Black Magic| Perceptions Theatre

After the death of the family matriarch, Tituba, who was a spiritual priestess, Sasha and her siblings are left to sort through her belongings and the complicated feelings left behind. As the oldest, Sasha often handles any challenge thrown her way, while neglecting her own needs. After moving into her own place it soon gets overrun by her baby brother Hakeem as he embarks on his own journey to college, her rowdy sister Khadija who is always finding herself and her best friend Dee Dee who only wants the best for her.

As feelings of love, grief, ignored realities and revenge boil Sasha desperately looks for a way to connect to her grandmother through the spiritual world as she tries to keep it all together.

Special Features Included with each ticket:

*Talkback with cast, playwright and director

*Talkback with Therapist Shaniqua Ford, LCSW, Founder of Soul Werk Cafe

*Rehearsing During Quarantine: A look at one of our rehearsals

MEET THE CAST

Valerie Nicole Papillon is a Chicago-based actor, poet, and cultural organizer. She hails from the northern suburbs of Chicago and is the proud daughter of two Haitian parents. In addition to her artistry, Valerie Nicole is a psychotherapist who works with survivors of police violence at the Chicago Torture Justice Center and is a community organizer with BYP 100- a national organization that fights for liberation for all Black people through a Black Queer Feminist lens. Valerie Nicole is a proud alum of The ACADEMY at BlackBox Acting. She is thrilled to join the cast of Black Magic. Valerie Nicole has also appeared in Before Haiti and commercial projects. She is proudly represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent.

valerie papillon

"SASHA"

jabari khaliq

"HAKEEM"

After a long break from the stage, Jabari is thrilled to bring new life to Hakeem once again! Previous productions he has taken part in are Leftovers with Something Marvelous along with Three Sisters and Florissant & Canfield at UIC. He sends his love and thanks to his family at home and the entire Perceptions team for supporting him and can't wait for what the future has in store!

nia vines

"KHADJIA"

Nia attended Columbia College Chicago, where she expanded her artistic wings both on and off the stage, performing in many productions such as: Two Chairs and Light Blub, The 90's Show, and Paint it Black. Some student films including: Blown Away, Skin Deep, Tales from the Dorm, an Dream. Nia has taken on new ventures as assistant director for the production Red Carnation at the Chicago Actor's Studio, and is now directing and writing short films. She hopes to move people with her art and storytelling.

alyssa arizpe

"DEE DEE"

Arizpe (DeeDee) is excited to make her Chicago debut with Black Magic! Recent credits include: Hamlet (Polonius), Bad Jews (Daphna), Red, Hot, and Cool (Beat Poet), Three Sisters: Abridged (Natasha), Trojan Women (Cassandra), Eurydice (Loud Stone), Yellow Wallpaper (Woman in the Wall), South Pacific (Bloody Mary), Bring It On: The Musical (Ensemble), and Antigone (Title Character). She has a BFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University and has trained at the Moscow Art Theatre as well as Hydrama Theatre & Arts Centre in Greece.

MEET THE director

myesha-tiara

Myesha-Tiara hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Performance and Directing. After college she performed for regional and touring theatres until she decided to make the big move
to the Windy City. At the end of 2019 she opened her own 501 c3 non-profit theatre company, Perceptions Theatre, on the Southside of Chicago. In Chicago she has been seen in For Colored Girls… as Lady In Brown and Lady In Blue u/s (Court Theatre/ Jeff Recommended); Swamp Baby as Swamp Baby/Iriana (MPAACT). Steel Magnolias as Annelle (Theatre at the Center); The Wedding Band (The Artistic Home/ Jeff Recommended) and Hamlet as Gertrude and Ophelia/Osric u/s (The Gift Theatre).
Her upcoming theatre shows are The Foster School Project (Mudlark Theater) and Mother of the Dark Water (MPAACT). Chicago directing credits include: Invisible (Assistant Director/Her Story Theatre); The Little Foxes (Associate Director / Citadel Theatre Company); Skin Deep and The Bible (Director/ Artistic Home Theatre’s: Cut to the Chase One Act Fest), Some Day (Director/ The Rockwell Theatre Bandits’ Ravenswood: New Play Fest/ stage reading) and Somewhere in Uptown (Director/ Collaboraction’s: Peacebook Festival). Outside of Chicago, Myesha-Tiara has appeared in The Miracle Worker and as Mrs. Muller in Doubt (Round Barn Theatre). TV and film credits include: Rap Mom (B Side Productions) and Broke AF (B Side Productions/ webseries) and she was featured in the Academy Award winning film 12 Years a Slave. She is represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent (myesha-tiara.com, IG: myeshatiara)

MEET THE playwright

jerluane 'jaE' jenkins

Is a local playwright, actor and director in Chicago and recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. While pursuing her Bachelor's in Theatre and Performance it became clear that opportunities in theatre were scarce for students of color. With this information and years of living in Chicago Jerluane makes a conscious effort to tell the stories of people who are often unheard. Her goal is to build up her community from the inside.