The Midnight Caller, a suspenseful one-act play that plunges audiences into the eerie world of late-night solitude and psychological tension. AYP holds this exclusive dialogue with the team.
What inspired you to produce The Midnight Caller?
As a group, we spent months reading different scripts that had been submitted to us by upcoming and established playwrights. Everything from Greek inspired dramas to contemporary comedies, we read them all but wanted something that worked for everyone. It wasn’t until we got to our last few scripts when we came across, “The Midnight Caller”. When we first read The Midnight Caller, Fiona really grabbed on to me as someone I can relate to. I was immediately invested in her story and can relate to being in that stage of life where you don’t really know what you want to do and you have to work because we need to pay your bills and survive.
What drew each of you to this project?
Yazmeen: I was drawn to The Midnight Caller by its strong, complex female characters and the raw, unwavering friendship between Fiona and Judy—a bond that feels both deeply authentic and emotionally powerful. As an artist, I was especially excited by the creative challenge of adapting a one-person play into a three-person piece while preserving its sense of isolation, tension, and psychological depth.
Emeka: This play had a lot to offer from the jump. It provided an acting challenge for all of us; Fiona never leaves the stage and it requires a certain stamina, a focus that an artist needs to bring to drive the show forward and Yazmeen is so good at just bringing such a warmth to Fiona. Judy is very much part of that drive as well and it really helps when you have someone who brings such a presence and electricity as Treci does. For me, it was being able to juggle three different characters. It’s a thrill and sometimes I’m having to switch between characters within seconds.
How does the minimalist, single-character format challenge you as performers and storytellers?
Because it’s so minimalistic it challenges us as performers to use our skills to really create the world for the audience to believe. We for the most part have to build this world and get the audience to feel what Fiona is going through. That’s mainly thanks to our director, Giulia. The amount of detail and care our director has put into helping us bring these characters to life has been rewarding. I think when you have limited rehearsal time, small character details can get lost when trying to make sure you have a completed show.
As co-founders of BlackPen Productions, what is your vision for the company?
At BlackPen Productions, our vision is to bring bold, unexpected narratives to life, showcasing Black North Americans in ways that challenge stereotypes and highlight our global presence. The Midnight Caller aligns with this mission by placing our characters in the UK while maintaining their North American identity, exploring the universal yet often overlooked struggles of “invisible workers” in an isolating modern workforce.
How has the dynamic between the three of you (Yazmeen, Treci, and Emeka) shaped the creative process for this production?
Our dynamic as a team is built on a strong, complementary balance—where one person’s weakness is another’s strength, allowing us to play to our individual skills without losing momentum. Coming from different parts of North America, we each bring unique cultural perspectives to our work, yet we’re deeply connected through the shared experience of being Black creatives. This fusion of perspectives enriches every project we take on, ensuring our storytelling is both diverse and deeply authentic.
What do you hope audiences take away from The Midnight Caller?
We hope The Midnight Caller leaves audiences questioning the boundaries between reality and fear. At its core, the play explores how isolation can distort our perceptions and how powerless we can feel in the face of the unknown. By immersing the audience in Fiona’s experience, we want them to ask themselves: When confronted with something inexplicable, do we trust our instincts, or do we dismiss our fears as paranoia