CYNTHIA GRACE ROBINSON
PROJECTS
Full length plays
The Black Pearl ( 8W, 7M )
3-6 Any Gender) *Double casting
Running Time : 2hr
The Black Pearl is an epic story of love and loss set against the majestic beauty and rich history of Atlantic Beach, South Carolina. The Wise family fights to protect the integrity of one of the last Black-owned beach communities in America - if only they could stop fighting each other. the beauty of the ocean and the backdrop of Atlantic Beach, S.C., one of the few remaining Black-owned beach towns in the U.S., the love between young heirs to a family’s fortune is tested as they fight to maintain their family’s legacy while navigating the complex intersection between gentrification, land ownership, and the price of progress.
Coastal Carolina University Theatre Department, 2024-2025 season
*This play commission was made possible by the generous support of Nancy and Billy Cave.
Written by : Cynthia Grace Robinson
In This Life (4W, 2M)
Running time: 2hr
Over a passionate relationship that spans four decades, Lovinia, a singer, and Nate, a visual artist, love each other through a lifelong journey of friendship, fame, aging and loss.
***this project is currently in development as a musical
Quick Silver Theatre Company / Playwrights of Color Summit (POCS)
Development at River Writers at The Lark
Rhinebeck Writers Retreat 2023, Finalist
Written by : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Letters from Loretta (5W, 3M)
Running time: 2hr
Loretta, a widow living with dementia, clings to her relationship with her late husband while fighting to maintain her independence amid pressure from her daughter to be cared for.
Commissioned by Center Theatre Group Los Angeles (CTGLA)
Written by : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Freedom Summer (2W)
Running Time : 90 mins
August 4, 1964. Nora has started a new life “passing” as a white woman, while her sister, Carrie, prepares to travel to the Deep South and register Blacks to vote. The bodies of three civil rights workers have just been found in Mississippi, leading the sisters to question the price of civil rights, Black identity, and what it means to be free.
National Black Theatre Festival 2022
Written by : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Ascension (2W, 2M)
Running time: 90mins
Ruth and Jacob, an enslaved married couple, fight to save the integrity of their relationship while rebelling against the sexual torments of an obsessed slaver.
New York International Fringe Festival 2008 (FringeNYC)
National Black Theatre Festival 2009
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
When Night Falls (3W, 3M)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Running time: 2hr
Josiane, a young Sudanese woman meets Katherine, an African American doctor who brings her to the United States. Bonded by grief and personal loss, these women struggle to heal, find peace, and the courage to love again.
Semi-finalist, 2017 National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
Development in the INKtank Play Development Lab of Rising Circle Theater Collective
Dancing on Eggshells (2W, 1M)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Running time: 90mins
In this memory play, Grace, a professional dancer, struggles with the trauma of being raised in a family plagued by domestic violence. As she reflects on the story of her parents' torrid relationship, Grace must come to terms with a family secret that threatens to destroy her entire world.
The Billie Holiday Theatre 2015
Development workshop at New Perspectives Theatre Company
Breath(e) (2W)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Running time: 30mins
Two strangers, brought together by life-altering events, discover healing and forgiveness in yoga practice….and each other.
Peola’s Passing (2W)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Running time: 30min
August 4, 1964. Nora has started a new life “passing” as a white woman, while her sister, Carrie, prepares to travel to the Deep South and register Blacks to vote. The bodies of three civil rights workers have just been found in Mississippi, leading the sisters to question the price of civil rights, Black identity, and what it means to be free.
4th Annual Women's Work Festival- New Perspectives Theatre Company 2011
Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival 2012
Alternative Theatre Festival – Colombian Theatre Corporation, Bogota’, Colombia 2016
What If...? (2W)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Running time: 30mins
A young college student’s fight for justice unleashes her mother’s fears for her child’s life.
Black Motherhood and Parenthood New Play Festival 2021 at
Bishop Arts Theatre Center
Our Voices, Our Time, One-Act Play Festival 2022 at
The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc.
The Panacea (1W, 2M)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Running time: 30mins
A queer man undergoes unsettling psychological techniques while undergoing conversion therapy with a manipulative sex therapist.
Development at Polaris North 2011
One Act Plays
Gold Star Mother (1W, 1M)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
The reality of war threatens to destroy a couple as their faith is put to the ultimate test.
EstroGenius Festival 2012
Running Time: 20mins
Thunder! A Musical Memoir (2W, 2M)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
An alcoholic tap dancer faces professional trials and tribulations as he tries to “make it” while mourning the death of his beloved mother.
New York International Fringe Festival 2007 (FringeNYC)
Running Time: 45mins
Black In Blue (pilot)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Decorated NYPD Officer Cole Carter struggles with secrets from his past that threaten his mental health, his family, and the future of his career in law enforcement.
The Red Couch ( Screenplay)
By : Cynthia Grace Robinson
Over a passionate relationship that spans a lifetime, Lovinia, a world-renowned singer, and Nate, a critically-acclaimed painter, love each other through a journey of friendship, fame, and the challenges and beauty of aging.