Runako Jahi
Plays Written:
“Mainline Blues”
A love story about two college students who become hooked on drugs and
watch their potential fade
1976 “Best One-Act Play”, Black Theater Alliance
“Freeze”
An allegorical play about Life and Death, told from the point of view of people who are deceased as the result of bad and sometimes innocent choices in life. 1976
“Asante”
A fantasy about the psychosis of captivity where all of the characters are birds in a cage. 1977
“Memories Of Gangway Superstars”
A nostalgic look at Black teens in the 70’s as they dream and prepare for their future. 1978
"Stream"
A choreopoem about relationships co-written by Runako Jahi, along with Kai El’Zabar and Soyini Madison. 1980
“Martin Luther King Suite”
A teleplay for NBC-5 (based on an original concept by Abena Joan Brown about a family preparing to celebrate Dr. King’s birthday for the first time), first aired on January 15, 1986.
“A Passenger Past Midnight”
A portrait of the life of Marvin Gaye. 1986
“Fats: His Life & Times”
A portrait of the life of Fats Waller. 1987
“Again, Sometime Soon”
A simultaneous send-up of theater and promiscuity. 1988
“Slowdance In Room 8-C”
A noir-like drama about love’s dark undertones and the effect a woman named Georgia has on a group of card players. 1988
Especially for Children:
“A Place To Be Me”
First produced in 1988; eta Creative Arts Foundation. Fantasy about the influence of television on children. (Music Score by Durrell Daniels/Jahi lyrics)
“Song And Dance: A Tribute To Black Music”
1990.
Re-written in 2004
The Positive Evolution Of Bongo Baker
First produced in 1991; eta Creative Arts Foundation. Musical drama about teens over-coming peer pressure. (Original Songs by Wanda Bishop/Jahi lyrics)
“Kasimu & The Coconut Palm”
First produced in 1993; eta Creative Arts Foundation. Fantasy about the importance of growing up in one’s own time. (Music Score by Lynn Hilton/Jahi & Hilton lyrics)
“The Reading Machine On Sunnyside Lane”
First produced in 1995; eta Creative Arts Foundation. Musical about the importance of reading. (Music Score by Anthony Llorens/Jahi lyrics)
“Ama & The Magic Toy Box”
Musical fantasy about how children are psychologically and socially affected by the toys they are given. (Music Score by Anthony Llorens/Jahi lyrics) First produced in 1996, eta Creative Arts Foundation
“In Our Classic Voice”
A tribute to Black Culture First produced by Chicago State University, 1999.
“Of Music & Memory”
A play about the role music plays in our daily lives. Produced by Chicago State University, 2001
“What Shall I Tell My Children: The Margaret Burroughs Story”
Musical biography on the life of Dr. Margaret Burroughs, co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History. (Music Score by Anthony Llorens/Jahi lyrics) First produced by eta Creative Arts Foundation, 2001