Meet Garlia Cornelia Jones, Who Has Been Curating Spaces for Black Theatre Makers for Almost 20 Years

Playbill: Playwright, producer, and photographer Garlia Cornelia Jones has built a career out of making space for Black theatre artists. A producer with the Obie-winning Harlem9—a collective of theatremakers dedicated to exploring Black culture through storytelling—she is also the founder and artistic director of Blackboard Plays, a reading series devoted to Black playwrights that was held twice a month at the Dramatists Guild prior to COVID closures. Since its inception, Blackboard has been a launchpad and incubator for hundreds of plays—including Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls and Jordan E Cooper’s Ain’t No Mo’, just two of the many that have gone on to find success.