Black Joy

BLACK JOY is a kaleidoscope of music, storytelling, and dance, where four Black Dutch women transform their struggles into an explosion of energy. Featuring a soundtrack of Motown, soul, gospel, and R&B, it’s a performance that hits home, connects, and is not to be missed. Somewhere in the city stands a wig factory specializing in black hair. Three women keep the factory alive with stories, music, and unbreakable strength. The women welcome a new colleague: Joy. However, she struggles to live up to her name, feeling exhausted and fleeing from a world full of systems pulling her down. Yet, among the hair and heads, melodies touch her. Here, songs are sung, dances are performed, and laughter erupts, even against all odds. Can Joy surrender to the rhythms of the factory? Or will she remain trapped in her anger and doubts? Theater Oostpool, in collaboration with Dawn Collective, presents an engaging show that seeks connection, even when pushed apart. PRISCILLA VAUDELLE The theater-maker Priscilla Vaudelle (1982) graduated in 2013 from the Theater Teacher program at the Academy for Theater and Dance. During her studies, she founded the LostProject foundation, a multidisciplinary storytelling collective. In her work, Vaudelle gives visibility to people and stories that typically go unheard. With quick montages, music, spoken word, rap, and dance, she sets the tone for stories that come straight from the heart of the city: powerful, universal performances on current themes such as identity, sexuality, social pressure, and upbringing that resonate with a diverse young audience. Over the past three years, Vaudelle has been a creator at Frascati Productions, where she made works including BIMS part 1, SIXTH, and the well-received OSSO. At MusicalMakers, she started research into musicals and created a sequel to BIMS with BIMS the showcase. With LostProject, she produced works like AKWARD, BRA|SA, Daddy Lost Me, City Lost Me, Man Down, and TWIY the world is yours. At Theater Oostpool, she will create the truck performance Geldezels (14+) in the 2023-2024 season.