Olivia Cyrus, Contributing Photographer

An avid churchgoer from his youth, Lawrence Henry DRA ’25 became well-versed in imitating how clergymen and churchgoers walked, talked and held their fans. 

It was this lifelong infatuation with mimicking strangers and exploring the stories laden in others’ mannerisms that led him to an acclaimed career in acting and a role in the upcoming play, “Ain’t No Mo’” at Yale’s David Geffen School of Drama. Written by playwright Jordan Cooper in 2019, the play is set in an alternate reality where the government grants every African-American a one-way ticket to Africa.

“Ain’t No Mo’ is a satire that makes a comment on the Black body in America,” Henry said. “And what we have created and what we’ve offered this country even when we’re treated like we mean nothing. So it’s hilarious, and it’s heartbreaking.”

The play is composed of several different comedy-style vignettes that attempt to speak to the complexities and various facets of Black life — police brutality, embracing Blackness, Black queer culture and assimilating in white spaces. 

In it, Henry plays five different roles. Among them are a television show host, a prison guard and a man named Damien who appears as a ghost after being killed in an act of police brutality. 

In preparation for each role, Henry allowed himself to “fall into” the stories each character tells about the Black community at large.

“The people, they speak to me,” he said. “I know that sounds crazy … But it’s about opening yourself up to something. It doesn’t just all come together at once. You’ve got to be patient as an artist. It’s also about being willing to fail to find it.”

According to Henry, aspects of each character are influenced from moments of his childhood. 

Growing up, his mother worked as a hairstylist and would have him reenact movies, such as “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “The Color Purple” from top to bottom for her clients’ entertainment. 

“I just used to like imitating people,” he said. “I’m always interested in what story is lying in the person that I’m playing or watching.”

Before the opportunity to be in Ain’t No Mo’ presented itself, Henry had experienced a long career on the stage. At Wright State University, he received an acting scholarship from Wright State University, which included mentorship from actor Tom Hanks. 

After taking on gigs on Broadway, for the plays “Waitress: The Musical” and “Girl from the North Country,” Henry pivoted to graduate school to further hone his craft. Both Juilliard and Yale admitted him; he ended up choosing Yale. 

Throughout his time at Yale, Henry has taken a vow to only tell stories that “heal his Black body and the Black bodies of other people.” In working with Kemar Jewel DRA ’25, the director of the play, Henry believes he is doing just that.

“I see [Jewel] as a sort of Kenny Leon” he said. “[Jewel] understands story through pictures. He is extremely creative, vulnerable, and also willing to stop and say, ‘Hey, I don’t know what this moment is. I’m stumped. What do y’all think?’ I like to work with the actor’s director, and I think that’s what Kemar is.”

Jewel completed his undergraduate degree at Temple University and garnered online fame after creating a viral music video titled “Voguing Train,” where, as the title suggests, Jewel and a crew of dancers vogue in the subway. 

This rolled out the red carpet for his career in  directing and choreographing a series of shows across the country. 

Even with years of experience under his belt, though, Jewel admits he is both nervous and excited to present this six-time Tony nominated show to attendees on premiere night.

“To be honest, I’ve been, and I still am scared to present this show,” he said. “It digs into parts of my own life and traumas that are hard to grapple with. But I know that doing this show will make me a better director and a better person overall because I believe this show will help me to heal.”

Having heard a rumor that Cooper, the show’s original director, may be in attendance during the show’s running, he hopes to do the show justice. According to Jewel, the show involves staff from every program at the School of Drama, from marketing teams to dramaturgs to lighting designers — a boastful feat that is also overwhelming at times, he said. 

Additionally, Jewel believes that it is important for Yale to sponsor plays like Ain’t No Mo that reflect the current state of the world.

“The reality is, the world is changing, and the art that is produced needs to reflect that,” he said. “We need more shows that center women, Black people, queer people, trans people, disabled people, immigrants, and all of the areas they intersect with.”

Juice Mackins ’26, who plays Peaches, a drag queen and flight attendant who ushers all of the Black people to Africa, shared a similar opinion. 

He also believes that Ain’t No Mo’ is an exploration of a personal culture, debunking the belief that the Black and other marginalized communities are merely monoliths. The play, according to Mackins, not only highlights existing stereotypes, but works to “expand” and “emphasize” them. 

The play does so with a comedic bite and drama, said Mackins. 

“That’s where I believe stereotypes have a demonstrative effect and can come from a true place. It doesn’t mean that they represent every single person, but rather singular droplets in a greater waterfall.”

Before coming, Henry, Jewel and Mackins said audience members should be prepared for the plethora of emotions, high and low, the play evokes. They hope that the play educates, entertains and compels audience members to leave a different person than who they were upon arrival.

“They can look forward to being uncomfortable,” Henry said. “They can look forward to laughing so hard. They can look forward to forgetting that it’s a play because it is irreverent. Watching theater, you have to be a part of it; you’re following the story in real time. You’re breathing the same air, and you are in the experience of being provoked to change.”

Ain’t No Mo runs from Oct. 19 to 25.