Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542690
16 • THE ARTISAN SPRING 2026 PHOTOS: JAVIER VASQUEZ/CENTER THEATRE GROUP T heater offers many things, including ritual, shared experience, transformation, and a deep look into the human condition, uniting people in focused attention to powerful storytelling that evokes empathy, catharsis, and spiritual reflection. For those of us lucky enough to belong to a backstage family, it is pure joy, unconditional support, and love. For performers joining us in a production, they become cherished extended family members and build strong bonds that last a lifetime. For guests, a theatrical production offers an unlimited amount of emotional experiences that celebrate the human condition. The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles is a creative space that allows artists to play a vital role in shaping public discourse and driving societal progress by using their work to critique social norms and advocate for change. Author Jocelyn Bioh demonstrates the sacredness of belonging and shared experience both on and off the stage in Jaja's African Hair Braiding. She expertly weaves the humor of a traditional Harlem braiding shop to demonstrate the power of culture, community, and chosen family while deeply exploring identity and the immigrant experience. Jaja's African Hair Braiding Shop is realistically recreated onstage with brightly colored hair stations and a hysterically complex cast of characters that any viewer will relate to. B Y THERESE LEVASSEUR WIG & HAIR SUPERVISOR, MARK TAPER FORUM For those of us who have toiled behind the chair, the characters are even more relatable and familiar. The cast works intimately with wig designer Nikiya Mathis, and the wig team in order to expertly execute hair braiding on stage. While the cast is trained to braid onstage, the wig team prepares the wig effects with magnetic panels and double-stacked wigs for hair transformations onstage that are undetectable even when the viewer is looking for them. Most guests leave marveling at the onstage hair transformations! The wig team meticulously maintained a huge number of wigs and included Therese LeVasseur (706), April Tillies, Toya Patton (706), and Camille Thomas (706). We used A STAGE COMMUNITY WEAVES A BOND JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING