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The Festival In Da Back

Play Developed through the National Black Theatre's I Am SOUL Playwright Residency

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PUBLIC PRESENTATION

April 9-12 2026
The Flea Theater

New York, New York

The Synopsis

In Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, the crawfish capital of the world, they say there’s two festivals: the one out front, and the one in da back. But it’s what happens on the front lawn of 318 Dorset Street that cracks open a family legacy. Ghosts hum through the zydeco, dreams rattle in the cooler, and everyone’s waiting for someone who might never come home. The Festival in da Back is a richly textured, fiercely funny play about who we crown, what we bury, and whether the music that once moved us can still bring us home.

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Charles E. Wallace   "Ozwa"  Oswald Jolivette  

Charlie Hudson III  "T-Cho"  Tawaski Jolivette   

Ebony Marshall-Oliver  "Della"  Mary-Dale Aguillard     

Elijah Jones  "Phéno"  Phillip Aguillard

Joshua Hendricks  "Ola"  Oladokun Aguillard  

Nora Cole "Nanan"  Joie Jolivette   

Reginald L. Barnes  "Fuzzy" Fustrail Lewis & Celestine     

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Performance Pics
Rehearsal Pics
The Creative Team

Wavyne White Production Stage Manager

Siobhan Petersen  Assistant Stage Manager

Nicholas Javon  Assistant Director

Marcelo Martínez García  Scenic & Props Designer  

Hao Bai  Lighting Designer   

DeShon Elem  Costume Designer     

Ray Archie  Sound Designer

Matt Podd  Musical Director  

Clif St. Laurent  Dialect Coach & Kori-Vini Interpreter    

Sujotta Pace & Erica Hart  Casting Directors

Belynda M'Baye  Props Supervisor     

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ARTICLES

ORAL RESEARCH EVENT

Held October 13, 2024 in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana at Bethlehem Baptist Church
& produced by The National Black Theatre

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The oral research event consisted of an exhibition of photos, artifacts, and information about the creole crawfish festival, a table read of the play, and a community conversation about memories of the festival in da back.  â€‹

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The Table Read Cast

Ronald Thompson  (Fuzzy)  

Tina Burkhalter  (Joie)   

Brian Egland  (Ozwa)     

Reece Taylor (Ola)

Cheryl Shelton-Sam (Della)  

Duane Terry  (T-Cho)   

Jerry Thibodeaux Jr.  (Phéno)     

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Highlight From The Research Event

Creole Crawfish Queen featured in JET Magazine, Barbra Ann Thibodeaux speaking at the oral history event on

the Creole Crawfish Festival​

1st Draft Reading

The 1st Draft reading of The Festival in da Back was held virtually on February 25, 2024

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© 2026 by Brian Egland. Proudly created with Wix.com 

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