Review: ‘Jet Fuel’ is a riveting story of athletes and identity at Bishop Arts Theatre Center
Shanthany Wilkerson and Monica Jones in ‘Jet Fuel’ at Bishop Arts Theatre Center. (Photo by Keith Vinson) Inspired by the story of Olympic runner Caster Semenya, playwright Amy Evans takes a dive into the behind the scenes world of women athletes in Jet Fuel.
The world premiere opened last weekend at Bishop Arts Theatre Center and concludes its run this Sunday. While the sport was front and center, the story was a deeper essay on a woman’s agency.
Directed by Tiana Kaye Blair, Jet Fuel focuses on American runner Mel Jackson, loosely based on Semenya, who is about to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics alongside her teammates and close friend and roommate Grace Kennedy.
But controversy surrounds Jackson as testing on the athlete finds an abnormal amount of testosterone. The truth of her intersex comes to distance Mel from the public eye and even her teammates. RELATED: Playwright Amy Evans puts intersex and identity at the center of the new play Jet Fuel In her portrayal of Jackson, Shanthany Wilkerson earnestly conveyed both strength and vulnerability.
