SCRIPTED | SHOWS
Co-Produced with Blackgical Productions
COCO QUEENS
Written by LaDarrion Williams
Directed by Jessica E. Williams
Coco Queens is set in a small Alabama town during the 1970s and follows four Black women whose lives have been shaped by love, loss, ambition, betrayal, and sisterhood. Each year, the women gather inside Gloria’s neighborhood beauty shop for Coco Queens Weekend, a tradition filled with food, music, laughter, reflection, and healing. When long-buried secrets begin to surface, they are forced to confront the wounds that have divided them and decide whether truth can help guide them back to one another.
At its heart, Coco Queens is a celebration of the ways Black women and their communities have always created spaces to care for one another, even in the face of forces designed to pull them apart. Through music, memory, ritual, laughter, and the simple act of gathering, these women find the courage to lay down what they have been carrying and make room for healing.
Set in 1975 Alabama, the play honors the generations who came before while asking a question that remains deeply relevant today: How do we care for one another when the world gives us every reason not to? Coco Queens invites audiences into a space where joy is resistance, remembrance is renewal, and healing begins when we choose not to carry our burdens alone.
For Outside In, co-producing this production with the amazing artists involved is another example of actively following our mission to make space to be brave and share it with the community, creating care and reflection that will lead to change, one audience member at a time.
TALK BACK SERIES
Select performances will include the “Talk Back Series” pre-show and post-show conversations designed to further explore the themes of the play with the artists and creatives who worked on the production, and the community at large. The “Talk Back Series” will take place on the following dates either in Outside In’s café & lounge The Lobby before the show OR before the show or in the Artspace immediately following a matinee performance..
- Oct 27 : PRE-SHOW | TBD
- Nov 3 : PRE-SHOW | TBD
- Nov 8 : POST-SHOW | Creatives
- Nov 9 : PRE-SHOW |TBD
- Nov 10 : PRE-SHOW | TBD
- Nov 15 : POST-SHOW | TBD
- Nov 16 : PRE-SHOW | TBD
INFO
PREVIEWS | Oct 19, 20, & 24 | 8:00PM
PRICE | $15 – $25
MAIN RUN | Oct 25 – Nov 17
PRICE | $25- $40
MON, TUE, SAT, SUN | 8:00PM (3:00PM Matinee)
RUNTIME | approx. 2 hours
INTERMISSION | 15 minutes
LOCATION
Outside In Theatre Artspace
5317 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042
CAST
Julanne Chidi Hill
Gloria Carmichael
JULANNE CHIDI HILL recently appeared in “Pericles”(Boston Court). Other Los Angeles theater credits include, “The Bluest Eye” and “Macbeth” (A Noise Within), “BLUE” (Rogue Machine), “The Great Jheri Curl Debate” (East West Players), “Yellowman” (O.C. Theater Guild Award), “Die Mommie Die” (Kirk Douglas Theater), “Booty Candy” (Stage Raw Award), “Night of the Iguana” (Boston Court) “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: Revisited” (Los Angeles LGBT Center Davidson/Valentini Theater) . Julanne has also appeared in film and television, including “Barbershop 2: Back on Business”, the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series “Little America” with Lee Jeong-eun and Phylicia Rashad, and Rueben Santiago Hudson’s “Lackawanna Blues” (directed by George C. Wolfe).
Mildred Marie Langford
Chanel Hudson / Co-Producer
MILDRED MARIE LANGFORD is beyond thrilled to join the cast of Coco Queens as it makes its Los Angeles stage debut. She is a co-founding member of The Black Creators Collective, Sankofa Theatre Alliance and Founder & CEO of Little Black Pearl Production, where she is currently in pre-production on her next film project, NOLA: The Beginning—a powerful social and supernatural narrative examining Black motherhood in America.
Other notable theatre credits include Antigone, NORA, and Native Son (Antaeus Theatre Company/Kirk Douglas Theatre 2019 Block Party); Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Bluest Eye (A Noise Within Theatre); Notes from the Field (Jeff Award and Black Excellence Award nominations); Boulevard of Bold Dreams, A Raisin in the Sun (BTAA nomination), My Kind of Town, and In Darfur (Black Excellence Award nomination) at TimeLine Theatre; The Great Jheri Curl Debate (East West Players); Intimate Apparel (BTAA, Jeff Award, and Black Excellence Award nominations for Best Actress, Northlight Theatre); Gunshot Medley: Part 1 (Ovation Award nomination for Lead Actress, CAB/Rogue Machine Theatre); Domesticated, Animal Farm, VENUS, and The Crucible (Steppenwolf Theatre); The Royale (BTAA Award winner for Best Featured Actress, American Theater Company); Luck of the Irish (Next Theatre); A Raisin in the Sun (Milwaukee Repertory Theater); and FAILURE: A Love Story (Victory Gardens Theater).
On screen, Mildred has appeared in Will Trent, Grey’s Anatomy, Delilah, BOSCH, Chicago Med, Masters of Sex, Magic Funhouse, Boss, Cotton Candy Bubble Gum, Morning Steep, The Three Phases of Isa, Blood at the Root, Grow Up, Concrete Rose, and Analysis Paralysis. She earned her B.A. in Theatre and trained at The School at Steppenwolf in Chicago, founded by Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry.
