Overview

Black Sunday is an ecological horror and historical drama set in Dust Bowl–era Texas. Commissioned and premiered by TimeLine Theatre, the piece interrogates the politics of land, climate, and race through a haunting narrative of memory and environmental collapse.

My Role

As playwright, I developed the script over a multi-year commission with TimeLine, engaging in deep historical research, iterative development, and collaboration with dramaturgs, directors, and designers. The final production combined naturalistic storytelling with surreal horror motifs, staged to evoke dread, nostalgia, and urgency.

Creative Strategy

I structured the play as a pressure cooker — collapsing time, layering history with psychological terror, and emphasizing silence, grit, and devastation. I was particularly focused on the ways climate change, migration, and nationalism echo across generations. The storytelling strategy intentionally blurred realism with mythic resonance to reflect a uniquely American form of denial and reckoning.

Outcome

Black Sunday received a full production at TimeLine Theatre in early 2024. It was described by critics as “spell-binding” (Around the Town Chicago) and “a cautionary tale” of climate devastation. The Chicago Tribune called it “expansive, soaring… spectacularly immersive.” The production engaged diverse audiences and was featured in TimeLine’s community engagement programming.