The Library for the Performing Arts Play Club [IN PERSON]

Play Club is like a book club, but for plays! Whether you are familiar with the art of reading plays, or looking to expand your appreciation for dramatic literature, this book club is an opportunity to read plays you have been meaning to explore or have never considered reading before. Learn about new works, discover new playwrights, and make friends!

This group will read one playscript from the Library for the Performing Arts circulating collection every month, and then come together to discuss the work. We will read one scene from the play together and discuss the text in a book club discussion format.

This program will take place in person at the Library for the Performing Arts Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab. If you would like to participate in an

This program is intended for adult patrons.

Thursday April 24th at 6:30pm -

In this Play Club, we read and discuss Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress. In the play, a talented and experienced Black actress has been cast in Chaos in Belleville, an anti-lynching play set to open on Broadway. She's paid her dues throughout the years playing stereotypical supporting roles in second-rate shows and is ready for her star turn. Chaos in Belleville written by a white playwright might not be quite as enlightened a piece as she's been hoping for - but that doesn't mean it won't sell out. And selling out is the question at the heart of Alice Childress's comedy-drama. A cast of multigenerational Black actors rehearse under the purview of a white director and stage manager and as the rehearsal process unfolds theatre conventions and racial politics collide resulting in a surprisingly funny yet deeply piercing look at the entertainment industry.

Alice Childress was born on October 12, 1920, in Charleston, South Carolina. At the age of nine Childress moved to Harlem, New York City, where she studied drama with the American Negro Theatre in the 1940s. There she wrote, directed, and starred in her first play, Florence (1949), a dramatic piece about a black woman who, after meeting an insensitive white actress in a railway station, comes to respect her daughter's attempts to pursue an acting career. Childress’ other theatrical offerings include Trouble in Mind (produced 1955, 1956 Obie Award for best original Off-Broadway play; revised and published 1971); Wedding Band (1966); String (1969); and Win the Wilderness (1969), all of which examine racial and social issues.

We have a few copies of the play available at the Library for the Performing Arts, but if you are looking for additional copies, the Drama Book Shop has graciously set aside copies of the play at a discounted price of 10% off for Play Club attendees, while supplies last.Please visit the Drama Book Shop to purchase your copy.

Photo Credit: From left, Hilda Haynes, James McMahon, Stephanie Elliot and Charles Bettis in rehearsal for the stage production Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress. 1955. Billy Rose Theatre Division.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING AND ASL | ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing [email protected].

Host or Publisher New York Public Library for the Performing Arts