Live/Reserved Seating
Priority Seating: $25
General Seating: $15
Part V: THEATER
Excerpts, Readings, and Conversation
Funnyhouse of a Negro by Adrienne Kennedy
Funnyhouse of a Negro by Adrienne Kennedy, recently acknowledged as one of America’s seminal playwrights, was a play written during the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. It represented a radical departure from the naturalistic theater of the time and provided performance opportunities for a long list of actors who became the iconic talents of the decades that followed. Readings of excerpts of this groundbreaking work will be presented at Harlem Stage, interspersed with conversation moderated by Harlem Stage Associate Artistic Director/Curator-in-Residence Carl Hancock Rux, providing further context on the impact of the work and its relationship to the Black Arts Movement. Featuring discussants Woodie King, Jr., and Jonathan McCrory, and Tony Award-winning actress Trezana Beverley, and actors Stephanie Berry, Toussaint Jeanlouis and Shayvawn Webster.
Funnyhouse of a Negro is a modern classic about the student Sarah, a young black woman living in New York City, and her search for her identity in a very complex, warring, and fractured world. This search is manifested in her many selves: Queen Victoria, the Duchess of Hapsburg, Patrice Lumumba, and Jesus Christ. Performed by colleges worldwide, this landmark play speaks to students trying to find a place in the world. Funnyhouse of a Negro was first presented Off-Broadway at the East End Theater in New York City on January 14, 1964.
Black Arts Movement: Examined is supported by the Mellon Foundation.
Harlem Stage continues to host a captivating array of performances by talented Black Artists from around the world, as well as right here in bustling New York City. To ensure you never miss out on the latest live and digital shows, be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
