“Black Hoosiers: Untold Tales” is a new collection of live museum theater performances that celebrates the work of African-American playwrights. The performances will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2018, in the Lilly Theatre at Conner Prairie, 13400 Allisonville Road, Fishers.
Each evening will begin with a performance of “Rhodes Family Incident,” a 30-minute play written by Crystal V. Rhodes and in collaboration with Asante Children’s Theatre, that tells the story of two contemporary college students who grew up in Westfield and discover a historical racial incident that challenges their notions of identity and their hometown.
Monologues sharing the lives and contributions of prominent Hoosier African Americans will then be performed, including Lillian Thomas Fox of Indianapolis, a journalist and civic leader; Dr. Martin Jenkins of Terre Haute, who pioneered research into black children of superior intelligence; and Willa Brown of Terre Haute, the first African-American woman to earn a pilot’s license and commercial flying license.
Following the performances will be dialogue with the audience about issues of race, history and identity, facilitated by Ernest Disney-Britton of the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Tamara Winfrey-Harris of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.
Tickets for “Black Hoosiers: Untold Tales,” a collaborative project between Conner Prairie and Asante Children’s Theatre and funded by the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation and Indiana Arts Commission, are $6 for the general public and $5 for museum members. Tickets may be purchased prior to each show or in advance online at connerprairie.org.