Blackstone Book Club

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 | Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library | 5:30pm
Free (Reservations Recommended)

The Community Reads Book Club bridges the world of the stage with the lives of Chicagoans, transforming the traditional theatregoing experience into a vibrant, neighborhood-driven forum for collective reflection and civic dialogue. This interactive book club and discussion program invites audiences to dive deeply into foundational literature that mirrors and expands upon the urgent socio-political themes expressed in Court’s public programs and on its stage.

Anchoring the Spotlight Reading Series 10th Anniversary Festival, this year’s selection is Harvey Young and Queen Meccasia Zabriskie’s Black Theater is Black Life: An Oral History of Chicago Theater and Dance, 1970–2010.

About the Book

Black Theater is Black Life: An Oral History of Chicago Theater and Dance, 1970–2010 fills a critical gap in the history of African American culture by chronicling how Chicago’s Black artists built vital institutions and carved out spaces of creative self-determination. Through first-person testimonies from iconic actors, directors, and choreographers, the text charts a trajectory of institutional resilience. Ultimately, these firsthand accounts provide an essential lens for reflecting on the festival’s overarching theme, A Century of Black Progress.

Photo by Ollie Photography.

Presented in partnership with