Blaque/OUT Spotlight Presents: Christina Anderson (pronouns: She,Her,Hers) Interviewed by: “Living in the Light” Columnist, Javannah Davis

BlaqueOut Spotlight brings to center stage the charismatic, passionate and revolutionary talents of playwright Christina Anderson. Christina has written a variety of critically-acclaimed plays such as “How To Catch Creation”, “Pen/Man/Ship”, and “Blacktop Sky”, just to name a few. “The Resurrection of Michelle Morgan”, is one of Christina’s most recent projects that will be featured during Rochester’s annual “ImageOut Festival”. The Festival showcases a variety of movies, and plays that observe the great works from members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community on stage and screen. I had the pleasure of sitting down and having a brief conversation with Christina Anderson regarding herself as an artist, and her noteworthy plays.

Javannah: Christina, tell us a little bit about yourself? When did you find your passion for writing?

Christina: I was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. When I got older I moved to the east coast, living in Providence, RI for about 4 years, and even lived for a time out west. I started teaching in 2011, and over the next few years I taught for Wesleyan University, Rutgers University, and Brown University. I took a break from teaching in 2018 to focus on my own personal projects. As far as my passion for writing, even before I was able to read or write I loved storytelling. I remember just scribbling on a piece of paper and just making up stories while pretending to read them to my mother. I started really writing as early as kindergarten, and as I became older I started getting into acting and theatre, and participating in performing spoken words when I could.

Javannah: Many of your plays depict the many challenges African-Americans encounter within their own community, as well as in the LGBTQ+ community. Do you consider yourself an activist in a way?

Christina: Yes. A Lot of my plays deal with the twisted and complicated relationship we as black people have with American. So yeah, many of my plays have very political undertones while I also incorporate humor for levity. We as black people use humor much of the time to get through our life's ills which is a wonderful thing. There is also a black hindrance that exists when it comes to the stage. So many of my plays have a black cast without using the weight of the white gays on them. A majority of my plays are written for black women so they can occupy the stage and be seen for their full, authentic selves.

Javannah: Out of all of your accomplishments, what are you most proud of? Christina: I would have to say that I am most proud of my play, “How To Catch Creationâ€. Javannah: ...and why is that?

Christina: At the time that I wrote it I was living in Oakland, California and that was the first time I had met so many awesome queer black women whose identity was theirs, and gave reason for it to be celebrated. Not only as black women, but as queer black women. I was also writing it at a time when I had met a black male feminist for the first time while in Chicago. His name was Nigel Smith and I met him at the Goodman Theatre. All of these experiences is a couple of the reasons why all the women in my plays are black and queer.

Javannah: Tell us of how you were notified that one of your plays was going to be featured in Rochester’s wonderful ImageOut Festival?

Christina: Well I was contacted by Jenny from the Geva Theatre regarding, The Resurrection of Michelle Morgan. Which is really a passion project for me.

Javannah: Tell us what do you aspire your audience to walk away from your plays with?

Christina: I would like them to walk away with, hopefully, seeing the world slightly different; brighter. I would also hope that they see a part of themselves in one of the characters and even potentially learn something about themselves.