IN DEVELOPMENT

BLACK LIKE ME

written and directed by Monty Cole
adapted from the memoir by John Howard Griffin

In 1961, white journalist John Howard Griffin medically darkened his skin in an attempt to “pass” as Black. With the goal of investigating race, Griffin traveled the segregated South for three weeks and published his experience in a series of journal entries. A captivating juxtaposition of historical and contemporary, Black Like Me revisits Griffin’s memoir through the response of modern-day characters. This innovative noir docu-drama examines the fine line between allyship and appropriation, and asks how we can transform into the people we truly want to be.

Monty says, “When I first read the book Black Like Me, I was drawn in by this real life twilight zone episode that John Howard Griffin experienced, and pushed away by the questions it forced me to ask about Blackness and allyship. What does it mean to be a good ally and what do we as a Black community expect of our allies? Is it possible to empathize with an issue outside of your own? This play oscillates between noir and flipping on the work lights and confronting the America we live in today.”

WORKSHOP PRODUCTION

California Institute of the Arts (pictures above)
April 19-27, 2019

ENSEMBLE: Christopher Brosnan (John), Philip Bucknor, Sarahjeen Francois, Symone Holmes, Derek Jackson, Alex Mitchell, Terrence Wilburn

PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic Design: Salmah Beydoun
Lighting Design: Omar Madkour
Sound Design: Anna Grossman
Costume Design: Yuan Yuan Liang

Stage Manager: Diane Park
Assistant Director: Alyse James

ZOOM READING

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
September 10, 2020

ENSEMBLE: Adia Alli, Breon Arzell, Brianna Buckley, McKenzie Chinn, Joe Dempsey (John), Eric Gerard, Daniel Kyri and Netta Walker

PRODUCTION TEAM
Stage Manager: Christopher Maxwell
Dramaturg: Regina Victor