The Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project

In the American Theatre, we have long been guided by the principle that we can “change the world, one play at a time.” What if it was also one day at a time with the same play? On Friday, Juneteenth, (June 19th), theatre communities around the country provided their response to the current moment – the civil uprising that has come as a reaction to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others before them – with simultaneous free readings of Vincent Terrell Durham’s bold new play, Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids, under the auspice of the newly-formed Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project, led by Aldo Billingslea. With a perfect blend of wit, pathos and humor, the play speaks to some of the most pressing subjects of our time – gentrification, white fragility, the Black Lives Matter movement, and police violence against Black bodies. The need for collective action – a commitment to speaking the truth and to begin dismantling systemic racism in our institutions – has never been greater and through Vincent’s words, our community can begin moving toward awareness and justice.

In the Bay Area alone, more than 40 theatres have joined together to present a Zoom live stream presentation of the play, under the auspice of the PlayGround Zoom Fest and in partnership with SAG-AFTRA. Presenting theatres include: Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, PlayGround, Planet Earth Arts, African-American Shakespeare Company, American Conservatory Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Cal Shakes, Center Rep, Central Works, City Lights Theater Company, Crowded Fire, Custom Made Theatre Company, Cutting Ball Theater, Golden Thread Productions, Hillbarn Theatre, Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Magic Theatre, Marin Shakespeare Company, Marin Theatre Company, Mountain Community Theater, National Center for New Plays, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pear Theatre, Perspective Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, San Jose Stage, San Francisco Mime Troupe, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Santa Cruz County Actor’s Theatre, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, SFBATCO, Shotgun Players, Silicon Valley Shakespeare, Stanford Repertory Theater, TheatreFIRST, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Town Hall Theatre, and Utopia Theatre Project (updated 6/19/20). For more information or to reserve tickets, click here. Additionally, theatres in nearly a dozen other regions including Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Tampa, San Diego, and Albany, New York are working on mounting readings with local casts.

About the Play

A liberal white couple open the doors of their renovated Harlem brownstone to host a cocktail party for a Black Lives Matter activist, his gay white lover, a sistah named Shemeka and the mother of a slain 12 year-old black boy. A night of cocktails and conversation spark emotional debates ranging from under-weight polar bears, Lana Turner, saving the planet, gentrification, racial identity and protecting the lives of black boys.

About the Playwright

Vincent Terrell Durham is a scriptwriter, author and poet who first honed his storytelling skills as a stand-up comic in comedy clubs across the country. His plays include The Fertile River, Vol. 1, A Post Racial America, and Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids, among others. Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids was co-commissioned and developed by PlayGround and Planet Earth Arts and is a 2019 NNPN National Showcase of New Plays finalist.

About the Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project

The Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project was launched by Aldo Billingslea to center Black theatre artists and new voices, address systemic racism in the theatre industry, and help raise much needed funds in support of Black Theatres around the country (click here for information on the GoFundMe campaign). Theatres interested in staging their own Juneteenth reading of Vincent’s play can contact Aldo Billingslea at aldo@playground-sf.org.