author: Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington
Nu Sass Productions’ production of Sharai Bohannon’s Craigslisted is best described as a dramedy even as early smiles lead toward fear and possible disaster. The play presents an engaging, though psychologically murky, narrative and is well-suited to younger adult audiences, as its protagonist utilizes social media while searching for straightforward solutions to a prevalent concern among today’s students. This production is well acted and deftly produced in an intimate setting. It provoked some lively discussions afterwards, which is what good theatre can do.
In Kansas City, MO circa 2014, we are introduced to Maggie (Jasmine Proctor), a down-on-her-luck college student who is struggling to get by financially while devoting time to her classes. The play begins in her darkened apartment, where her electric service has been turned off and the food in her refrigerator is starting to spoil. Despite the efforts of her best friends Robin (Dom Ocampo) and Haley (Maggie Wardell), she is unable to support herself. Yet reluctant to borrow any more money from them (or their parents), Maggie enters the strange world of Craigslist.
Founded in 1995, Craigslist was the internet address for millions to connect, rent, sell or buy items, or to meet and sell services. Indeed, at its darkest, Craigslist was allegedly used in the promotion of sex workers and the sex trafficking trade. Yet Maggie chooses to respond to financial offers for non-sexual services: from those who are lonely, and from those with special fetishes – telling herself she never will become emotionally involved and knows how to block those likely to take advantage or extend boundaries.
To reinforce the fact that she does not provide sexual services, Maggie even calls herself “Lady Chastity” online. The requests she answers range from someone wanting to pay to share a dinner with her to a woman (Jillian Blair) wishing to have a foot fetish satisfied. In no time at all, Maggie goes from being a financial wreck to a cash-flush Craigslist player, scheduling time slots for her “customers” while trying to adhere to her class schedule.
The result is, unsurprisingly, a cautionary tale – but about what? Initially, Maggie benefits from perks like getting a free pedicure or giving her old bras to a customer. “It’s like I’m getting paid to clean up my apartment,” she tells Haley and Robin. But soon the sideline becomes an obsession. Even more naively, Maggie begins to document her experiences in a blog, creating fake humorous names for each of her clients; she calls the foot fetishist Dr. Scholls, for example. This choice deepens the theme of how indiscriminately sharing one’s life can have serious repercussions. Haley is very supportive, while Robin warns that such seemingly good ideas can backfire.
Playwright Bohannon seems to build her play’s premise on the implied question of why a scholarship student might have to turn to Craigslist as a source of income and support. The cautionary outcome of this risky choice asks us to return to this implied economic question, as, of course, using Craigslist as an alternative source of income is a slippery slope; it puts Maggie in more than one dangerous situation and puts her scholarship and academic career at risk. Yet rather than providing a deeper analysis of Maggie’s psychology as she readily engages in emotional dishonesty with (and mockery of) her clients, the focus of most of the scenes is to exploit humor or menace from Maggie’s oddball customers.
These include Dave (Hanlon Smith-Dorsey), an awkwardly clumsy man looking for simple companionship following his failed marriage; Ned (Joseph Wilson), a drug-dealing furry who is looking for a place to hold a gathering of his fellow furries; and a sadistic yoga instructor Gary (Erik Harrison), who forces her to obey his every command and assume poses for him without speaking.
Erik Harrison’s scenes as Gary, the sadistic yoga instructor, imply even greater abusiveness than we see, while Jillian Blair’s Bobbi – also known as Dr. Scholls – has moments where she is not only controlling, but borderline dangerous. Both do admirable jobs of getting us to sit on the edge of our seats.
Maggie Wardell plays Haley, whose steadfast support of Maggie may seem to mark her as a good friend, but whose reluctance to take a stand against Maggie’s foolish pursuit of money has consequences. She enjoys reading Chastity’s blog but fails to consider what ramifications there might be should the Craigslist community learn of Maggie’s true identity. Wardell brings a level of mousy authenticity to the role which can easily make you forget that she is acting.
As counterpoint, Dom Ocampo’s Robin clashes with Maggie over all of her choices. While Haley is supportive of Maggie, it’s Robin who dares to confront her and their relationship is much more complicated. The judgmental friend who is convinced of their rightness, even when they are contradicting what they said the day before, is not easy to play. Ocampo risks being disliked by the audience, and I have to tell you, I was waiting impatiently for someone to slap her. That’s good acting.
As Maggie, Jasmine Proctor offers an appealing presence and creates a character that is ultimately believable if incredibly naïve. Her choices allow you to understand why a “perfectly normal” person would be willing to sell their time to strangers. In a very short time, she convinces us that she is helping these people and just making a little money while doing it. Jasmine is the engine that has to drive the action and she does it well. She balances humor and fear with equal parts energy and compassion.
The new space that Nu Sass finds themselves in is, in a word, awkward. It feels very “Off, Off Broadway,” and hidden – in fact, I walked by the front door twice. The shape of the room is a big L, which means the seating is divided into two sections rather far apart. Don’t worry, almost all the seats are still good for this show since the director Dannielle Hutchinson did an amazing job of blocking. Hutchinson accepted the issues of the space and worked with them. Her view of the show was spot-on if the pace at times was a bit draggy. Not sure if the intermission was necessary, especially if the pace had been picked up just a bit.
Set and Prop designer Nadia Kuffar did a lot with a small space, keeping the sight lines as open as possible, not an easy task in an L-shaped room. Sean Preston created the multiple projections used throughout the show to remind us of the virtual world we are all living in.
Craigslisted is most definitely worth seeing with a group of friends, if one plans to have a drink and a lively discussion after.
Running Time: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes with one intermission
Craigslisted plays through October 4th 2025 at Nu Sass Productions— 1100 H Street NW in Washington, DC. Tickets are available at the door or in advance online.