*While many Black History Month celebrations solemnly commemorate the lives of slain Civil Rights trailblazers, one group of Black women comedic actors refuses to be solemn. Like Issa Rae, their fictitious talk show, “We Did That!” is “rooting for everybody Black.” Every. single. body.
The talk show parody celebrates any and every Black history “first,” however inane. The parade of guests – which could populate any Saturday Night Live sketch – includes: the first African American elbow stunt double; the first Nigerian internet scammer to become a multi-millionaire; and the first Black woman to snatch somebody’s edges.
The show’s creator, writer-actor Chanté Griffin, shares what inspired the parody, “I wanted to be a bit zany and asked, ‘What if we celebrated everything? The good, the bad, the ridiculously absurd?”
In addition to showcasing the fictitious firsts of its guests, each episode highlights a Black woman who is a real Black history first. “Although the show’s a comedy, I still wanted to celebrate the dynamic contributions of Black women, which could fill volumes of history books,” Griffin adds.
“2017 was the year of women bravely taking center stage to tell their stories. 2018 is the year of women using that stage to create new stories and culture-changing art,” Griffin asserts. “I wondered, ‘If Ava DuVernay can use only women directors for Queen Sugar, then why can’t I use only women actors and highlight only Black women history makers?’ #TimesUp on thinking that men must be involved in everything.”
The show’s all-women actor line-up includes: Chanté Griffin (14 Days of Funny); Maggie Maye (Conan); Shannon McClain Robertson (J. Edgar) and others.
Facts about “We Did That!”
* A new episode premieres every day of Black History Month 2018
* The show’s concept originated with Griffin’s “When Black History Firsts Go Wrong” sketch series, which debuted at Hollywood’s iOWest theatre in April of 2016.
Want More Info?
To preview the show, visit www.yougochante.com/we-did-that/ or type “yougochante” on YouTube.
Learn more about the show’s creator at www.yougochante.com
source:
Bobbie Gobert
[email protected]
