"Empress Niger" is an old piece I originally wrote for a couple of friends/students when I was a Forensics coach in Los Angeles. When I first started doing radio plays I naturally went to old material as a source for the productions- just to get my feet wet as it were.

The original inspiration were two very talented people who could pull off the characters and bring out the sense of loneliness and hope at the center of the piece.

I was lucky enough to find two more talented people to meet the task and really launch Pagliacci's Fools.

It's kinda funny that I am posting this particular piece. This was written right out of college and I had a sense of hope in the future great things were to come. And now- well- I just turned 52 and I am living that future but it's not exactly what I had hoped for back then. The future is uncertain but I think one must continue forward. Looking back doesn't give you much insight. Just a stiff neck.