A Womanist Trilogy: Hurston, Richards, and Kennedy

Thursday, August 13, 2026 | Rubenstein Forum, Friedman Hall
Doors at 6:00pm | Reading at 6:30pm
Free (Reservations Recommended)

Celebrate the profound legacy of Black feminist thought with an extraordinary, one-night-only triple feature presented as part of the 2026 Spotlight Reading Series. A Womanist Trilogy unites three groundbreaking, mid-century Black women playwrights whose poetic and radical works shattered theatrical conventions to map the interior lives, political struggles, and spiritual resilience of Black women.

The evening features a dynamic lineup of staged readings:

• Color Struck by Zora Neale Hurston (1925): A sharp, tragic, and rarely produced folk drama that courageously confronts intraracial colorism and jealousy in the rural South.
• A Black Woman Speaks by Beah Richards (1950): A fiery, foundational choreopoem that powerfully deconstructs white supremacy, patriarchy, and global oppression through a fierce call for solidarity.
• She Talks to Beethoven by Adrienne Kennedy (1989): An avant-garde, dreamlike masterpiece that weaves together the political turmoil of 1960s Ghana with a woman’s surreal, healing communion with Ludwig van Beethoven.

Through folklore, radical poetry, and surrealism, this vital trilogy offers a breathtaking testament to the enduring power of the Black woman’s voice in American theatre.

Photo of Vic Musoni, Dionne Addai, Merrina Millsapp, and Juwon Tyrel Perry by Ollie Photography.