The Great Khan

The laughs come quickly in Michael Gene Sullivan’s provocative and brilliant new play.

Jayden, an African American teenager, just wants to be his game-playing, nerdy self. But after he saves a girl, Ant, from an assault by a gang of boys, he and his mother are forced to move to keep him safe from those who attacked her. While Jayden debates with himself if he should toughen up, Ant tries to reject the tough Black girl persona she has adopted. Both are trying to figure out how to define themselves in a culture that insists on seeing them as forever dangerous. Oh, and then Genghis Khan shows up.

With fierce conviction and playful humor, The Great Khan reflects on the beauty of youth - that magical space between adolescence and adulthood. It also deftly addresses challenges Black teens currently face in the U.S.; issues relating to who writes history and how that can determine your present and