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Actress Battles Racism On Broadway
2 Aug
Summary
- A new version of Alice Childress's 1955 play is airing.
- The play features actors rehearsing an anti-lynch drama.
- An actress confronts racial stereotypes in her character.
A significant 1955 play by pioneering Black playwright Alice Childress, titled 'Trouble in Mind,' is being reimagined as part of Radio 4's 'Story of America' season.
The narrative unfolds as a group of actors rehearse a new Broadway drama. This play-within-a-play aims to address 'anti-lynch' themes during a period of intense civil rights struggles and segregation in the United States.
Wiletta Mayer, a seasoned Black actress, grows increasingly troubled. She faces pressure to accept compromises that reduce Black characters to stereotypes, despite the play's purported anti-racist message.
Childress masterfully critiques the racial dynamics of the era. The production builds towards a potent display of artistic and personal defiance as opening night looms.
