In the Old Days, our protagonist reminds us, actors of color were butlers and maids, while gays – invariably men – were artists who succumbed to AIDS. Today’s BIPOC and gay actors have new roles to play, but it’s still not very different on stage. Existing solely to prop up the protagonist, is not going to cut it in this comedy.

In this one-woman production, Dee Dee Batteast crafts a darkly humorous exploration of the obstacles minority actors face in the American media. No AIDS, No Maids looks hard at the archetypal and two-dimensional characters women of color have played for over 50 years and disassociates homosexuality from the narrative of disease. This tour-de-force performance took top honors at the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, D.C.

This performance has been produced in collaboration with Waltzing Mechanics, a documentary theatre ensemble based in Chicago.