Presented in partnership with Chicago Public Library, the Community Reads Series hosts social gatherings, book clubs, and post-show discussions. These events center around curated reading lists and foundational texts that connect themes in Court Theatre productions with real-world concerns, civic topics, and historical events impacting Chicagoans today.
The next iteration of the Community Reads series will feature Richard Wright’s Native Son (staged by Court in 2014). Unlike previous works written during this time period that often depicted Black characters in more palatable or stereotypical ways, Native Son presents a raw, brutal, and psychologically complex portrait of protagonist Bigger Thomas and how he was driven to violence by the oppressive forces of racism and poverty. Richard Wright argues that Bigger was not inherently evil, but rather a product of the dehumanizing environment created by white supremacy.