Daughters of Lorraine

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Created in 2019, the Daughters of Lorraine Podcast was created by Dr. Jordan Ealey and Dr. Leticia Ridley while they were graduate students at the University of Maryland, College Park. Now, both assistant professors, Jordan and Leticia, continue to explore the legacies of Black theatre history, engage in current national conversations around, within, and about Black theatre, review Black theatre productions, and interview Black theatre artists. This podcast centers and privileges the narratives of Black theatremakers, scholars, and audiences while also underscoring the influence of Black theatre on the theatrical landscape.

Jordan Ealey, Leticia Ridley


    • May 27, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 48m AVG DURATION
    • 43 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Daughters of Lorraine

    Black Queer “Mess” and A Strange Loop

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 63:33


    In today's episode, Leticia and Jordan discuss the Canadian premiere of A Strange Loop—a co-production between The Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre, Crow's Theatre, and TO Live. They re-appraise the musical's impact in today's sociopolitical climate.

    The Weight of a Story with Danielle Deadwyler

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 49:14


    Jordan and Leticia interview actress, performance artist, and cultural worker Danielle Deadwyler and discuss the importance of care in the representation of Black life.

    Shaping Black Canadian Theatre

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 55:43


    Jordan and Leticia interview Canadian playwright, director, and educator Djanet Sears, hearing about her unique approach to dramaturgy and an in-depth look at Black theatre in Canada.

    The People's Stage

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 56:44


    Jordan and Leticia examine the short life of the Federal Theatre Project and its impact on the growth and expansion of Black theatre.

    Mirroring Our World with Kelundra Smith

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 53:56


    Jordan and Leticia interview arts journalist and playwright Kelundra Smith about the cultural landscape of theatre criticism and what it means to tell authentic Black stories.

    Taking Broadway and Beyond in Stride with Whitney White

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2025 45:15


    In this episode, Leticia and Jordan interview Whitney White about her journey in theatre, her artistic craft, and the potentials and possibilities of Black theatre.

    Daughters of Lorraine Season 5 Trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 1:02


    This podcast centers and privileges the narratives of Black theatremakers, scholars, and audiences while also underscoring the need for understanding the influence of Black theatre on the American theatre landscape.

    The Virtuosity of Black Storytelling with Tarell Alvin McCraney

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2024 59:02


    Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey interview Oscar winner and MacArthur genius Tarell Alvin McCraney about his work as a playwright, how Black people tell stories, and what it means to be an artistic leader.

    Opening the Channel with Masi Asare

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2024 46:59


    Masi Asare is an assistant professor of theater and performance studies at Northwestern University. She is a songwriter and dramatist and also works as a performance scholar specializing in the study of race and vocal sound and musicals. On this episode, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview Masi on her experiences as a Black woman working in musical theatre and why Black women's vocal training is so important.

    Justice for Movie Musicals, or Why the Musical Adaptation of The Color Purple Matters

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2024 55:16


    Some stories transcend time and continue to resonate across generations. Undoubtedly, one might consider The Color Purple as one of those stories. Hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley discuss this new movie musical adaptation of The Color Purple and delve into questions around the genre of the movie musical and the challenge and necessity of representing Black women stories on screen.

    Completing the Unfinished Sentences of Our Ancestors with Jonathan McCrory

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2024 57:57


    Jonathan McCrory is a Tony Award and Emmy Award nominated producer and a two-time Obie Award-winning artist who has served as executive artistic director at the National Black Theatre since 2012. In this episode, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley talk with McCrory about his work with the National Black Theatre and his ongoing commitment to nourishing and cultivating Black creativity and Black life.

    We're in Our (Black) Opera Era

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2024 46:02


    In this episode, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley talk about a filmed production of the opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.

    The Thriving Legacy of Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2023 41:12


    Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey discuss Woodie King, Jr.'s 1978 documentary, Black Theater: The Making of a Movement. They explore the documentary's different themes, its impact on Black theatre history, and what it means for our present and future.

    We've Got Trouble in Mind

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2023 55:24


    Hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley discuss the contributions made by Alice Childress and the historical and contemporary significance of her play, Trouble in Mind, including the filmed 2021 production at the National Theatre in London.

