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.

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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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. ​

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



