During the course of Lori Roper's residency at Gallery Aferro, she developed a series of solo plays which form a collection entitled Nothing to See Here.

The series focused on the lives and events which have shaped the rich texture of Newark, New Jersey.  Many of the solo plays were inspired by characters in a larger work, entitled HAWKS TAVERN, a new play co-written with Rick Sordelet. As an artist who has grown productively from the experience of being in residence in the past, Roper knows the importance, influence and inspiration that thrives during an immersive experience in a space dedicated to creativity.

Hawks Tavern centers around estranged African American siblings who reunite amidst catastrophe. 

Each sibling believes that their individual histories of racial oppression require retribution and sacrifice from others.  Together, they take on revolutionary measures while protecting the family bar amidst the tragic Newark riots of 1967.  A bevy of family secrets set the stage for further turmoil in this comic-drama that which insists upon why we can’t wait for social justice to heal the wounds suffered by the victimized. It is written by Lori Roper and Rick Sordelet.

The Sisters Grey is a play that tells the story of two sisters in law – one Black and one Jewish – both believe that their family histories of racial oppression require retribution and sacrifice from others. 

A funeral, an heirloom ring which survived the Holocaust, and a bevy of secrets set the stage for turmoil in this comedy that asks why we still question love outside our own tribe. Lori Roper created a play, The Sisters Grey, which provides a true illumination of the relationships among African American and Jewish people. The Sisters Grey is a multi-ethnic, interdenominational work.  In addition to an honest discussion about race, their play The Sisters Grey will also unveil the unspoken complexities within female relationships; especially those which are interracial.  Furthermore, an intergenerational cast provides a stark discussion about the significance of roots, the mythology at the heart of prejudice and the lingering malaise from centuries of misunderstanding and bigotry.  This modern-day comic drama centers on two sisters-in-law: one African American, the other European American (just like the writers).  The cast will consist of three African American characters, one African (Nigerian) character and two European-American Jewish characters.