A.C.T. Out Loud: Trouble in Mind

In early 2021, A.C.T. launches A.C.T. Out Loud, a new series of play readings featuring enduring works by some of the greatest minds of generations past.  These plays have the power to reach across time, speaking both to the age in which they were written and the ever-changing currents of today and include works that have been long-celebrated as well as those that never received the attention they are due.

Time: 1957. Place: New York City. Six actors gather in a Broadway theater to rehearse an anti-lynching play, written and directed by white artists. Newcomer John believes in the sanctity of theater, ingénue Judy insists there’s only the human race, and veteran actress Wiletta is torn between getting along and delving into the authentic truth of her character. As the actors get on their feet and small talk turns into discussion on motivation and theme, tension begins to run high, ultimately reaching a point of no return. A boulevard comedy with undeniable dramatic force, Alice Childress’s masterpiece would have been the first play by a Black woman produced on Broadway if she had agreed to the producers’ demands that she soften its message. Funny, incisive, and poignant, this play-within-a-play is an unflinching examination of white fragility and liberalism in the theater industry.

Mar 29–Apr 4, 2021—On Demand
Mar 29, 2021— Watch Party