Think Out Loud Portland Playhouse stages work centering intergenerational experiences of Black women artists
Feb 24, 2026
Ashley Radney, a performer who plays Precious 'Pete' and explores sex work and burlesque onstage. Faith LaVaughn, a stage actor portraying Anna and wrestling with intergenerational theater legacies. They talk about casting conflicts, generational tensions among Black women artists, reclaiming adult performance as art, and balancing diva personas with vulnerability.
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Play Frames Intergenerational Black Women Artists
- Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous centers four Black women artists wrestling with evolving definitions of art, protest, and storytelling.
- The play opens with Anna returning after exile to reprise her notorious nude one-woman show of August Wilson male monologues as a comeback.
Anna's Naked Wilson Origin Story
- Faith LaVaughn's character Anna created Naked Wilson by performing August Wilson's male monologues naked to call out misogyny.
- That choice made the show legendary and notorious, and it led Anna to self-exile in Europe until her planned triumphant return.
August Wilson's Legacy Can Limit Progress
- Faith LaVaughn describes a love-hate relationship with August Wilson: his work was vital but repeated reverence can trap communities in a fixed representation.
- She argues Wilson's male gaze often leaves women one-dimensional and limits generational growth.