LES DEUX NOIRS: NOTES ON NOTES OF A NATIVE SON

by Psalmayene 24

Set in the legendary Parisian café Les Deux Magots in 1953, LES DEUX NOIRS reimagines the meeting between Native Son author Richard Wright and essayist/activist James Baldwin. It explores the tension between Baldwin's searing critiques of Native Son and Wright's unbridled indignation in response—a confrontation between two mighty African-American artists, with echoes of a present-day rap battle.

“...The waters are deep, yet Psalmayene 24’s script surfs and splashes entertainingly.”

—Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post

“Creatively imagined... Psalmayene 24’s Les Deux Noirs crackles with energy like a delicious choreopoem.”

—Debbie Minter Jackson, DC Theatre Scene

“Interwoven with rap and rhyme, Psalmayene 24 gifts us with a spellbinding interpretation of their relationship by creating imagined exchanges laced with political diatribes and withering barbs.” 

—Jordan Wright, Whisk & Quill

Production notes:

CHARACTERS:

James Baldwin: The writer. Disarmingly intelligent. Caustic wit. Gay. Enormously ambitious. Speaks with the certainty of a preacher at a pulpit. He will not allow his prodigious inner beauty to be denied. He has a keen lust for life. Hungry in all ways. 29 years old.

Richard Wright: The writer. Rebellious and stubborn. Fearless with a probing intellect. He behaves with the confidence of a man who has made impossible dreams reality. Though he is sophisticated, there is a trace of his humble Mississippi roots in his manner. 45 years old.

Jean-Claude: French white man. A career waiter. Respectful and attentive. Dashing. A stickler for professional protocol—except for when it contradicts his desires. Avid photographer. 35 years old.

Ludivine: French white woman. Part-time waitress. Comfortable in her own skin. A fantastic dancer. Fun-loving and exuberant. Well-intentioned and guileless, but with an edge. 30 years old.

Author

Psalmayene 24

Psalmayene 24 (a.k.a. Gregory Morrison) is an award-winning playwright, director, and actor. Psalm—as his colleagues call him—is currently The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Playwright in Residence at Mosaic Theater. He is the writer and lyricist of THE BLACKEST BATTLE (Theater Alliance) and the writer, director, and lyricist of the film THE FREEWHEELIN’ INSURGENTS (Arena Stage).

Directing credits include FLOW by Will Power (Studio Theatre), NECESSARY SACRIFICES: A RADIO PLAY by Richard Hellesen (Ford’s Theatre), PASS OVER by Antoinette Nwandu (Studio Theatre), NATIVE SON by Nambi E. Kelley (Mosaic Theater), and WORD BECOMES FLESH—recipient of five 2017 Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Play—by Marc Bamuthi Joseph (Theater Alliance).

Psalm is currently the host of “Psalm’s Salon at Studio”. Produced by Studio Theatre, “Psalm’s Salon” is an interview-based series that celebrates and examines culture through a Black lens. He is one of the writers of Arena Stage’s ... [FULL BIO]