Interview: TV's Danielle Moné Truitt Introduces Her 3: BLACK GIRL BLUES to the Hudson Stage

Law & Order: Organized Crime's Danielle Moné Truitt brings her one-woman show 3: Black Girl Blues to the Hudson Theatre for a 3-weekend run beginning May 19, 2023.

The very busy Danielle found some time to answer a few of my queries between shooting her TV gig, her stage rehearsals, her community activism work and her parental duties.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Danielle!

What was the catalyst behind creating 3: Black Girl Blues?

In 2006 I moved to Los Angeles, and I was trying to find my footing in a new city where I had no agent or connections. By 2007 I had booked some commercial works but I wasn't doing anything that fed my soul as an artist. So one day I called my friend Anthony Djuan and I asked him if he would help me write a one-woman show. I knew that I wanted it to touch on self-esteem, and facing the ugly parts of ourselves and our story that we hide from others. Of course, it is going to come from a black woman perspective because I am a black woman.

What has been the incubation period of 3: Black Girl Blues from concept in your mind to your upcoming Hudson Theatre stint?

Wow... It's been 16 years! It's crazy to think that I've dedicated so much of my time and career to this piece, but that's how much I love it and believe in it.

What cosmic forces initially brought you and Anthony D'Juan together?

Awe, I love this question. LOL! In 2004 I did a play called And the Dream Goes On through California Music Circus. Anthony D'Juan wrote the play. I was very new to theatre and honestly didn't really pay attention to who wrote the play! Shortly after we closed that show, Buck Busfield contacted me about doing an Equity show at B Street Theatre in Sacramento California. He said that Anthony D'Juan highly recommended me and said I was a great actor and person. I had no idea who Anthony was, but I went with it! LOL! Once I booked the role and we started rehearsal I met Anthony because he too was in the play. I was mortified to find out that Anthony wrote And the Dream Goes On and was who recommended me for the play at B Street. We had a great laugh about that. Yeah, so he's basically responsible for me getting my Equity Card!! Since then he has become my collaborator and one of my best friends!

What would your three-line pitch for 3: Black Girl Blues be?

3: Black Girl Blues is a meditation on external behavior, and the forces that cause us to come clean - all explored seamlessly by one brilliant actress.

Can the Hudson Theatre audience expect to see three totally different women on stage?

Yes!! The fun thing about this show for me is I get to hit the audience hard with Keisha right out the gate. She doesn't care what ANYONE thinks! It's her world, we are just living in it! LOL! Then I slip into Jill who is a ball of joy on the outside, but all over the place and desperately needs a way out of her own life. And to close the show out I dive into Stephanie. The Bad B***h of the 3 who has it together in all the right ways except for mentally and emotionally! She has some deep things to work through in therapy. They are all very different and I enjoy disappearing and letting them do their thing on stage.

If you were to submit your three characters on a dating site, what qualities of each would you list?

KEISH A- Loves to have fun. Has a forgiving heart. Funny!

JILL - Alway tries to see the best in others. Giving. Nurturing.

STEPHANIE - High Achiever. Introspective. Great taste in everything.

What flaws of each would you definitely omit?

KEISHA - Anger problems. Poverty mentality.

JILL - Gossiper. Might be an alcoholic.

STEPHANIE - Suppresses emotion. Can be a total B Word.

In an alternate universe, at what venue and under what circumstances would your three ladies interact? DMV line? Grocery shopping? Sunday brunch?

They would all be together at the funeral of Darnell (Once you see the play, you'll know who that is). At the church they all went to growing up.

You were crowned Miss Black Sacramento in 2000. Looking back now a couple of decades, what would you say were the pros and cons of entering a beauty pageant?

Well, The Miss Black Sacramento Pageant wasn't really a beauty pageant. It was more of an empowerment pageant for Black girls. Many of us have struggled with American beauty standards. Miss Black Sacramento really focused on us embracing our beauty. Celebrating our history and giving back to our communities. So, all Pros!! It was an honor to represent Sacramento in that way.

How do you juggle all your community activism work (BE. ETERNAL: The Thriving Artist Series, #MoreThanAHashtag, THE LIVINGROOM) with your acting gigs and your duties as a mother of two?

Community activism is something that is very important to me. Right now, work and my boys are my top priority. It's been a lot shooting 22 episodes and living bicoastally. However, I am in talks with a few organizations about how I can be involved with their efforts. And I am planning some things for my Thriving Artists series in 2024.

Plans to take 3: Black Girl Blues to other cities?

I would love to take 3: Black Girl Blues to as many cities as possible! The reading I just did in New York was a HUGE success. I will also be doing a special engagement run at B Street Theatre this summer in Sacramento!

What's in the near future for Danielle Moné Truitt, besides your role of Sergeant Ayanna Bell in Law & Order: Organized Crime?

Right now, I'm putting my efforts into 3: Black Girl Blues. Working on developing it for television. I also have a movie that I hope to be pitching soon.

Thank you again, Danielle! I look forward to meeting your 3 Black Girls.

For tickets to the live performances of 3: Black Girl Blues through June 4, 2023; click on the button below:

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