Not a Genuine Black Man at City Lights Theater Company

In 1971, Fair Housing advocates considered San Leandro one of the most racist suburbs in America. CBS aired a special on the situation. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights conducted hearings. The next year, eight-year-old Brian Copeland and his African-American family moved in.

In an evening of laughter, tears and sociology, Copeland’s acclaimed solo show Not a Genuine Black Man is a hilarious and insightful look at Bay Area history, and at the ways in which our upbringings make us who we are.

Not a Genuine Black Man broke records as the longest-running solo show in San Francisco history, and is now the longest-running solo show in Bay Area history. It has brought Copeland critical acclaim as one of the city’s most talented and engaging solo performers. Now he brings the show to City Lights in a rare South Bay appearance. Up next: Director Rob Reiner is currently developing the show for television!

“In a region where solo stage shows are performed with regularity, Black Man is the production to which all others must be judged. It’s that good, and that deeply ingrained in the theater scene.”  –The Mercury News