GOOD HAIR

by Phaedra Michelle Scott

At a small Catholic school in 2017, Florence has just been banned from all school related activities thanks to her hair, and is forced to decide how she will make her stand. Inventor Annie Malone’s hair products at the turn of the 20th century revolutionized mobility for Black women, but her biggest supporter and critic, Sarah Breedlove, believes they are only scratching the surface of success. In a fantasy universe, a struggling leader decides to make a deal with a demon to battle against a foe that she will never be able to tame—western beauty standards.

Told through three entangled timelines, Good Hair weaves together the lives of women and the central question: Does the cost of beauty outweigh the proof of science?

Production Notes

3F (doubling/tripling)

 CHARACTERS:

Florence Brown/ Annie Monroe/ Brahma Black Woman. 20s.

Isha Chinnapin/ Barthi Kholi/ Pooja South Asian Woman. 20s.

Dr. May Carter/ Sarah Breedlove/ Riya Black Woman. 30s.

Commissioned by the Ensemble Studio Theater/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant

Developed with Pipeline Theater Company PlayLab

Author

Phaedra Michelle Scott

Phaedra Michelle Scott is a screenwriter and playwright based in New York City. She is a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant for her play Good Hair, about the science of Black hair care. Her play Diaspora! was a commissioned work through Speak Easy Stages’s Boston Project. Phaedra is a past Resident at SPACE on Ryder Farm for her play Plantation Black, and is a member of the Obie-winning playwriting group, Youngblood, at Ensemble Studio Theater. She is also a member of Beehive Dramaturgy Project. Her plays have been commissioned by...[FULL BIO]