A blistering exploration of racial tensions within the theater world, Alice Childress' seminal play takes place during the less enlightened 1950s era and is a semi-satirical backstage comedy, but one that remains startlingly relevant today.
When the first integrated play is about to open on Broadway, racial tensions between the black and white players surface, and one African-American actress has a stark choice to make when it comes to chasing her dream role as a lead; whether swallow her pride and personal values and kowtow to the racist white director in order to realise her dream, or stand up for her fellow cast members and risk losing everything she has worked for.
The play was awarded an Obie Award in 1956 for best original Off-Broadway production, making her not only the first African-American female playwright, but also the first to win an Obie. Ironically, the play faced its own racial struggles parallel to those featured in Chaos in Belleville, the very show that the cast of Trouble in Mind are trying to stage. However, it was award-winning and a hit with critics and audiences at the time, and remains a highly relevant play in the new millennium.
