Interview: Ato Blankson-Wood Finds Joy & Resistance in MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT

In 1992, as the AIDS epidemic devastated LGBTQ+ communities and queer Americans fought for visibility, a Black drag queen named Joan Jett Blakk launched an unlikely campaign for president of the United States. More than three decades later, her story is finding new life onstage, with Ato Blankson-Wood discovering that her greatest political weapon may have been joy.

Currently starring in MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT at Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre, Blankson-Wood portrays Terence Alan Smith, the activist behind Joan Jett Blakk. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tina Landau, who also directs, the production transforms a largely overlooked chapter of American political history into an exuberant theatrical experience that challenges audiences to reconsider what activism can look like.

For Blankson-Wood, whose credits include SLAVE PLAY, CABARET, and HAMLET, the opportunity arrived unexpectedly. Originally developed with Wayne Brady in the starring role, the production needed a replacement when Brady withdrew for medical reasons. “I spoke with my agents, and I thought, ‘This is a really exciting opportunity, I can’t really see any reason to say no,’” Blankson-Wood recalls about stepping into Brady’s shoes, or heels. “I was filled with a great amount of fear because it was late in the process and Wayne is so multifaceted, he’s a triple threat.”

Despite the compressed rehearsal schedule, Blankson-Wood found creative freedom with Landau and McCraney, who encouraged him to shape the character through experimentation. Brady, meanwhile, remained supportive. “Wayne actually has just been lovely, supporting on Instagram, sending flowers, just like good energy, you know?”

That generosity helped Blankson-Wood embrace a character whose approach to political resistance challenges conventional expectations. “I think what this role’s taught me is that visibility and taking up space can take up many forms,” he explains. “I think we have this idea that when we’re engaged in activism or being political in some way, that it only looks like making a speech, talking points, or being out there protesting.”

Yet, for Smith’s drag persona Ms. Joan Jett Blakk, political resistance could also mean embracing spectacle, celebrating identity, and refusing to surrender happiness. “I’m going to sound a little bit like a broken record, but it’s joy,” Blankson-Wood adds. “Joy as activism.”

That distinction resonates with Blankson-Wood, particularly when considering his previous theatrical roles, many of which have explored identity and oppression through conflict and suffering. “I feel like Joan’s way is to remind us of and to point to joy always as the motivating factor,” he states. “I feel this character is most motivated by joy.”

The production’s celebration of Black queer joy also raises questions about whose experiences receive theatrical representation. Blankson-Wood acknowledges organizations such as National Black Theater and the Movement Theater Company for championing Black stories while recognizing that commercial theater has further to go. “Theater is an empathy machine, and we have to give ourselves over to that in order for it to do its work.”

He adds, “I think we’re living in a time right now where empathy is pretty hard to come by.”

That need for empathy becomes particularly meaningful in a production unfolding against the AIDS epidemic. Rather than centering exclusively on tragedy, MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT celebrates the humor, community, and audacity that sustained queer Americans through an extraordinarily difficult period. “Even in dire times, we have to make space for joy, and actually joy will be a fuel for us,” Blankson-Wood explains. “I don’t need to get caught in the doom. I can actually find joy in many places, you know.”

The production’s unconventional storytelling reinforces that philosophy. Moving between political rally, nightclub performance, and intimate confession, the play refuses easy categorization. “The content is queer, and in its form it’s queer. It’s always changing. Is it a play? Is it a musical? Is it a drag act?” Blankson-Wood observes. “It can be all of those things.”

For the actor, drag also provides a means of exploring the relationship between Smith’s vulnerability and Joan’s extraordinary confidence. “My experience of doing drag is it’s this kind of armor that this character gets to put on, and it’s often large, loud, kind of in your face.” That armor allows Smith, as Joan Jett Blakk, to confront fears that might otherwise constrain him, while also allowing Blankson-Wood to navigate the tension between theatrical extravagance and genuine human connection.

Additionally, portraying Joan has also transformed his relationship with artistic validation. “This role is the one where I’ve given myself the most permission to live inside of my joy regardless of how it’s received,” he reflects. “I’m just really at peace with what we’ve made here.”

That confidence comes with a profound sense of responsibility. Blankson-Wood admits he was unfamiliar with Joan Jett Blakk’s history before joining the production, an omission that raises troubling questions about whose contributions survive in collective memory. “I don’t think that’s a mistake,” he points out. “I think we have to think about whose stories get told and whose stories get erased.”

Now, portraying a real historical figure for the first time, he approaches the performance as an opportunity to introduce audiences to someone whose activism deserves greater recognition. “I often just remind myself that I’m in service to what Joan did, so I can get out of my way, and I can just be a vessel for her story.”

Ultimately, Blankson-Wood hopes audiences leave the Vineyard Theatre with more than an appreciation for forgotten history. He wants them to recognize that resistance need not require sacrificing tenderness, love, or happiness. “I think what the show offers is an alternative way of doing things in this moment,” he concludes. “It says, ‘Let’s reach across to the people who bring us joy, who we’re closest to, and protect those people.’”