show

Black Bastard

Jon Gentry · Ages 16+ · 1hr

family friendly one person show

About the Show

After a sold-out run at the 2024 Hollywood Fringe Festival, this award-winning show returns for the Whitefire Theatre Solofest.

Queer. Millennial. Creole.

From Reading Rainbow to Reading The House Down, writer/performer Jon Gentry transforms into 10+ vivid characters in this prismatic coming-of-age tale where 90s Houston meets theatrical magic.

“Black Bastard” transports audiences to 1990s Houston in a humorous, heartfelt coming-of-age tale. Jon, an inquisitive Black boy, develops a love for literature until his family fractures, thrusting him into the role of “man of the house.” A comedic spiral ensues as Jon grapples with his evolving identity. After a bully confronts him at school, Jon begins the search for his absent father, but is this really the path he wants to go down?

With artful techniques like meta-theatrical “Choose Your Own Adventure” sequences, “Black Bastard” embraces the cosmic complexities of figuring out where and who you belong to. The piece contends that all humans are collective “bastards” on an eternal quest for selfhood and someplace to call home amid constantly evolving identities.

***WINNER*** 2024 Soaring Solo Social Impact Award – Hollywood Fringe Festival

***WINNER*** 2024 Best of Asylum Award – Hollywood Fringe Festival

***WINNER*** 2024 Best of PlayGroud Free-Play Festival

Learn More at theejongentry.com/

Production Team

black bastard