MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT

About the show

A new play with music centers on Joan Jett Blakk, the first and only Black drag queen to run for President of the United States. Set in the early 1990s during the height of the AIDS crisis, the production follows Joan and members of the newly formed Queer Nation Chicago as they undertake a bold campaign to bring queer politics from the margins into the Democratic National Convention. Inspired by the true story of drag performer and activist Terence Alan Smith, the work blends performance styles—part campaign rally, part nightclub show, part personal testimony—into a celebration of urgent and unfinished social work. Written by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tony Award nominee Tina Landau, and directed by Landau, the production features Emmy Award winner Wayne Brady in the lead role.