I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle explores America’s racial past through the lens of one of the most influential texts ever written: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” In this witty self-reflective drama that blends 19th century melodrama and 1990s hip hop culture, Alexander brings Stowe’s characters to life so that they may deconstruct stereotypes of African Americans and write their own history. With George acting as judge, Tom, Eliza, Cassy, and Topsy put Stowe on trial for her misrepresentation of the enslaved South and by doing so, challenge audiences to also question how historical stereotypes of African Americans continue to persist today.

Awake and Sing!

By Clifford Odets
Damond Morris directs: Hope Theatre
Appropriate for all ages

Jan 26, 27, 28, 29, Feb 2, 3, 4

Set during the trying times of the Great Depression, the classic American drama Awake and Sing! looks at a working-class Jewish family and their struggle to carve out a slice of the American Dream. Odets calls for a revolution; for the audience to look past money and greed and to discover the treasure of family, freedom, and our place in the future. The questions raised by Odets are as relevant in the current economic downturn as they were during the Great Depression, as we, like the Berger’s, make decisions between what society stands for and what we can afford.