Black Super Hero Magic Mama, written by Inda Craig-Galván and based on a true story, is coming to Skidmore on November 22. This is the first play by a Black playwright to be presented as a seminar production by the college. During this past month, I sat down with the cast members and asked their thoughts and experiences working on this production and why its story is important to them.
Tragedy strikes the home of Sabrina Jackson when her fourteen-year-old son, Tramarion Jackson, is killed by a police officer. As she grapples with this event, her grief takes her into the world of comic books. The production transforms the tragic murder of a fourteen-year-old into a tale that emphasizes the healing process Sabrina Jackson experiences and the love she holds for her son.
Professor Eunice Ferreira of the Skidmore Theater Department is directing this production with a majority Black and BIPOC cast. The show includes original comic book art by Marcus Kwame Anderson and participation by local actor, community activist, mentor, and acting coach, Jocelyn Khoury, playing the role of Sabrina Jackson.
Khoury commented on the cast's dedication to the production, saying, “I'm so impressed with the actors. I'm impressed with everything—the crew, everyone that's working on this project. It's such a massive production. It’s so great that everyone is just so professional. They're respectful; they're on time. They know their stuff. It's really wonderful to see.”
The cast of Black Super Hero Magic Mama at rehearsal. Image courtesy of Professor Eunice Ferreira.
Sabrina lives the life and experiences of many Black Americans in this country. Playwrights, including Craig-Galván, write plays centering on Black Americans to highlight stories from underrepresented communities and people.
Craig-Galván’s play is powerful because it holds space for audiences to experience a unique range of emotions surrounding violence and tragedy and brings light to the human response to grief.
Jojo Zuo ‘26, playing reporter Connie Wright, said “themes of justice and hope [are] the most important and most inspiring themes.”
Chrismeyris Garcia Ulloa ‘28, the understudy for Lena Jackson, Sabrina’s sister, expressed excitement about acting in such an important production. “I feel like this is a different perspective of what a Black play is and how [one] can be seen.”
Beti Essa ‘28, a camera person in the play and an understudy for Lena, said, “It's just nice to be part of a community that really appreciates or honors black excellency and honors black writers, black artists, and black actors; that is really important for our future.”
Sofia Fenner ‘25, the understudy for Connie Wright, commented on how art is used to bolster the story. “I think it's a really interesting lens through which to view grief—the comic book lense,” she said, “because it makes it more digestible for audiences that might be younger or who have a hard time going there in their minds.”
Alongside grief and tragedy comes joy. The relationship between these themes is the foundation of this play.
“One of the biggest messages is the importance or the intertwinedness of joy and tragedy in the black community and how they come together to form the sort of swirl of emotions that can take you several different places and across multiple different journeys in the mind,” said Jae Tolentino ‘28.
The cast reading through the production’s script together. Image courtesy of Professor Eunice Ferreira.
Craig-Galván made it a point to imbue her characters with humanity. In a world where there are people who aren’t remorseful about their actions, it is important to recognize the humanity in the people who do.
George Fortin ‘28, who plays Dave Lester, the police officer responsible for Tramarion’s death, said, “There are instances of violence that happen every day around the world. But specifically in the US with police officers, there's police brutality, and there have been some very terrible instances where you could argue that there's been malicious intent or ulterior motives. I don't believe that that's always the case, but… if [Tramarion] was white, [my character] might not have drawn his weapon.”
Understudy for Dave, Tommy Cattalani ‘28, also remarks on the powerful nature of this play: “The characters of this play experience a horrible, earth-shattering tragedy, but because of their love for each other, they're able to come out on the other side of that.”
The gun violence that is present in the US and also featured in this play has prompted Khoury’s work with MLK Saratoga, a community-based nonprofit organization that offers programming celebrating the life of minister, activist, and philosopher Martin Luther King Jr. The work Khoury is doing for this production directly aligns with the work she does with MLK Saratoga.
Khoury is working “to see if we can maybe get to a place where our kids don't have to die at the hands of a gun. You know, just for no reason. It shouldn't happen.”
The role of the media is also explored in the play, as it strives to accurately represent the present-day media responses to gun violence. Reporters in the play report on events and often take out the human emotions behind the story.
“When you read a headline about this sort of thing kind of happening, it’s like you’re reading a headline, and you don’t get the context of the human experience behind these kinds of stories,” said Ace Hafez ‘27, playing the role of Coach Corey Brackett.
There is a need for stories like this to be accessible so that more people have a way to understand the extent to which gun violence exists.
Darren Jackson-Wilkins ‘25, a theater major and actor playing the role of Tramarion Jackson, says this play has given him “the opportunity to actually build a character whose experiences are not yours but similar to your home.”
Flat Joe, played by Jae Tolentino ‘28, is tasked with grieving the loss of his best friend. This play explores the definition of family and the strength and importance that friendships have.
“I feel like this whole place is surrounded by family. Even though Flat Joe isn't blood family, he's still [Sabrina’s] son in a way. Family is what grounds us and is what holds us down, even in the toughest of times,” said Bree Dossou ‘28, actor for Lena.
Cast members at a cast lunch, hosted by Jocelyn Khoury at her house. Image courtesy of Professor Eunice Ferreira.
This play brings together family, grief, tragedy, and joy in a holistic and realistic manner. Through this play, people, such as student and actor Shane Forbes ‘28, are given an opportunity to share a story that is important to them.
Acting in the role of Tom Blackman, Shane remarks, “[This play] shows me the importance of living up to what I need to do and also making sure that I am telling the story that I need to tell.”
When juggling the difficult topics and emotions of this play, actors need to take care of themselves. Darren, who has enjoyed working on this show, has a process. “I leave it in the main stage. I leave it in the [Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater], because if I take those emotions home with me, that's going to affect my mood.”
Mbaye Seck ‘25 is a Muslim Student Association (MSA) E-Board member and is cast as both The Host and understudy for the character Coach Corey Brackett. He expressed that “the most meaningful part [about working on this show] is meeting new people and learning from people as well.” He also added that this is a powerful experience.
Black Super Hero Magic Mama focuses on bringing awareness to gun violence, the process of grieving, and the ways in which the media gets involved. With a blend of love, joy, family, grief, and tragedy, this play represents an experience one should never have to live through.
Cast members converse at Jocelyn Khoury’s house. Image courtesy of Professor Eunice Ferreira.
The cast hosts a surprise birthday celebration for Jae Tolentino ‘28, playing the role of Flat Joe. Image courtesy of Professor Eunice Ferreira.
Since the beginning of the rehearsal process, the director and the cast have wrapped this show in love. Starting the rehearsals with laughter and hugs and ending with energetic conversations, the cast created a community. This community was deepened through group events such as celebrating cast members’ birthdays at rehearsal and playing charades at Jocelyn’s house after lunch.
If you’re interested in watching the production, running from November 22-24 and December 5-7, tickets are available here.