OHara - Barbecue ; Bootycandy

NBC OHara is a genius at scene-building, that deceptively difficult art of dancing backward and forward at once, and is also inerrant at locating the social experience of his plays at the intersection of voyeurism and minstrelsy... A hysterical new play. Vulture A brash, taboo-flouting roast of race and representation. Time Out New York OHara has proved he can pull a rabbit out of a hat. Barbecue is lousy with rabbitsand laughs... Entertainment Weekly PRAISE FOR BOOTYCANDY A searing and sensationally funny comedy about the sometimes poisonous attitude toward homosexuality in black culture... Bootycandy is as raw in its language and raucous in spirit as it is smart and provocative. New York Times Insanely entertaining... Bootycandy is basically a spiritual autobiography through satire, loosely tracking the life of a gay black boy named Sutter from childhood through his professional success as a playwright. Vulture Arrestingly original in so many ways... Vulture Arrestingly original in so many ways...

OHara deliberately walks an uncomfortable line between humor and its opposite, which lends added punch and an air of the unexpected to Bootycandy. Boston Globe Funny, smutty and, on the whole, enticingly subversive... Bootycandy is a toxically satiric portrait of American life, as it is experienced by someone who is black and gay. Washington Post Trashing and lashing out at racial, cultural and sexual stereotypes isnt new. But this vision gets credit for its smarts and unruliness. this show is delectably un-PC and potty-mouthed. New York Daily News Largely inspired by writer Robert OHaras own experience... Bootycandy is a raucous romp made up of a series of loosely connected vignettes... Bootycandy is a raucous romp made up of a series of loosely connected vignettes...

Sassy, saucy, occasionally graphic and irreverently funny. New York PostTo my mother,Lillie AnneAnd her siblings,James T, Henry, Adlean, Marie, Barbara, T.J.,Alfonso, Terry, Tyrone, Tina and MelvinTo Lizzie B, my granny BOOKS BY ROBERT OHARA AVAILABLE FROM TCG Barbecue / BootycandyInsurrection: Holding HistoryThe Fire This Time: African American Plays for the 21st Century Edited by Harry J. Elam, Jr. and Robert Alexander INCLUDES Insurrection: Holding HistoryBarbecue / Bootycandy is copyright 2016 by Robert OHara Barbecue / Bootycandy is published by Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018-4156 All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio or television reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that this material, being fully protected under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and all other countries of the Berne and Universal Copyright Conventions, is subject to a royalty.

All rights, including but not limited to, professional, amateur, recording, motion picture, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio and television broadcasting, and the rights of translation into foreign languages are expressly reserved. Particular emphasis is placed on the question of readings and all uses of this book by educational institutions, permission for which must be secured from the authors representative: Ron Gwiazda, Abrams Artists Agency, 275 Seventh Avenue, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10001, (646) 461-9325. The publication of Barbecue / Bootycandy, by Robert OHara, through TCGs Book Program, is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA OHara, Robert, 1970 author. | OHara, Robert, 1970 Barbecue.

Bootycandy; Barbecue / Robert OHara. Other titles: Barbecue. First edition. ISBN 9781559368049 (ebook) Subjects: BISAC: DRAMA / American. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies. Classification: LCC PS3565.H296 A6 2016 (print) | LCC PS3565.H296 (ebook) DDC 812/.54dc23 Book design and composition by Lisa Govan Cover design by Jeff Rogers First Edition, September 2016 Table of Contents

I encourage you to trust that the funny is there. It is built in, and you dont have to play it. Instead, just play the truth. I think of it this way, if the entirety of the experience is out of the box, then there is NO box from which to come out. I would like to suggest that you establish the box. A Normal Box.

Pun absolutely intended. Simple. Honest. Real interactions are what I have tried to craft using a bunch of mixed nuts who think they are as normal as anyone else walking the planet. There may be a tendency to turn both of these works into SNL or In Living Color sketches, and while the audience may hoot and holler, they will ultimately miss the painful truth inside both of these pieces. And that truth is, we are all fucked-up.

But fucked-up people rarely believe they are fucked-up... Therefore, let the outrageous live in the language and the given circumstances. Not in the action or design. Build the box. Put the play in it. Robert OHaraJuly 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the scene titled Alaskan Fishtail, some of the language is lifted from the website for Passages Malibu Alcohol/Drug Rehab: http://www.passagesmalibu.com/ PRODUCTION HISTORY Barbecue had its world premiere at The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director) in New York, on October 8, 2015. Robert OHaraJuly 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the scene titled Alaskan Fishtail, some of the language is lifted from the website for Passages Malibu Alcohol/Drug Rehab: http://www.passagesmalibu.com/ PRODUCTION HISTORY Barbecue had its world premiere at The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director) in New York, on October 8, 2015.

The play was directed by Kent Gash. The scenic design was by Clint Ramos, the costume design was by Paul Tazewell, the lighting design was by Jason Lyons, the original music and sound design were by Lindsay Jones; the production stage manager was Buzz Cohen. The cast was: