A play by Najee Omar
Little Black Book
inside every name tells a story of love, loss, and becoming whole
Next
One email when there is news about the play: new readings, the next production, and ways to help.
Where the play has been
- 2023SPACE on Ryder FarmGreenhouse Residency
- 2024Hi-ARTS SKY LABArtist residency, March to May, closing with an industry reading
- 2025651 ARTS at L10Workshop premiere, December 5 and 6. Directed by Kelly GreenLight Thomas, with a talkback after each show
The next stage is being built now.
The play
Little Black Book follows a recently out Brooklyn poet as he looks back on the lovers who shaped him, ultimately discovering the power of self-love. Inspired by real stories and personal experience, the play turns memories of heartbreak, intimacy and desire into living theater through poetry, movement and live DJ mixes.
The work builds on Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem tradition, using rhythm and lyricism to tell stories that are both deeply personal and widely resonant. Like for colored girls, it brings the audience into a world where vulnerability becomes strength. Essex Hemphill’s Ceremonies also inspires the play, grounding its exploration of Black gay love in tenderness, longing and defiance.
At its core, Little Black Book asks: how do we learn to hold ourselves with the same tenderness we offer others?
Playwright's note
As a Black queer man who came out in my late twenties, I rarely saw myself reflected on stage in ways that felt whole. When we did appear, it was often through trauma. I created Little Black Book to reclaim our narratives and honor our wholeness.
Najee Omar
“Too often, stories about Black queer men center on pain or performance, but I wanted to make something that celebrates our softness, our love, and our ability to heal out loud.”
Development
Development timeline
- 2023Greenhouse Residency, SPACE on Ryder Farm
- 2024SKY LAB residency at Hi-ARTS, with an industry reading on May 2 directed by Kelly GreenLight Thomas
- 2024The Little Black Book Fellowship: 129 supporters gave over $12,000 to keep the play moving
- 2025Workshop premiere, December 5 and 6, 651 ARTS at L10, Downtown Brooklyn, directed by Kelly GreenLight Thomas
- NextNew pages, a new reading, and the partners who will take it to a full production
The 2025 company
Written by Najee Omar
Directed by Kelly GreenLight Thomas
Presented by 651 ARTS
Ensemble
Antonyio Artis, Colin Carswell, Jeroboam Bozeman, Jonathan Burke, Kevin Tate, Puma Saint Omar
Press
Support the play
Producers, presenters, donors and the people who can open a door: Najee wants to hear from you.