    Digging for Bones with Topdog/Underdog

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 56:39


    Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey dig into the dramaturgies and theories of Suzan-Lori Parks and discuss Canadian Stage's production of Parks's Topdog/Underdog.

    Black Patience and the Theatre of Civil Rights

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 40:49


    Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey interview scholar Professor Julius Fleming, Jr. about his book "Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation (NYU Press, 2022)". They discuss the importance of theatre to the Civil Rights Movement and the relationship between Black theatre and performance and Black studies.

    The Influence and Impact of the Negro Ensemble Company

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2023 50:25


    This episode focuses on the iconic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey delve into the NEC's founding and history, its track record of producing successful Black plays, and its legacy within Black theatre and performance.

    Staging Black Intimacies

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 57:08


    Hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview Kaja Dunn, who is an intimacy professional, director, actor, and scholar. They discuss her journey as a theatre artist, the importance of intimacy coordinator for theatre and television, and Kaja's own artistry and creativity.

    What Is Black Theatre?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2023 52:28


    This episode will discuss the age old questions of what is Black theatre? What is a Black play? How do you know one when you see it? Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey provide an overview of the some of the most popular commentary on this question from Black theatre theorists of the past such as W.E.B Dubois, Alain Locke, and Alice Childress.

    Daughters of Lorraine Season 4 Teaser

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2023 0:56


    This podcast centers and privileges the narratives of Black theatremakers, scholars, and audiences while also underscoring the need for understanding the influence of Black theatre on the American theatre landscape.

    I Write What Comes Up in My Body: Robbie McCauley's Theatre

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2022 44:26


    In this episode, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley look at the life and legacy of playwright Robbie McCauley, who recently passed away. They discuss her work as a pioneer of solo performance as a Black woman and how she impacted the world of Black feminist theatre.

    Put Some Respect on Black Theatre with Lisa B. Thompson

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022 63:52


    In this episode, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview artist/scholar Lisa B. Thompson. They discuss navigating life as a Black feminist artist/scholar, putting some respect on Black theatre, and why Black theatre is an integral part of Black Studies.

    Writing Detroit: Dominique Morisseau's Practice of the Possible

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2022 86:35


    Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview award-winning and acclaimed playwright Dominique Morisseau about her recent Broadway productions of Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations and Skeleton Crew; the future of Detroit theatre and performance; and reckoning with American history. Ealey and Ridley discuss Morisseau's practice of reparative creativity and the ability for theatre to serve as a rehearsal for true change.

    Staging Reproductive Freedom in Black Feminist Theatre

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 69:07


    This episode is inspired by recent and current events regarding Roe v. Wade and their potential impact on birthing people. We think about the representation of reproductive justice (things such as abortion, contraception, and anything regarding decisions to birth or plan a family) especially from Black women playwrights. We discuss plays such as They That Sit in Darkness by Mary Burrill, Rachel by Angelina Weld Grimke, Come Down Burning by Kia Corthron, In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks, and Abortion Road Trip by Rachel Lynett.

    Black Women Got Something to Say: A Conversation with Pearl Cleage

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2022 55:51


    In this episode, Jordan and Leticia interview playwright Pearl Cleage. They discuss the way she has navigated her career as a Black feminist/womanist playwright often working in Black spaces; how she found her home in Atlanta, Georgia; and her most recent play, Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous.

    When and Where We Enter: Black Feminist Theatre

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 45:48


    In this episode, Leticia and Jordan finally explain what they mean when they say Black feminism, especially in theatre and performance. They engage Lisa M. Anderson's tenets of Black feminist drama, alongside other contemporary scholars and artists expansion of Black feminist theatre. They discuss Black feminist theory, black feminist practice in creative work, and black feminist theatre theory.

    A Soft Place To Land: James Ijames' Fat Ham

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2022 56:33


    This episode focuses on the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner, Fat Ham by James Ijames. Leticia and Jordan discuss the recent production at the Public Theater, its conversation and diversion from Shakespeare, representations of Black queerness, and what it means to be soft as a black person.

    Working Her Own Tune: Revisiting the Life, Legacy, and Work of Micki Grant

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2022 48:50


    This episode honors the life and work of composer, writer, and performer Micki Grant, who passed away in August 2021. Grant was the first Black woman to write and compose a musical that made it to Broadway, and she is also the subject of Jordan's dissertation.

