Vincent Jordan Archives - Chicago Reader

In the foreground on the left, a white man in white shirt, suspenders, and tan trousers faces a Black woman in a 1950s-style blue dress. Behind them on the left we see a Black man, also in shirt, trousers, and suspenders, and a white woman in a brown suit dress, looking at the argument unfolding between the two characters in the foreground.

She sees you, white American theater

by Kerry Reid November 17, 2022August 31, 2023

Alice Childress’s Trouble in Mind made its off-Broadway debut in 1955, but it never made the leap to the Great White Way (emphasis most definitely on “White”). The white producers demanded that Childress give her story about racism in the American theater a happier ending depicting racial harmony. (Pause for irony.) Childress refused at first, […]

A young Black woman sits on a sofa, wrapped in a purple blanket. A young Black man leans on the sofa on the left, and another young Black man stands behind her. A photo of an older Black woman is on the side table next to the sofa.

Theater Review

New generation, old family stories

by Sheri Flanders June 2, 2022June 2, 2022

Change is afoot at Black Ensemble Theater as it prepares to embark on a new era, leveraging a $5 million grant to implement founder and CEO Jackie Taylor’s longtime vision of a Free To Be corridor, which would expand the footprint of the theater campus and provide housing and support opportunities for artists and community. […]

Arts & Culture

Style & Grace pays tribute to Lena Horne and Nancy Wilson

by Marissa Oberlander May 29, 2019August 18, 2021

Black Ensemble Theater’s latest bio-musical tells the stories of two great jazz divas.

Arts & Culture

The Invention of Morel, Monster, and 13 more new stage shows

by Chicago Reader February 22, 2017August 18, 2021

A world-premiere opera by Stewart Copeland and a Steppenwolf for Young Adults production are among this week’s best bets.