Passage Theatre Reveals Titles for 41st Season: NOT AFRAID
Season to include Baraka double bill and world premiere about Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes
By: A.A. Cristi Jun. 30, 2025
Passage Theatre Company has revealed programming and scheduling details for its upcoming 41st season, titled Season 41: Not Afraid, marking a bold return with two provocative mainstage productions and expanded community programming.
The Trenton-based company—known for producing socially conscious, community-rooted work—emerges from recent challenges with a season that affirms its mission and resilience. Inspired by the song “Not Afraid” by The Suffers, the theme reflects a spirit of artistic defiance, renewal, and unapologetic truth-telling.
The 2025–26 season will open with a radical reimagining of Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman and The Slave, staged as Act I and Act II of the same production. Directed by longtime collaborator and artist-in-residence Ozzie Jones, the pairing explores race, identity, and societal breakdown from youth to aftermath. Performances will run October 30 through November 16, 2025, at the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton.
The season concludes in February 2026 with the world premiere of Muleheaded, or Zora and Langston write a play, by David Robson (Blues in My Soul). The play dramatizes the brilliant but volatile friendship between Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, tracing their shared dreams, artistic conflicts, and legacy.
In addition to its mainstage offerings, Passage will present a special pop-up concert event titled Because You’re Mine, featuring country duets and love songs performed by Matt Cusack and Allison Kelly on August 1 and 2, 2025 at 7:00pm. This concert is included with season subscriptions, along with further programming to be announced throughout the year.
Mainstage performances for both productions will run Wednesday through Sunday, with 2pm matinees on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and 7pm evening performances on Thursdays and Fridays.
Season 41 continues Passage’s commitment to making professional theatre accessible and responsive to Trenton’s underserved communities, with a focus on partnerships and storytelling that centers marginalized voices.
Season subscriptions are now available and include both productions and additional events throughout the season. For tickets and more information, visit www.passagetheatre.org.
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