Play a Day: Daughters of the Moon

Reginald Edmund

There used to be an online motivational event called Script Frenzy, much like NaNoWriMo only for screenplays and play scripts. They closed up shop five years ago, which is a pity, but not before I used the event as an opportunity to write a complete, new work in the month of April, 2012. That play was Double Heart (The Courtship of Beatrice and Benedick).

Now, for today. I have been terrible about reading these days. Not reading enough, certainly not reading plays. So, as we enter the month of April I have resolved to read one play each day, from the ever-expanding database available at New Play Exchange.

This morning I read Daughters of the Moon by Reginald Edmund. Reggie was in town in January as a panelist at Cleveland Public Theatre for Entry Point and we had the chance to finally meet face to face and talk for a little. He is the creative force behind the Black Lives, Black Words project, which has been produced in several cities, most recently at the Bush Theatre in London.

It is not my intent to critique each of these plays, only to read them. Having said, that, Daughters of the Moon is a thrilling survival adventure, historical and poetic, with strong themes on race, gender, and empowerment. From my own perspective, this script would be an excellent educational touring production for audiences middle school and older.

Also, after a disappointing and depressing fallow period, I have scribbled my way into the possibility of a narrative that I may be compelled to investigate. So, happy first of April all around.