    Creating a Space for Black Theatre Audiences

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2022 44:21


    This episode is an interview with Addae Moon, the associate artistic director at Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta, Georgia. We discuss his journey as a theatre artist; his playwright development lab, Hush Harbor Lab; and his own artistry and creativity.

    Singin' a Black Girl's Song- Ntozake Shange and "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2022 45:14


    This episode explores the recent revival of Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, directed and choreographed by Camille A. Brown. Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey contextualize the production, its ongoing relevance and legacy, and its resonance in Black feminist theatre, dance, and performance.

    Sharpening Our Oyster Knives: Revisiting "What to Send Up When It Goes Down"

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2021 47:42


    On this special episode of Daughters of Lorraine, hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey sit down with Aleshea Harris and Whitney White, the playwright and director of the powerful, ritualistic play, What to Send Up When It Goes Down.

    Claiming Our Space with Hana Sharif

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2020 55:12


    For the last episode of season two of the Daughters of Lorraine Podcast, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley talk with Hana S. Sharif about her journey to becoming one of the first Black women to be artistic director of a regional theatre, managing in a pandemic, her thoughts on the current state of American theatre, and more.

    When Form Meets Content

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2020 46:07


    In this episode, Daughters of Lorraine Podcast hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley discuss how Black playwrights, such as Adrienne Kennedy, Tarrell Alvin McCraney, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Ntozake Shange, have experimented with form.

    American Theatre's Racial Reckoning with The Black Artist Coalition

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2020 57:21


    The Daughters of Lorraine Podcast hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley discuss the advent of We See You, White American Theatre and situate it within a history of Black theatre artists calling out the white supremacy endemic to American theatre, as well as interviewing The Black Artist Coalition founders Vaughn Midder and Kevin McAllister.

    Shakespeare in Black with Renea Brown

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2020 61:46


    Daughters of Lorraine Podcast hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview actress Renea Brown on the interactions between Black theatre and Shakespeare, as well as her experience as a Black Shakespearean performer.

    The Black in Black Musical Theatre

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2020 50:05


    In this episode of the Daughters of Lorraine Podcast, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley discuss "What is a Black musical?" using James Baldwin's Amen Corner and Angelica Chéri's Gun and Powder.

    Beyond the Raisin: The Incredible Brief Life of Lorraine Hansberry

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2020 46:53


    The Daughters of Lorraine Podcast returns for another episode where hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridely discuss Lorraine Hansberry's life, legacy, and other works of theatre and literature.

    Dramaturgy, Black Refusal, and Possibility with Otis Cortez Ramsey-Zoë

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2020 48:20


    For the final episode of the first season of the Daughters of Lorraine Podcast, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview dramaturg and director Otis Cortez Ramsey-Zoë about his work in the Washington DC area, as well as his general thoughts about the state of and stakes for Black theatre.

    The Ritual of "What to Send Up When it Goes Down"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2020 39:45


    Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley discuss the transformative power of Aleshea Harris' What to Send Up When it Goes Down by centering Black rage, ritual, and healing on this episode of the Daughters of Lorraine podcast.

    Staging Slavery by Black Playwrights

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2019 19:13


    In this episode of the Daughters of Lorraine Podcast, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley focus on representations of slavery on stage by Black playwrights beginning from the early 19th century to the 1960s.

    Riding Along with "Jitney"

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2019 47:02


    On this episode of the Daughters of Lorraine Podcast, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley review Arena Stage's production of August Wilson's "Jitney", directed by Black theatre legend, Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

    Early Black Feminist Theatre and Lynching Dramas Revisited

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2019 17:20


    For this episode of the Daughters of Lorraine Podcast, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley focus on the histories and enduring legacies of lynching dramas, covering early twentieth century history of Black women playwrights using theatre for protest ends, and situating them in Black feminism and Black radical tradition.

    A Conversation on Fairview

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2019 30:35


    On this first episode of Daughters of Lorraine Podcast, Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey discuss Woolly Mammoth's production of Fairview by Jackie Sibbilies Drury, its theoretical and theatrical interventions, as well as situate it in the historical and cultural contexts of Black theatre.

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