“A masterpiece of astonishing power” – New York Magazine
At a Broadway theatre in 1957, rehearsals are underway for a new play. Behind the scenes, veteran Black actors are dispensing advice to their young counterpart. For them, playing a role is a way of life. Don’t be too smart or too outspoken, and don’t get too close. Meanwhile, the white director expects raves for showing enlightenment but his actions fall short. In the play-within-a-play, the Black sharecroppers look for the vote but find nothing but trouble. And the tension in the rehearsal room rises …
Alice Childress was deprived of being the first Black woman to have a play on Broadway when she refused to tone down the message of her 1955 comedy-drama. Now, 65 years later, the New York Times is calling Trouble in Mind, “the play of the moment”.
