What might freedom have looked like for Sally Hemings in revolutionary Paris?

On this episode of NEW@NAMT, host Jean-Paul Yovanoff and co-host Skye Cone Ivey sit down with writers AriDy Nox and Jacinth Greywoode to talk about Black Girl in Paris, their new musical about Sally Hemings—and one of eight musicals selected for NAMT’s 38th Annual Festival of New Musicals.

Described as “a musical within a folktale within a ritual,” Black Girl in Paris follows a fourteen-year-old Sally Hemings as she arrives in France with the French Revolution approaching and confronts questions of autonomy, survival and just how much she may have to give up for a chance at freedom. It’s a story that tackles difficult history through a theatrical language grounded in ritual—and a score the writers describe as stubbornly joyful.

AriDy and Jacinth share how the musical began with an argument about Sally Hemings and autonomy, the research that followed and the discoveries that transformed the piece along the way. They also dig into the unusual structure of the musical, their approach to balancing biting commentary with humor and joy, and what years of development—from The Civilians and Monticello to Playwrights Horizons, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat and Theater Latté Da’s NEXT Festival—have taught them about the story.

NAMT Festival Consultant Elissa Adams joins the conversation following the team’s recent work together at the NEXT Festival to talk about the discoveries they’re bringing into NAMT and what might come next for the musical.

History, folklore, ritual and a stubbornly joyous score—all asking one enormous question: Do we live free?

Black Girl in Paris
Book & Lyrics by AriDy Nox
Music by Jacinth Greywoode

Learn more about the 38th Annual Festival of New Musicals, October 22–23, 2026 at New World Stages, at namt.org/festival.

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More about BLACK GIRL IN PARIS:

https://namt.org/musicals/black-girl-in-paris/

Follow AriDy:

https://www.instagram.com/aridydescribesstuff/

Follow Jacinth:

https://www.instagram.com/j.greywoode/

Follow BLACK GIRL IN PARIS:

https://www.instagram.com/bgipthemusical/

Read AriDy's Substack "WildThoughts: A Moonletter": https://substack.com/@wildthoughtsamoonletter