TITLE: THE HEAT WILL KILL EVERYTHING 

A new one-person written play by Keith Josef Adkins 

Featuring Francois Battiste 

Directed by Russell G. Jones 

Tagline: One man’s journey to find his lost daughter leads him to finding himself. 

Synopsis: With one character and a 75-minute running time, The Heat Will Kill Everything is set a  few years from now and follows Leeden, a 40-year-old Black professor, as he searches for his 9- year-old daughter Asha during an extreme heat event. In the theatrical spirit of A Year of Magical  Thinking, the play uses direct address and projection to tell the story of Leeden as he takes an odyssey through unbearable heat, where he ultimately learns his socialization as a man in this world may have chased his daughter away. Through love, struggle, and a desire to change, this play explores what it means when the climate doesn’t just have the ability to unsettle our planet, it also has the ability to unsettle who we are and force us to rethink our entire lives. 

Themes: 

• Socialization and Gender: The intersections of race and maleness in present-day life. • Family Bonds: Fathers and children and the slippery slope of repeated patterns. • Climate Change: An examination of how global warming impacts Black peoples.

About Keith: Keith Josef Adkins’ plays, including The West End (Steinberg-ATCA 0inalist), Pitbulls, Safe House, and Last Saint on Sugar Hill, have been produced Off-Broadway and regionally. TV credits include Accused and Outer Banks. He’s the artistic director of The New Black Fest that fosters new voices. 

About Francois: Francois Battiste, an award-winning Broadway actor and Julliard grad, has performed in HERE WE ARE - the final musical by the Stephen Sondheim, written by David Ives, and directed by Tony Joe Mantello, Raisin in the Sun at The Public Theater, directed by Robert O’Hara as well as the role of Malcolm X in the London premier of One Night in Miami at the Young Vic. 

About Russell: Russell G. Jones, an Audelco, Obie, and SAG Award-winning actor, originated roles in acclaimed plays by Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Stephen Adly Guirgis. Recurs on Only Murders In The Building, Founder of BLIND SPOT EXPERIENCE, he champions racial equity through art and dialogue.

For inquiries, please contact: Keith Josef Adkins atkeithjosefadkins@gmail.com