Community Reads: Native Son

The Community Reads Series hosts social gatherings, book clubs, and post-show discussions centered around curated reading lists and foundational texts. These readings connect themes in Court Theatre’s productions to real-world concerns, civic topics, and historical events impacting Chicagoans today. 

Join us and Lead Facilitator Adia Sykes for the next iteration of the Community Reads Series, featuring Richard Wright’s Native Son—a book club selection inspired by Court’s season opener Big White Fog, by author Theodore Ward. Unlike previous works written during this time period that often depicted Black characters in more stereotypical ways, Native Son presents a raw, brutal, and psychologically complex portrait of the Black experience. The plot examines themes surrounding the seemingly inescapable nature of American racism also central to the story of Big White Fog, in which a family on the South Side of Chicago struggles to maintain a sense of hope and direction during the Great Depression.

Community Reads Book Club

September 17, 2025 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the Blackstone Branch of Chicago Public Library (4904 S. Lake Park Avenue)

In the latest iteration of the Community Reads Book Club, take a closer look at Native Son by author Richard Wright. Join this intimate study group for a guided exploration of the text and facilitated discussion.

Community Reads Conversation

September 19, 2025 at Court Theatre (5535 S. Ellis Avenue)

The Community Reads Series will culminate with a post-show conversation inspired by Big White Fog by Theodore Ward. Join members of the Big White Fog creative team and explore the thematic overlap between Theodore Ward’s play and Native Son. This conversation can be enjoyed after the evening performance of Big White Fog. 

Ward and Wright’s Friendship

Theodore Ward and Richard Wright, author of the indelible novel Native Son, shared a close relationship, particularly during their time in Chicago. They were both prominent figures in the vibrant intellectual and artistic community of Chicago’s South Side in the 1930s. Their friendship led Ward to join the South Side Writers Group, a significant gathering place for Black writers in Chicago, where they collaborated and discussed their literary endeavors alongside other notable writers like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Margaret Walker.

They were co-founders of the Negro Playwrights Company in New York, a testament to their shared vision for a theatrical space dedicated to Black voices and stories. Wright also wrote an essay on Ward’s Big White Fog, praising its unique and dignified portrayal of an oppressed people’s struggles. Both Ward and Wright were deeply concerned with the realities of racial injustice and economic hardship faced by Black Americans. Their works often explored parallel themes of struggle, identity, and the search for social and economic equality, often with a shared affinity for Marxist thought in their early careers.

Header images: Stephen Flemister, Jobari (2012), graphite on paper, 22 1/4” x 30.”

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