Waafrika 123: A Queerly Scripted Tragic Rise to African Fantasia
Written by Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko
Directed by é boylan
Tickets for Waafrika 123: A Queerly Scripted Tragic Rise to African Fantasia are Pay-What-You-Wish, ranging from $15 to $120 per ticket.
Celebrate Pride Month, resistance, and love with National Queer Theater and PAC NYC.
On the eve of Kenya’s first democratic elections, the rural village of Luoland is brewing with tension. Although queerness ‘doesn’t exist’ in Kenya, Bobby, an American lesbian, falls in love with Awino, a trans man from the Luo tribe. To complicate matters, Awino’s father is the tribe’s Chief, who steadfastly enforces the tribe’s traditions and codes. When famine strikes, the villagers blame the queer couple, and Awino is sent away to be ‘circumcised’ by force. Will Awino and Bobby have to separate for the good of their community? Or will the village be forced to reckon with change?
Originally developed at the 2019 Criminal Queerness Festival at IRT Theater.
Waafrika 123, featuring TL Thompson (standing) and Shiro Kihagi (seated, right) Photo: Sean Velasco-Dodge
Members of the cast and company discuss the inspiration, themes, and creative process behind Waafrika 123: A Queerly Scripted Tragic Rise to African Fantasia.
Contains depictions of transphobic, homophobic, and misogynistic violence, language describing sexual assault, and self-harm.
Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko
Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko (he/they/Nick) plays include: Silence Is A Sound; Cock Tales for Christmas; 37; S.T.A.R: Marsha P. Johnson; Waafrika 123: A Queerly Scripted Tragic Rise to African Fantasia; THEY/THEM/THEIRS; Home is the AfterLife; Blueprint for an African Lesbian; SH/Ero; Asymmetrical We; Brotherly Love; Trailer Park Tundra; Once A Man Always A Man; Mama Afrika; Queering MacBeth; Life Is About the Kill; That Day God Visits You; Ata; To Dyke Trans; Gayze; Good Grief; Pence At The Border and many more. Residencies include: Playwrights’ Center (2022-26); Resident Playwright Initiative with Playwrights’ Foundation (2019-2023); Resilience and Development (R&D) Writers’ Lab (2017-2018); New York City’s EWG (Emerging Writers’ Group) at the Public Theater and more.
é boylan
é boylan (they/them) is a New York City based director, creator, and composer developing new work towards trans liberation. Selected honors include: New Writer in Residence at Lincoln Center Theater, Musical Theatre Factory Makers Cohort II, 2022 Jonathan Larson Grant (Finalist), 2022 Relentless Award (Honorable mention), 2023 June Bingham New Playwright Commission (Finalist), 2023 NAMT Fall Conference (Finalist), 2024 Polyphone Artist, 2023 SPACE on Ryder Farm Creative Resident, 2018 and 2021 O’Neill Resident Artist, 2019 Trans Lab Fellow, 2019–2020 Manhattan Theatre Club Directing Fellow, 2021 Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriter, 2021 Prospect Theater Co. MT Lab, 2022 MTFxR Garage Artist, and 2020–2022 Roundabout Theatre Co. Directors Group. Graduate of The University of Chicago and National Theater Institute. www.eboylan.com
National Queer Theater
National Queer Theater (NQT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater company based in New York City, dedicated to celebrating the brilliance of generations of LGBTQ+ artists and providing a home for unheard storytellers and activists.
