Joaquina Kalukango is a Broadway actress who has made her mark in Black New York theatre. She recently starred in “Slave Play,” written by Jeremy O’Harris and directed by Robert O’Hara. She is from Atlanta and a graduate of the Juilliard School. In this interview we discuss the importance of Black people telling their own stories, and the implications of a show as daring as “Slave Play.”

This was recorded before the death of George Floyd and the protests across the country. While these events were not apart of our conversation, the themes we tackled still ring true as the despicable murder of Ahmaud Arbrey was the most recent of far too many innocent Black deaths in America at the time of this recording.

This was a Zoom interview and we both had this conversation from our homes, and the sounds of the young children in our house might seem like a distraction to the general listener, but allow them to be reminders of the recurring questions: What do we want the future of our art making to look like? What is our responsibility as artists to Black youth and the future of our country? These were the kinds of thoughts lingering in my head as I began our interview back in May, and I believe they’re even more pressing right now. Please enjoy our conversation, and allow it to be a part of your reflection during this time.