“Painfully relevant… One is gradually struck by how bracingly prophetic the late
playwright’s script turns out to be.” —Variety
Ahead of its time, Trouble in Mind, written in 1955, follows the rehearsal process of
an anti-lynching play preparing for its Broadway debut. When Wiletta, a Black
actress and veteran of the stage, challenges the play’s stereotypical portrayal
of the Black characters, unsettling biases come to the forefront and reveal the
ways so-called progressive art can be used to uphold racist attitudes.
Scheduled to open on Broadway in 1957, Childress objected to the requested
changes in the script that would “sanitize” the play for mainstream audiences,
and the production was canceled as a result. Childress’s final script is published
here.
playwright’s script turns out to be.” —Variety
Ahead of its time, Trouble in Mind, written in 1955, follows the rehearsal process of
an anti-lynching play preparing for its Broadway debut. When Wiletta, a Black
actress and veteran of the stage, challenges the play’s stereotypical portrayal
of the Black characters, unsettling biases come to the forefront and reveal the
ways so-called progressive art can be used to uphold racist attitudes.
Scheduled to open on Broadway in 1957, Childress objected to the requested
changes in the script that would “sanitize” the play for mainstream audiences,
and the production was canceled as a result. Childress’s final script is published
here.
Used availability for Alice Childress's Trouble in Mind