Rap Monologues
Written and performed by Austin Dean Ashford
Directed by Raymond O. Caldwell
Booking and details
Dates Thu, Jan 25, 2024, 7pm
Tickets Festival pass - $35; All-access pass - $75
Step into the world of “Rap Monologues,” a dazzling one-person show that redefines tradition. Follow the journey of a storage unit trainer at Safe Guys who, through a passion for hip-hop verses, transforms classical texts into electrifying monologues.
This tour de force performance is a fusion of hip hop history, humor, and a fresh perspective on the classics.
“Rap Monologues” is a cultural phenomenon, offering an unforgettable experience that will have you laughing, grooving, and reimagining the boundaries of art. Don’t miss this unforgettable theatrical masterpiece and witness tradition and innovation collide in spectacular fashion on stage!
Post-show conversation
Karen Ann Daniels moderates a conversation with Austin Dean Ashford, and Raymond O. Caldwell.
Students receive free admission with valid ID, 30 minutes before event start time. General admission seating is available for this performance on a first-come, first-serve basis after festival pass holders are seated.
Who’s who
Austin Dean Ashford
Austin Dean Ashford (Playwright) has presented his work at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington DC, the United Solo Festival in New York City, the San Diego International Fringe Festival, and the Dunedin and New Zealand Fringe Festivals. He was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award and became a Hip-Hop Cultural Ambassador for the US Embassy. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at Texas Tech University. Received a dual MFA in Acting and Playwriting at the University of Arkansas.
Raymond O. Caldwell
Raymond O. Caldwell (Director) Folger Theatre: Rap Monologues; Kennedy Center: Look Both Ways, All the Way Live; Theater Alliance: Poetry for the People (Helen Hayes Award), Day of Absence, Blood at the Root (Helen Hayes Award); 1st Stage: Fly me to the Sun; Signature Theatre: Passing Strange; Mosaic Theater: One in Two, Les Deux Noirs; Round House Theatre: Nollywood Dreams; Olney Theater Center: The Thanksgiving Play, The Diary of Anne Frank; Imagination Stage: Zomo the Rabbit ; SolasNua: The Frederick Douglass Project; theHegira: In the Blood. Regional: The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio: Skeleton Crew. Opera: Kennedy Center: The Cartography Project. Film: The Blackest Battle, City in Transition: The Quadrant Series, Sleep Deprivation Chamber, A Protest in 8. Artistic Leadership: Theater Alliance. 2023 SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award Recipient. www.raymondocaldwell.com
Caleen Sinnette Jennings
Caleen Sinnette Jennings (Adaptor) Folger Theatre: Rap Monologues. Playwright: Queens Girl Trilogy: Queens Girl in the World, Queens Girl in Africa, Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains; Round House Theatre: Homebound. Arena Stage: May 22, 2020; The 51st State. The Kennedy Center: commission, Darius & Twig. Dramatic Publishing Service has published eight of her plays, and her work has appeared in seven play anthologies. She has received playwriting awards from the Kennedy Center and Actors Theatre of Louisville. She is currently writing the book for a new musical on the life of famous black contralto Marian Anderson. American University: Professor Emerita, Theatre. The Welders: Founder.
Tori Schuchmann
Tori Schuchmann (Production Stage Manager) Folger Theatre: Rap Monologues (The Reading Room Festival 2024); Constellation Theatre Company: Orlando, The School for Lies, Once on This Island; Imagination Stage: Inside Out and Backwards; Theater J: Tiny Lights; IN Series Opera: The Return of Ulysses; University of Maryland: Dance²; Arts on the Horizon: The Laundromat Show. Production Manager of Andy’s Summer Playhouse in New Hampshire and the Senior Project Manager for ViDCo (Virtual Design Collective).
Karen Ann Daniels
Karen Ann Daniels is the Director of Programming/Artistic Director of Folger Theatre. A native San Diegan, she is an accomplished actor, director, playwright, vocalist, musician, and community organizer. Prior to joining the Folger, she was director of the Mobile Unit at The Public Theater in NYC, producing tours around all five boroughs of NYC bringing the tools of theater to incarcerated community through Mobile Unit In Corrections (MUiC).