It was an evening of Black love. Six black men on stage expressed love, joy, intimacy, masculinity, frustration, anger, longing, pride, and even juggling, yes, juggling.

I was invited into this production of "Hot Wing Kings" to be a juggling consultant. My job as a juggling consultant was to work with the cast to help add a little flare to some of the scenes in the show. I'm happy to say that there was some juggling in this black experience. It felt like home.

This joy and play, combined with juggling, reminded me of my father. I remember how he would juggle one of the balls my brother, and I had as children. He was not juggling in the traditional sense, yet he was still playing, laughing as he tossed the ball under his leg, behind his back, or in the air as he spun around to catch it. Some would argue that he wasn't juggling at all. However, what mattered was that sense of joy I saw in him as he did it. As he was doing this, the stress of the day melted away. For those moments, the troubles in his life didn't matter. It was a man playing and laughing with his sons. It's a precious memory I have of him. He passed away just as I was becoming a teenager. I miss him greatly, and this joyful memory of him playing is one I will always carry with me. Like my father and the characters in this play, that sense of joy and freedom is powerful in a world with so many obstacles.

That sense of joy and play was already in the script and the performers before I worked with them. That said, I was happy to work with actors who already had some basic juggling ability and wanted to learn more to enhance that sense of play in the show. As I sat in the audience, I watched the actors perform some of the tricks we worked on together. This sense of play is essential when the actors interact with each other. While working with them, I mainly focused on moments where the actors could juggle things with each other. The better moments of play are when this joy is shared with someone you love.

It was an honor to be asked to contribute some of my experience to the production. It brought to mind the power of play for adults, hospital patients, and other children experiencing trauma.

This production of "Hot Wings Kings" opened on February 18, and the show will continue to run until March 5, 2023. I highly recommend going to see the show. Get some hot wings.

Black Love, Hot Wings & Juggling