Weekend Passport: MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT

Pictured (L to R) Jon Hudson Odom (Glennda and others) and ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (Joan Jett Blakk) in Steppenwolf’s world premiere production of “MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT.“
Pictured (L to R) Jon Hudson Odom (Glennda and others) and ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (Joan Jett Blakk) in Steppenwolf’s world premiere production of "MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT." Michael Brosilow / Steppenwolf Theatre
Pictured (L to R) Jon Hudson Odom (Glennda and others) and ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (Joan Jett Blakk) in Steppenwolf’s world premiere production of “MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT.“
Pictured (L to R) Jon Hudson Odom (Glennda and others) and ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (Joan Jett Blakk) in Steppenwolf’s world premiere production of "MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT." Michael Brosilow / Steppenwolf Theatre

Weekend Passport: MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT

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Every Friday, our cultural contributor and global citizen Nari Safavi joins us for “Weekend Passport,” a feature dedicated to showing you how you can travel the world without ever leaving Chicago. This week, we’re talking about a drag queen running for president — in a play at the Steppenwolf Theatre, that is. “MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT” tells the true story of Joan Jett Blakk and Queer Nation Chicago as they launched a bid for the U.S. presidency in 1992. The theater describes the show as “part campaign rally, part nightclub performance [and] part confessional.” Joining us to discuss the play, what it tells us about queer history and how it resonates as the 2020 election season gets underway is Tarell Alvin McCraney. McCraney is a Chicago-based playwright and actor who co-wrote and stars in “MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT” He is best known for writing the screenplay for the Barry Jenkins-directed movie “Moonlight” and for writing the play on which the film was based.