The Black Joy Project @returntoblackjoy is a play, documentary, and methodology developed by JAG Productions and written and directed by JAGfest 2.0 alum, @steviewalkerwebb, the Black Joy Project explores what theater-making looks like outside the gaze and grip of white supremacy, reveling in the bountiful joys of being unbound Black artists.

This work has been made possible by grants from The Black Seed Initiative and The Bay & Paul Foundations who see JAG fulfilling its mission of producing stories that move audiences to compassion, love, and empathy and that challenge hierarchies of race, gender, and sexuality. #JAG5 

Theatre Artist/ Art Activist; Stevie Walker-Webb dreamt an idea to gather with 12 like-minded Black artists, and inquisitively sieve through and mine for the jewels of our collective joy in a journey called The Black Joy Project. The Black Joy Project was a month-long opportunity of quietly, therapeutically, and holistically investigating where Black Joy dwells within us, how it informs the way our art is shaped, and why it is imperative for the Black imagination to soar freely without the margins of white approval, assessment, evaluation, and consumption. The Black Joy Project proved to be the antidote to what we all were seeking, but more importantly an affirmation and testimony that our greatness is fully realized when we create the space that allows each other to show-up authentically, giving rise to The Black Joy Methodology.