Blerd (noun): a portmanteau of “Black” and “nerd” used to describe the experience of being a Black person with nerdy interests, often used to acknowledge the intersection of Black identity and nerd culture.
Growing up in Avondale, Derek Snow was always torn between two worlds — one of anime marathons and Spider-Man comics, and one where being a self-proclaimed Black nerd (or, blerd) meant constantly proving he belonged. As fate would have it, this year finds Snow straddling both in a world-premiere play, Blerds, opening at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati. If you see a motley crew of Spider-Man, Frodo and other cosplayers roaming around, you can bet they’re part of this show.
After being set to premiere last season, Blerds by J. Corey Buckner finally takes the stage in a story that embraces the fandom frenzy of the early 2000s in a hilarious and heartfelt tale. Following three Black nerds, or blerds, on a journey to Comic-Con in 2002, the story blends coming-of-age themes with pop culture nostalgia, highlighting the challenges of embracing one’s identity in a world where they feel unseen.
“This is just a particular story about a group of three teens who happen to be Black, who are nerdy, and who go on an adventure to sort of redeem themselves,” said Snow. “The playwright and I spoke a lot about creating space. The fact that we’re not just saying nerds, we’re saying Black nerds, is because people of color have always had to carve their own sort of spaces out of the mainstay,” he said.
Among their goals is to meet actor Samuel L. Jackson, known for his turn as Mace Windu in Star Wars. The plot revolving around Jackson is no coincidence, beyond his iconic turn in Star Wars, according to Snow. As both Snow and Buckner grew up during this era, their perspective on the lack of Black heroes in mainstream comics during this time has informed much of the play’s themes.
“(Buckner) said he really wanted to just make a statement about his personal experience with sort of feeling left out, not only being a nerd, but sort of being left out of any sort of mainstream representation,” said Snow, remarking on conversations with playwright Buckner. “(He) just wanted to see something in there with, like, a skateboard and a Black character holding a skateboard as a sword. He said, ‘it’s just really cool imagery for me.’”
Jackson is only the tip of the pop culture iceberg for audiences in Blerds, from the spirit of Goonies to a more ominous threat in the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks. Among lightsabers and cosplayers, the trio also navigates the sniper attack threats in real time, undeterred in their quest to meet Jackson. Despite its bleaker nature, such real events were tantamount to the show’s sense of place and determination, Snow says.
“It’s a really cool element of realism. They have an adventure in mind, but there’s also this shadowy danger that, like, sort of stays behind them. And it’s always one step behind them,” he says.
The cast is comprised of six performers of color, playing roles ranging from the main trio to Samuel L. Jackson himself. In casting younger performers for the main trio, Snow noted some humorous conversations on the time period, with a specific preclusion to the music of the era.
“It’s weird because the three original students are not aware of a lot because they were so young. All of us on staff and the production staff are like, ‘Oh, man. Remember that 50 Cent, when that dropped?’ And we’re just clicking tracks, and they’re like, we don’t know this song,” Snow said, chuckling. “‘Oh, I kinda heard it in the club before.’ ‘Oh, yeah. I kinda heard Nelly before.’ These things that feel like ancient history to them, but it’s great for us to take a look back.”
The show’s cast is also leaning into the cosplayer and Comic-Con elements of the show, recently taking to the streets with two professional cosplayers as a Jedi and Spider-Man. The result has been an outpouring of excitement around the show from the cosplayer community, including one happenstance moment during a photo shoot.
“There are a lot of cosplayers and nerds in the city who are like, finally! We were taking a picture outside of a brownstone, and a woman was coming home with her keys, and she said, ‘What’s going on here?’ She was so excited, and we couldn’t figure out why,” he said. “She says that she’s actually a professional cosplayer, and she went upstairs and came back with all these costumes and told us, ‘I’m coming to the Know, and I’m bringing all my cosplay friends.’”
The unique story represents identities seldom explored on stage and directly aligns with the theatrical playground identity of the Know Theatre. Beyond the story itself, the Know is also conducting several educational matinees for local schools, including Snow’s own alma mater — The School for Creative and Performing Arts in the heart of Cincinnati’s downtown. The aim, Snow notes, is for young students of color to see themselves represented in a mainstage production. The investment in this story has been immense, Snow notes, as has the ability to take risks.
“I’ve been working with Know for over twenty years as an actor and directed there only a few times, but they’ve always been just the bravest theater company in town. They’ve been willing to take risks with their show choices and also try to be really inclusive. They make it a sort of a mission statement of theirs — inclusivity across the board,” he said. “I think it’s the best place because this kind of story probably would take a really long time to get to other stages.”
For Snow, embracing his inner blerd is something that comes naturally.
“Black Panther. That was the first time I was exposed to a character who was Black that was not some stereotype,” he said with a smile, embodying the essence of what Blerds is all about. Finally, Samuel L. Jackson isn’t the only one.
Blerds runs from April 4-19 at the Know Theatre mainstage in Over-the-Rhine. More info: knowtheatre.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s April 2 print edition.
This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2025.