The Play I Had to Write: The Stories of Us

These lovely actors helped me with the first reading of Untitled Stories, the original The Stories of Us script.

This is a journey that has been a long time coming.  The Stories of Us is the play that I have been writing for six years but I never knew that I was writing it.

All of the stories share some Afro-Latin@, African American, Choco-taco realness that has been boiling up inside of me and situating itself around me ever since I was 13.

 Stories was birthed in the AFR courses I took at UT Austin and raised in my adventures in Brazil.  Some of the stories come from blog posts, conversations, my senior thesis and other plays I had written during college.  Sprinkled with outbursts and revelations during talks with the family, memorable songs and dates gone wrong.

There was a lot of prayer that went into it too. When you have something to say, somedays it feels like only God can keep you going. Distractions and fear that your words will not be heard or be TOO much always come.

This is the play that was always on the tip of my tongue.

Do you know how that feels?

Every time I would go see a play or watch a film, I would wonder WHEN I was going to write this piece.  I knew it was in me. I scripted several stories (that ended up being in this piece) before I got to this one.  This is the one.  The one I am married to for life.  Although, I am hoping that every one of my plays envigorates me as much as Stories does.

If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” – Toni Morrison

These are the words that I needed to hear as a teenager. The characters I so desperately wanted to see.  And now it is finally out of my draft section in gmail and in a space where it can reach YOU.

I must admit I am nervous about it reaching you.  Anytime you talk about race, ethnicity and color…pushback is a given.  But that is the beauty of it.  By opening up these discussions,  I will learn so much. 

Stories is still a baby but I am hoping it will grow up and transform lives. You see it is much bigger than me now. It is much bigger than laying my experiences on the experience map for the world to see.  It’s about us.  

The Stories of Us.