Cris Eli Blak’s work has been produced and performed around the world. He was a staff writer on the hit series Power Book III: Raising Kanan. He is the inaugural winner of the Black Broadway Men Playwriting Initiative, the 2024 Charles M. Getchell New Play Award, and the Atlanta Shakespeare Company’s inaugural winner of the Muse of Fire BIPOC Playwriting Festival. He is currently the recipient of the inaugural Pages in Paris residency at Le Studio d’Art in France, 2025-26 Signpost Fellowship, 2024-2027 Core Writer with The Playwrights Center; and is a writer-in-residence at the 2026 Rhinebeck Writers Retreat and the 2026 Orchard Project, and the inaugural LDK Productions Writers’ Residency. He was previously an artist-in-residence with Ojai Playwrights Conference, Abingdon Theatre Company, The State University of New York - Oswego, Liberation Theatre Company, La Lengua Teatro en Español/AlterTheater Ensemble, Fosters Theatrical Artists Residency, Paterson Performing Arts Development Council, and Quick Silver Theatre. He was the recipient of the Emerging Playwrights Fellowship with The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre Company and an inaugural fellow with the Black Theatre Coalition. His work has been published by Smith & Kraus, Inc., Ghost Light Publications, 1319 Press, Flowersong Press, YOUTHPlays, Applause Books, The PlayGround Experiment, New World Theatre, Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, and in the Black Theatre Review.
Free
Playwrights’ Center, 710 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55114
In-person March 26 at 4:00 p.m. CDT
About the play
A Black singer-songwriter finally gets her big break, only to discover that her record label plans to replace her public image with an AI-generated white avatar. As she struggles to retain ownership of her voice, her art, and her identity, she must decide whether survival in a digital-first music industry is worth the cost of invisibility.
When I wrote the first draft of SING FOR ME over a year ago, I thought the entire conceit of the show sounded stranger than fiction. Now, the strangest part is how real certain things are becoming. I was inspired to write this play based on the clear threat that AI is to not only creativity—we know this, we’ve discussed it ad nauseum and yet somehow not enough—but to the industries that employ creatives. It’s not just about the creatives being shut out, it’s about the corporations and conglomerates being able to silence the human voice in favor of one they can work nonstop and pay nothing. Artists are already disrespected in those regards and this only makes it worse and easier to take advantage. Go on Spotify and you’ll find several AI-created singers, some with millions of oblivious monthly listeners, and some with listeners who just don’t care. I wanted to write a show that frames these issues as a form of erasure and gives a glimpse into just how problematic and messy it could become. We’ve already crossed ethical lines, what’s stopping it from going further? And how does it affect us personally as much as it does our work?
Making your reservation
This is an free, in-person, ticketed event at Playwrights’ Center on March 26. Donations are accepted and appreciated.
Please use the sign up link below to reserve your spot in advance.
If you have any questions about making your reservation, please email us at rsvp@pwcenter.org.
When to arrive
All seating is general admission. We recommend arriving 10-15 minutes prior to the reading to check in and find your seat. Please note, free parking is limited around the Center.
Visit our About page to learn more about parking and accessibility.
Large groups
If you are making a reservation for more than eight people, please email rsvp@pwcenter.org to arrange. If you make a reservation for more than eight, a member of our team may be in touch closer to the reading date to confirm final numbers for your group.
Cris Eli Blak
