Long Wharf Theatre Presents BLACK TRANS WOMEN AT THE CENTER: AN EVENING OF SHORT PLAYS

As Long Wharf Theatre prepares for the September premiere of their 2020/21 season One City, Many Stages, their summer offerings continue to underline a commitment to emergent programming that breaks traditional barriers to storytelling.

The newly announced Black Trans Women at the Center: An Evening of Short Plays is a celebration of Black trans talent and experience. The event is underscored by three works that offer distinct glimpses into the lived experiences of the Black trans community-creating an intersection of art and activism that remains at the heart of LWT's dynamic season of offstage theatre making.

The murders of Brayla Stone, Tony McDade, Merci Mack, Dominque "Rem'mie" Fells, Riah Milton, Nina Pop, Layleen Polanco, and many others has prompted a #BlackTransLivesMatter movement that calls for heightened attention to the grossly underreported rates of anti-transgender violence that is often discounted in the context of the larger fight against systemic racism. Since joining LWT, artistic director Jacob G. Padrón has made sure that the predominantly and historically white theatre uses its platform to lift up demands for full equality for all members of the Black community. Black Trans Women is a vital illustration of theatre that affirms and prioritizes Black trans people.

Befitting their mission driven season, LWT presents a thought-provoking evening featuring livestreamed readings of Things Unknown by Dezi Bing (Wig Out, Black Trans Girls...), You Will Nevaaa... by CeCe Suazo (Street Children, Incongruence), and Sunshine by New Haven native Douglas Lyons (Beau, Chicken and Biscuits).

Black Trans Women is LWT's most recent centering of creative work that challenges systems of oppression, as the theatre acknowledges the fact that when it comes to undoing racism and transphobia, in the words of Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi-the event's coproducer and director of Sunshine-"a world free of oppression is possible, but not without Black trans people."

Black Trans Women: An Evening of Short Plays is a three-part event that features free, livestreamed readings airing Wednesday, August 5 at 8PM EST. Register here for access.

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