Hair’itage, a play about six Black ‘Sistahs’ who share a journey surrounding their hair and the way it has impacted their lives, is making its way around New York State. The play, which premiered on May 1 at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College, is set to show in Long Island on Saturday, June 21.
Hair’itage, produced by 4 Love Productions, was created by Niccole Nero Gaines, a graduate of Morgan State University. Gaines, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., is known for two popular Youtube series, “Chopping It Up,” a sketch comedy, and “UnModel Behavior,” a teen sitcom, as well as several other plays including “From the Heart of Hollis” and “Last Dance.”
In an interview with the Amsterdam News in March 2014, she revealed that her interest in using hair as a theme stemmed from the concern a lot of women of color have with styling their hair.
“Many times, a woman’s self-esteem is directly linked to how she feels about her hair. Hair is one of the easiest things a woman can change about her appearance,” she said. “Many women treat hair as an accessory to an outfit.”
All this she explores in her play that is said to leave audience members empowered by its message and storyline, addressing the complexity of the many insecurities women of color face when deciding how to style their hair and why they make certain choices.
Hair’itage, now on a national tour will play at Molloy College at 4 p.m. in June. General advance tickets are available online by visiting http://www.HAIRitageThePlay.com.