About the play

A Queens' Brawl was first inspired by my mother's complex and often tumultuous relationship with her sisters. Like many siblings, they experienced moments of conflict, disagreement, and fierce rivalry, yet beneath it all remained an undeniable love and loyalty to one another. As a child, I was fascinated by these dynamics and the powerful personalities of the women in my family.

At the same time, I was drawn to stories of kings, queens, empires, and royal bloodlines. However, the rulers I saw on television and in popular media rarely looked like the women I knew. I wanted to create a universe where black people, particularly black women, could occupy positions of unquestioned power, influence, and royalty.

I realized early on that I might never witness black kings and queens ruling vast kingdoms in my lifetime, so I reached into the future and imagined a world where such figures could exist. The futuristic setting of A Queens' Brawl serves as a vehicle for establishing these characters, their authority, and the society they have built. Yet their stories are not confined to the future. My intention has always been to explore these characters across multiple periods and settings, including the present day.

Beyond its epic scope, A Queens' Brawl examines themes of family, betrayal, grief, revenge, religion, diaspora conflicts, gender expectations, and racial stereotypes. At its heart, however, it is a story about power, who possesses it, who seeks it, and the personal costs of holding onto it.