Chanell Copeland
Tammie Faye Allen
CHANELL COPELAND is an American writer, actor, director and poet. She is a proud alum of Howard University where she received her BFA, and the Theatre School at DePaul where she received her MFA. In 2023 she was inducted into the Actor’s Studio as a lifetime member. In 2024, her award winning short film Garden Hands premiered at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, NY where she was writer and director. On camera, Chanell is most known for her role as Dr. Lauryn Williams (Power Book IV). Her versatility on stage and screen has established her as an influential presence in the current entertainment landscape.
Sierra Nicolette Smith
Dawn Lyons
SIERRA NICOLETTE SMITH is a Meisner technique-trained actor, born and raised in the Bronx, New York, and a proud graduate of Rutgers University. She began her career in International Film Publicity at Paramount Pictures Studios before transitioning into acting.
Her notable theatre credits include, Jordan E. Cooper’s critically acclaimed, Tony Award–nominated play Ain’t No Mo’, performed at the legendary Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre in Atlanta. Additional stage credits include For Colored Girls, 12 Angry Jurors, and Wedlock of the Gods.
On screen, Sierra recurs in the highly anticipated Season 3 of P-Valley (STARZ) and has also appeared in Snowfall (FX) and Station 19 (ABC).
Outside of acting, Sierra enjoys learning tap dance, traveling, and continually honing her craft. Follow her journey on Instagram: @SierraNicoletteSmith.
CREATIVE TEAM
Jessica E. Williams
Director / Co-Producer
JESSICA E. WILLIAMS is a multi- hyphenate storytelling artist and collaborator. She is a proud member of the following Black theatre arts organizations in Los Angeles: Support Black Theatre, The Sankofa Theatre Alliance, and the Black Creators Collective (BCC). She co-produced BCC’s 3rd and 4th Annual AUGUST IN AUGUST festival with her BCC and Oshana Arts family. She also co-produced the staged reading of YELLOWMAN for BCC in fall 2025. Her assistant directing credits include THE CIRCLE (The Greenway Court Theatre), MACBETH and THE BLUEST EYE (A Noise Within), SHE, THE ABUELAS and NATIVE SON (Antaeus Theatre); NATIVE SON in the Kirk Douglas Theater 2019 Block Party, AN UNSEASONABLE FALL OF SNOW (The Hollywood Fringe Festival), BOTH/AND (Boston Court) and THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS (Ebony Repertory Theatre).
Jessica is a seasonal Directing Member of the Directing Unit and the Play Development Unit at The Actors Studio (Los Angeles). This opportunity led her to direct the AOS Production of REALLY, REALLY (The Marilyn Monroe Theater) for The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Most recently, she directed Cris Eli Blak’s one-act “Is Heaven Still Blue For The Fallen Angels” for the Inaugural Pages in Paris Residency, with Sixty-Six Productions, which won first place, allowing the playwright to further develop this work in Paris, France. Jessica’s film directorial debut in 2017 was her deeply personal work, MY C.R.I.T.I.C. (Short Film). Earlier in her career, she worked in production for such hit shows as TWENTIES (BET), GROWN-ISH (Freeform), and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC). Jessica is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting. She is also a graduate of Full Sail University with a Master of Science degree in Entertainment Business.
LaDarrion Williams
Playwright / Producer
LADARRION WILLIAMS is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter from Helena, Alabama.
His plays have been developed and presented through the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Sundance Institute, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Texas State University’s New American Play Festival, and Boise Contemporary Theater. His plays include Hurt People, selected for the 2024 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference; Coco Queens, developed through Sundance and winner of the New Works @ the Works Playwriting Award; and Jeff Award-nominated Boulevard of Bold Dreams, which premiered at TimeLine Theatre Company and has received productions nationally.
His debut novel Blood at the Root and sequel Bones at the Crossroads are both New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. Williams was also selected for the 2026 Film Independent Episodic Lab and the 2026 Gotham Project Market. Across every medium, he creates bold stories that center Black voices, histories, futures, and interior worlds.
Jessie Patterson
Creative Consultant
JESSIE PATTERSON is an experiential producer known for creating moments that make people feel and remember. With over a decade of experience in event planning, ideation, and execution, alongside ten years in rights and clearances, Jessie brings a rare ability to merge stories with seamless production. Her career began in marketing, where she spent six years as both a Marketing Coordinator and an Outreach Supervisor, developing programs and materials that connected resources to customers. That foundation continues to inform her work today, where every experience is designed not just to attract attention, but to foster genuine connection. Jessie’s work is rooted in a clear philosophy: people remember how something made them feel. Whether curating nostalgic, immersive gatherings or designing environments that spark authentic interaction, she is known for bringing people together in ways that feel natural, engaging, and impactful. Her execution is as strong as her vision. Notably, Jessie successfully produced a large-scale brand event in New York City, which she sourced the venue and vendors remotely from Los Angeles, resulting in an experience that welcomed over 4,000 attendees and sold out the majority of the company’s on-site products. As a Creative Consultant for Coco Queens, Jessie brings a refined blend of creativity and execution ensuring the story extends beyond the stage and into our audience’s lived experience.