers started Juhanna Rogers, LLC to address diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the classroom, on campuses, and within organizations. Her goal is to inspire culture change and community engagement in efforts that will improve the quality of life for all people, but especially historically marginalized populations.

Dr. Rogers' work is expanding the presence of BIPOC artists in performance on the stage and in television. Currently, she is a visiting artist at the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park located in Cazenovia, NY working on a new play titled Queendom, and pursuing her MFA in Playwriting from Goddard College. Her poetry was published in the Divine Feminist (anthology), and she makes regular appearances on the BronxNet and The Today Show speaking on the Black experience. In 2018, Dr. Rogers created and produced a web series, Behind the Woman. Additionally, in 2019, Juhanna became creator, executive producer and host of Behind the Woman - a youtube series she developed - in partnership with WCNY/PBS. The show airs across 19 counties in upstate New York and is in its third season.

Dr. Rogers also appeared in, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” at Auburn Public Theatre. She was invited as an artist to speak about the intersections of race and gender in theater at Syracuse Stage, and appeared in for the 2021 Poetry and Play series at Syracuse Stage. In 2020 her play, A Gatherin’ Place, opened at Syracuse Stage. The play, done virtually, reviewed by critics as, “... powerful… proves you don’t need to physically be inside the Archbold theater to have an engaging theatrical experience.