First of all, I want to express how much anger and pain I feel for the people of Ferguson, MO. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “A riot is the voice of the unheard.” Everyone should follow this tumblr for up to the minute updates and ways to help. And don’t forget that the looting and arson is only one small part of the overwhelming response of solidarity and peaceful protest from around the world. Don’t forget that people protecting others and supporting their community doesn’t bring good ratings for primetime news. I’m immensely proud of my friends and the many people who refuse to lie down and take it. “Today is tomorrow and we are still fighting,” wrote one of my friends on her Facebook page after she marched with thousands to help #shutdownnewyork. I fly with my family to St. Louis today, to share one of our favorite holidays with our family there. I hope to visit Ferguson, to drop off a couple gift baskets that are being collected for the kids in the community by the Ferguson Burger Bar. I also plan to eat too much and treasure the beautiful opportunity to take a breath and spend time with my family. We’re making ginger sumac tofu for my mama, who is newly vegan, and I can’t WAIT for my Granny’s famous raisin cookies.

In lighter news, today is the first edition of my “Theatre News Around the World”! I’m obsessed with The X-Files (I’m on a 90s sci-fi kick after inhaling Twin Peaks this summer) so I’m thrilled that Gillian Anderson is nominated for best actress in The London Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her performance of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. That’s one performance I wish I could have witnessed! More reasons to move across the pond–Philip Pullman (who wrote my favorite EVER fantasy trilogy; sorry J.K.) has a dark and twisty play based on Grimm’s fairytales that opened in London last week. Also, as y’all know, I hard core stan for black theatre, so I was excited to learn that East Harlem Rep is doing a play about Mandela that opens at the National Black Theatre for a special engagement this December. Tell me in the comments if you have favorite theatre news sources around the world and here in the U.S. Tryna stay informed, y’all!

I wish you and yours a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!!

Love and theatre,

-K