FIRSTS - A Live Reading & Conversation with Playwright L. Peter Callender

What might happen if Michelle Obama and Sally Hemings met?

FIRSTS is a compelling new play by acclaimed playwright and director L. Peter Callender that imagines an intimate conversation between two extraordinary women whose lives, though separated by centuries, reveal striking connections across history.

Through humor, insight, vulnerability, and wisdom, FIRSTS explores race, identity, power, resilience, and the enduring experiences of Black women in America.

Join Brooklyn Sound Lab for a special afternoon presentation of this remarkable work featuring a live reading by the cast, followed by a Talk Back with L. Peter Callender and participating artists.

More than a traditional reading, this gathering invites audiences into the creative process and the conversations that emerge from it.

Date & Time

Sunday, June 7, 2026

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Location

Brooklyn Sound Lab

1201 University Ave

Berkeley, CA

Featuring

- Playwright & Director: L. Peter Callender

- Cast members from the developing production

- Audience Talk Back following the reading

Those who experienced the debut excerpt at the 13th Annual Diaspora Festival know this is a work that sparks conversation long after the performance ends.

Come experience it for yourself!

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Brooklyn Sound Lab