WAM Theatre Fresh Takes Readings
Amani by a.k. payne
Sunday June 14 (2pm and 7pm)
104 Walker St, Lenox, MA 01240
Tickets: wamtheatre.com/amani/
WAM’s 2026 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series opens with Amani by a.k. payne, directed by Vernice Miller (Mr. Joy at Chester Theatre; Where We Stand at WAM Theatre), on Sunday, June 14, 2026 (2PM & 7PM) at Ventfort Hall. The reading runs approximately 105 minutes with no intermission.
Amani follows a young girl coming of age in a world shaped by both love and injustice. Raised by her father, who builds a symbolic rocket ship in hopes of reaching a place beyond gangs and incarceration, Amani grows up between imagination and survival. As she moves into adulthood, she must define her own voice, desires, and future while questioning whether freedom is found in escape or radical presence. The play, a 2023 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalist, moves fluidly between past and present, traversing domestic spaces, the carceral system, prom night, and imagined outer space.
WAM Theatre Equity and Belonging Facilitator Sabine Denise Jacques, who plays the title role, reflects, “For me, this season at WAM is a reminder of the practice of returning home to oneself—an invitation to reflect on our values and what it means to be fully present in loving community.”
The reading features Diaka Kaba Hill (Capital Repertory Theatre; Associate Artistic Director, Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate New York) as Dasia, Sabine Denise Jacques (WAM Theatre; Silverthorne Theatre Company) as Amani, Iniabasi Nelson (Capital Repertory Theatre) as Asom, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. (HartBeat Ensemble; Primary Stages; Ensemble Studio Theatre) as Smith, and Mirirai (Black Mirror, Broad City, Atlantic Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons) as Kofa, with stage management by Sarah Keyes.
Playwright a.k. payne shares, “I wrote Amani with the intention of imagining abundant space for Black girls and Black children impacted by the carceral system. I am thrilled to bring a reading of this play to WAM in its mission-aligned commitment to nourishing stories that center women and girls. I believe that the methods and intentions with which we make theatre are integral to any production, and I am grateful for the opportunity to create in spaces that aim to holistically support the themes of the work within and beyond the walls of the theatre.”