“We write because we believe the human spirit cannot be tamed and should not be trained,” stated the beloved poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator Nikki Giovanni. This is the spirit that is coming alive in the theater community in the United States among Black women playwrights. Reflecting changes in society that have catalyzed the need for diverse voices to be heard, there has been an increase in Black women contemporary playwrights whose plays have recently appeared on Broadway and the national theater circuit. These prominent playwrights and their plays include Suzan-Lori Parks’s new edition of the Gershwins-DuBose Heyward opera Porgy and Bess; Lynn Nottage’s By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, a satirical look at the tense relationship between a white actress and her maid; Lydia R. Diamond’s Stick Fly, about today’s Black middle class and the complexity of their relationships; and Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop, about the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Also, in local theaters nationwide, there are more plays being penned by Black women, and the trend is present in Hollywood where the tri-annual production of short contemporary plays written by and about Black women will be presented this autumn in Black Women: State of the Union (BWSOTU) at the Skylight Theatre from October 19 through November 18, 2012.

BWSOTU producting team: pictured top, left to right: Tamika Simpkins, Kila Kitu; middle: MichelleFlowers; bottom, left to right: Lee Sherman, Lony’e Perrine. Photo cred: BWSOTU

The theme of BWSOTU is “Taking Flight,” an entertaining exploration of the challenges and achievements of Black women in contemporary America. This thought-provoking and interactive production highlights the painful effects of violence and racism that still plague our community and how women attempt to navigate the maze. Contrasted against this ongoing struggle is the reality that Black women today are also transcending boundaries and barriers and increasingly emerging as leaders, innovators, and artists who are admired around the world. This interesting juxtaposition is also explored in the production.