Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous by Pearl Cleage is a bold and funny comedy about art, activism, aging, and taking ownership of your story.

At the center of the play is Anna Campbell, an acclaimed actor who made waves decades ago with her controversial performance piece, Naked Wilson, in which she performed monologues from August Wilson’s plays while nude. Following the controversy surrounding the performance, Anna moved to Amsterdam, where she built a successful acting career.

Years later, Anna is invited back to the United States for a revival of Naked Wilson—but rather than reprise the role herself, a younger performer, Precious “Pete” Watson, has been hired to take her place. Early in the play, Pete shares that she works in the adult entertainment industry, and the characters have frank conversations about burlesque, stripping, pornography, nudity, and what it means to be taken seriously as an artist.

Through Anna and Pete’s relationship, the play explores an intergenerational conversation among Black women about feminism, respectability, artistic freedom, and the ways Black women have been portrayed on the American stage.

Content Considerations

• Language: Contains strong profanity and frank adult conversations.
• Sexual Content: Brief mentions of nudity, burlesque, stripping, pornography, and the adult entertainment industry.
• Nudity: While the play centers around a theatrical performance involving nudity, there is no nudity on stage.
• Race & Representation: Includes discussions of racism, stereotypes, and the portrayal of Black women in American theatre, particularly in relation to the work of August Wilson.
• Gender & Feminism: Explores differing generational perspectives on feminism, womanhood, sexuality, and artistic expression.
• Age & Aging: Characters discuss aging, beauty, desirability, and expectations placed on women as they grow older.

Tone & Style
Raucous, provocative, soulful, and very funny — blending sharp social commentary with a celebration of Black women, artistic freedom, and being unapologetically yourself.

For additional questions about content, you may contact Audience Services at prcboxoffice@unc.edu.