2026 District Fringe Review: ‘Define “Black”’ by Nessa Amherst (2 stars)

2026 District Fringe Review: ‘Define “Black”’ by Nessa Amherst (2 stars)

Define “Black,” a work-in-progress by actress and playwright Nessa Amherst, joins the likes of Issa Rae’s Insecure, Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum, and Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie as an ode to the awkward Black girls who are trying to navigate a world that far too often puts Blackness in a box.  The play — presented as a reading directed by Julia Rudgers (with a swing performance by Mahlet Gebreyesus) — is set in a fictionalized audition room w…