Josiah Thomas Turner is a queer, Black artist, musician, and theater maker and a 2023-25 Many Voices Fellow. He wrote to us about what he likes to write, how he likes to recharge, and some of the plays he workshopped at the Center this year.
Up next, Josiah’s play Jinkies! or The (currently) Untitled Dog Play will be performed at The VORTEX in Austin this July.
You can find his plays on New Play Exchange.
Read on to get to know more about Josiah!
What can you tell us about your plays Becoming!! or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 2279 and All that Followed and The Bible According to Alan Packard, which you workshopped at the Center earlier this year?
I describe BECOMING!! as a post-apocalyptic musical about Michelle Obama that’s not actually a musical and not actually about Michelle Obama. Using the trapping of American musical theater, the play is a satirical, “semi-autobiographical” dystopian “adaptation” about distorted faith, malicious storytelling, and history repeating itself. I’ve been developing this piece for several years now, so I used the workshop to present a staged reading with demos of the music I recorded myself. It was a blast.
Alan Packard on the other hand is a play about the Word of Faith movement in the United States, wherein an internet satirist, Hezekiah, accidentally becomes the center of a charismatic, semi-sexual cult. This play is much earlier in development so it was a nice shift from BECOMING!!, as I used the workshop to help me better understand the shape of the piece overall.
What topics, themes, or genres are you most drawn to? Why do they excite or captivate you?
I believe in comedy and laughter and the power of joy to edify, enlighten and heal, especially in the face of rising fascism. I revel in jokes that make some audience members laugh, while others shift uncomfortably in their seats. I enjoy humor that asks questions and incites intrigue; sometimes that’s the best way to have a difficult conversation. My work seeks to examine the politicized role of organized religion in the United States while satirizing the systemic failings plaguing the nation and their amplified effects on Global Majority communities. I strive to create fun, iconic, challenging characters for actors who have historically been underserved when it comes to theater making and storytelling in this country.
How do you like to rest? What fills your cup when it’s time to recharge?
I love videogames. I’ve been playing a ton of Balatro and The Binding of Isaac while listening to creepy podcasts. However recently I’ve been learning the value of turning off the TV and spending time with my thoughts, meditating, journaling, and just breathing. That’s not to say I’m any good at it, but I’m getting better. I also exercise and thoroughly enjoy running. I try to get in a good one every morning—I find it really clears my mind and gives me a boost the rest of the day. And bad movies. They’re my favorite. When’s the last time you sat down and watched Tom Hooper’s Cats? It’s probably been too long.
