During 15 years of jazz research in France, Dr. Rashida K. Braggs has studied how race, gender and nationality impacted Black women’s lives there. She created this solo performance to tell their stories. Amber in the City of Light: Act 1 combines interviews and archival research into an impactful and multi-sensory theatre experience.
Act 1 of what Dr. Braggs plans to be an ongoing theatrical series showcasing her research focuses on the character of Amber. Braggs presents Amber’s story through monologue and movement, as well as original audio from their interview. She intersperses Amber’s story with beautiful visuals of Paris, particularly the tree in the park where the story takes place. Braggs also projects videos of herself sitting under the same tree and writing in her notebook and overlays this with the narration of her notes and thoughts about Amber and the story they are now telling together.
Amber’s story is representative of many Black women’s experiences in Paris in the 1980s and 90s. Bragg’s theatrical interpretation of Amber’s story is incredibly moving. She speaks to, cuddles, and dances with a scarf representing Amber’s child. When another mother in the park mistakes her for her own child’s nanny due to their differing complexions, Braggs lets out a chorus of laughter. The laughter starts light and tinkly, becomes incredulous and mocking, then angry and forced, before returning to reassuring giggles as she processes the range of emotions that Amber feels. The laughter goes on for an uncomfortably long time, giving the audience just a tiny taste of how Black women are consistently mis-seen, the false narratives that are superimposed on them, and how they harm.
“Laughter is the first step toward liberation,” Amber says. The scene is intimate and powerful, this mother fighting through her anger to quickly return to the role of caregiver for her small child who is not yet familiar with this pattern. She must poise herself for “the next case of little things that hurt… repeated across the Black diaspora.” The video of Braggs taking notes in the park underscores the ubiquitousness of these moments and ties it together with scholarly works and Braggs’ own research into the sociology of these interactions.
Amber dances in a call and response style with a video backdrop of herself. Her movements are both strong and tender, the visual echoes giving a feeling of celebration and interconnectedness. As the show ends, Braggs invites the audience to share their impressions and feedback with her, consciously making room for other voices. Her theatrical project may claim a place in history that scholarly research alone cannot. Braggs has identified an untold number of women’s stories that deserve to be shared as widely as possible and to be written and interpreted by someone within their community. It will be fascinating to see which stories she portrays next and how she chooses to do so.
"Amber in the City of Light: Act 1"
Written and performed by Rashida K. Braggs
October 19, 2024
United Solo Festival, Theatre Row, NYC
The 17th United Solo Festival
September 24 – November 17, 2024
Theatre Row
410 West 42nd (btw 9th and 10th Avenue)
STEPHANIE EAGAN is a professional writer based in NJ. A fan of every type of live performance imaginable, from taiko drumming to political performance art, she travels the tri-state area and beyond in search of music, art, theater, and excellent coffee.
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