News || Top 5 Finalist for the Beacon Award

Beacon Theatre Productions is thrilled to have

the Are We Free Yet? project by TS HAWKINS

included as a TOP 5 FINALIST for the 2026 Beacon Award!

FROM THE BOARD

"we wanted to let you know that "the Are We Free Yet? project" was one of the Top 5 Finalists! The board found the choreopoem/play format so interesting and loved so many people and events that were referenced in the play that audiences need to know about!"

ABOUT THE CHOREOPOEM

Through sound and verse, we sojourn in an afro-future encapsulated within a Sunday dinner unpacking decades and dynasties of epigenetic memories. Will the future ever progress against the past? Sauté and serenade with ANTIQUITY and DESTINEÉ as they prepare a table of life, love, and a longing to still be free.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

the Are We Free Yet? project, a choreopoem commissioned by AngelPirate Productions is based on the book Are We Free Yet?: The Black Queer Guide to Divorcing America by Tina Strawn. Presentation of the Are We Free Yet? project was a 29hr new play development workshop and elevated staged reading for AngelPirate Productions at Theatre Exile in October of 2024. Then, followed by an elevated reading during AZUKAFEST, an online showcase during Philadelphia Theatre Week, and a studio rotation on PHILLYCam in 2025!

ABOUT THE BEACON AWARD

The annual Beacon Award is given to a playwright for a play that exemplifies Beacon's mission to spotlight critical moments of our past to make a better future. Visit the website to see the winner of the 2026 award!