The Colored Museum

THE COLORED MUSEUM

May 20 - June 5, 2022 
 
By George C. Wolfe

Directed by Pascale Florestal 

Presented on the Main Stage

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!

The Colored Museum has electrified, delighted and discomforted audiences of all colors, redefining our ideas of what it means to be Black in contemporary America. Thought-provoking, provocative and extremely entertaining, its eleven “exhibits” undermine Black stereotypes old and new and return to the facts of what being Black means.

The production is directed in a fresh, relevant new way for The Umbrella Stage Company by versatile director, dramaturge, educator, writer and collaborator Pascale Florestal, recently spotlighted in WBUR's "2021 Artery 25: Artists Of Color Transforming The Cultural Landscape".

Alternately stinging and hysterically funny, the show was created by award-winning playwright George C. Wolfe, praised by The New York Times as "the kind of satirist, almost unheard of in today's timid theater, who takes no prisoners," and who "says the unthinkable, says it with uncompromising wit."

While seriously tackling the racial legacy of America's history, the play does so with defiant humor. Sketches parody everything from classic Black theater and fashion models to sell-out businessmen and wigs, and are laced with wisecracks about popular culture and lively music by Kysia Bostic. It also challenges traditional notions of the museum or cultural institution itself, "humanizing the Black experience that we so often see purely as entertainment," says Florestal.

In addition to theater talkbacks, the show experience will intersect with other programs at The Umbrella, including "The Colored Museum: Past/Present/Future" exhibition, a mixed media group show featuring work by 10 emerging and established contemporary Black artists curated by Cedric Vise1 Douglas; a pre-matinee African-American History Walking Tour of Concord every Sunday; partner activities with The Robbins House; and other community events.

Want to see the show for free? Volunteer as an usher! Sign up here: The Colored Museum Volunteer Ushers. Questions? Contact Cathie Regan at CRegan@theumbrellaarts.org

RELATED SPECIAL EVENTS

ARTISTS OPENING RECEPTION

WALKING TOUR SUNDAYS

THE ROBBINS HOUSE TALKBACK

COLLABORATORS TALKBACK

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Regardless of vaccine status, ALL patrons must wear a properly fitted CDC-approved face mask inside the theater. The Umbrella will operate at limited capacity with upgraded MERV-13 HVAC filters. We reserve the right to reseat patrons as needed in accordance with our COVID protocols. All tickets will be held at the box office to ensure the safest, most accurate experience for all patrons. These policies are in effect as of April 1, 2022 and are subject to change. The Umbrella's full COVID safety guidelines can be found here.

READINGS

• Media Release: Provocative Questions Meet Satirical Wit in The Colored Museum
• Director and Dramaturg Notes on The Colored Museum