by Pearl Cleage
First published 2022
Anna Campbell sits in an Amsterdam café, staring at an invitation that could resurrect her dead career. Decades ago, she and her manager Betty Samson created theatrical history with their notorious production "Naked Wilson," performing monologues from August Wilson's Fences in a way that scandalized critics and drove Anna into exile. Now a women's theatre festival wants them back for a show billed as "angry, raucous, and shamelessly gorgeous." Anna agrees to return, but her fears multiply when she meets Pete Watson, the young performer cast to replace her in the lead role. Pete's only stage experience comes from adult entertainment, a background that clashes with Anna's classical training. As opening night approaches, both women must bridge the gap between their different worlds. They discover unexpected connections while Anna faces the ghosts of her controversial past and Pete proves her worth beyond others' assumptions.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, african-american, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Amsterdam, Fences
Period: Decades Ago
61 pages · Dramatists Play Service, Inc.