Jocelyn Bioh’s award-winning play School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play has begun previews this week ahead of its official opening at the end of the month. The story is inspired by the real life controversy and discussions of colorism that surrounded the Miss Ghana pageant in 2011, when a light skinned, multi-racial woman was selected to represent the country in their bid to win Miss Universe. At press day, I asked the cast, when they took note of not just their blackness, but their unique complexion, which for most American Black women, constitutes a canon event so memorable that it shapes their sense of self, interactions with others, professional opportunities, and may or may not lead them to write an award-winning play. Cast members Lucia Aremu, Denée Benton, Erin Morton, Nia Otchere-Sarfo, Jordan Rice, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Heather Alicia Simms, director Whitney White, and playwright Jocelyn Bioh were kind enough to share how their skin tone and the realization it delivered impacted their early years and continues to impact them now. 

Previews began on September 8. Opening night of School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play is Monday, September 28, 2026. Stay tuned and subscribe to read (or watch) my review when it’s ready!

blacklove 🖤 and starlight 🌟