Miniball: Who’s Listening
Betty Jean Nobles Thompson
March 29, 2024
Performance at 8:30pm
This story is about a hardworking middle-class Black couple. They have two children in elementary school. The husband, Kadeem, is a police detective. The wife, Malia, is an Office Manager for a legal team. They are both ambitious about their careers and economic goals. There is no doubt that they love each other and their children. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, she is working from home. Since Kadeem is an essential worker, he has been working longer hours. Then, in the aftermath of the assassination of George Floyd, he has been working almost around the clock. Recently, they have been arguing a lot. Malia is attending more Zoom meetings. Sometimes her meetings run for hours past dinner. They both work some holidays. They are often tired and inattentive at home. Kadeem believes that he is a great husband, the Best Dad, and the hardest working man on the planet. He is a True Alpha Male. Malia believes that she is a wonderful, loving wife and mother. They BOTH feel that they are Doing what’s RIGHT! Their attitudes are impacting their relationship, their self-esteem, and their children. Kadeem’s mother tries to help out, but the stress is overwhelming for everyone. The home is becoming a pressure cooker. Can this family resolve their problems/ save their relationships?
#Encore
Content advisory: Possible strobe light and haze.
About Betty Jean Nobles
Since retiring from the Phila School District after teaching for 36 years, I have embraced every opportunity to create stage plays and perform. This past year, I wrote and directed the stage play, “Who’s Listening,” for the Cannonball Philly Fringe Festival, 2023. I did three shows that included an audience interactive section. I am also a freelance writer of dramatic fiction. I write poetry and perform spoken word. I am a published author of a dramatic novel, “A Small CandleLight.” My pen name is Betty Jean Nobles. Recently, I completed a nonfiction memoir with several members of my family. As a playwright, I have written, produced, and directed several stage-plays over the years. I am an actor, and I have performed in some principal and background roles in some local stage plays. I performed in a background role in a feature film, “The North Star.” Some of the stars in the film are Clifton Powell, Jeremiah Trotter, and Lynn Whitfield. I performed in a background role in a limited TV sports series. I have performed as a lead and background vocalist in R&B, Gospel and Jazz groups. I created three educational films. When I can, I facilitate workshops that promote literacy and healing discussions around decreasing community violence at community forums, schools, juvenile facilities and prisons. I present workshops focused on the need to close the achievement gaps for males in the African American and Latino communities.
MORE MINIBALL
Miniball is happening March 28 – 31 at FringeArts!
Over Easter weekend, Miniball boasts a brave lineup of encore and seat shaking new performances with over a dozen offerings under one roof. Witness groundbreaking original shows in a cutting edge theater. Enjoy marvelous moments from classes and immersive art to late nights and drag brunch! Dwell in a spirit of community with the return of Philly classics like Scratch Night and the After-Hours Cabaret. Plus, we’ve got surprises! An Easter Egg hunt runs all weekend with prizes inside. Just like Cannonball, we’ll keep the conversation going around the fire pit while you dance your heart out. And don’t miss the special offerings slated for Sunday the 31st.
Tickets begin at $25 (sliding scale) including PWYC. Act soon because seats go fast!