May 31 – June 22, 2025
(Cincinnati, OH) Get tressed to impress! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) closes its 2024–2025 Season with the regional premiere dramedy Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Written by award-winning and Tony-nominated Ghanaian American playwright Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play), pull up a chair with West African immigrant braiders who work their magic on the locals’ locks. This laugh-out-loud comedic gem is a riotously funny yet deeply resonant play that celebrates the indomitable spirit and interconnectedness that define us all. Playing May 31–June 22, 2025, and is directed by Torie Wiggins. Premiere Sponsors are Daniel Brown & Mark Haggard and ArtsWave. Artist Sponsor is Linda R. Holthaus.
Welcome to Jaja’s bustling hair braiding salon nestled in the pulsating heart of Harlem, where a lively community of West African immigrant hair braiders weaves together humor and heart. Amidst the laughter and playful shop talk, a diverse group of women share dreams, love stories, and hidden secrets, all while creating stunning braided masterpieces. On a sweltering summer day, the lighthearted banter reveals deeper reflections on the challenges of feeling like outsiders in their own neighborhood, sparking a powerful exploration of identity and belonging, and confronting what it means to be an outsider on the edge of the place they call home.
“One of the things I love about Jaja’s is all these voices and ideas converging in this one place,” explains ETC Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “It’s important to celebrate a community’s voice in a way that feels accessible and understandable and that can be empathetic as well as celebratory. These women’s lives are changed in an instant by powers beyond their control. I think it’s essential in our world to recognize what other people may be up against that we’re unaware of as we go about our daily lives.”
Cast includes Burgess Byrd (Jaja), Keisha L. Kemper (Bea), Samantha Russell (Marie), Elexis Selmon (Jennifer), and Beasley (Vanessa/Shelia/Radia). Additionally, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati welcomes the following performers in their ETC debuts: A.J. Baldwin (Michelle/Chrissy/LaNiece), Jasimine Bouldin (Ndidi), Candice Handy (Aminata), Brianna Miller (Miriam), and Samuel Stricklen (James/Franklin/Olu/Eric).
Production team: Brian c. Mehring (Resident Scenic & Lighting Designer), Tiara M. Jones (Costume, Hair, & Wig Designer), Aniya Williams (Assistant Hair & Wig Designer), Justin Ellington (Sound Designer), Trey Tatum (Associate Sound Designer), Debora Crabbe (Dialect Coach), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Curator & Design Assistant), and Jacob Dowell (Technical Director). Production Stage Manager is Margot Whitney. Assistant Stage Manager is Lexi Muller.
Performance Information
Performances Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. A complete calendar of performances is available at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.
Ticket Prices
Tickets for adults start at $30; student tickets are $28; and children are $24. Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount only applies to adult tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.
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2024-2025 Season Presenting Sponsor is the LKC Foundation.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.
The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre rooted in historic Over-the-Rhine dedicated to engaging, enriching, and inspiring audiences through our thought-provoking world and regional premiere productions, creating and sustaining careers in professional theatre, building community partnerships, and sharing impactful education programs throughout our region.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 