Director’s Note

Wherever you may be, I welcome you to the 32nd production of Black Anthology! I am honored to be able to work with Black Anthology for my second year. Black Anthology has been a significant part of my college experience: I have gained so many crucial skills and have had the chance to build new relationships with the most creative and beautiful humans. Theater has been such an integral part of my life since I was little, and I cannot thank Black Anthology enough for allowing me to continue my passion into college.

With all that has happened in the past year, our executive board had a hard time figuring what we wanted this year’s production to be about. Ultimately, after ruminating on the overwhelming loss of many Black women to brutality,

Breonna Taylor, Oluwatoyin Salau, Monika Diamond, Lexi, Nina Pop, Dominique Fells, Brayla Stone, Sandra Bland, Pamela Turner,

We decided that it was time to highlight Black women. The list I have above is but a drop in the bucket considering how many we have lost. We must think about how we treat or rather do not treat the Black Women in our lives. I have been blessed enough to be surrounded by an amazing array of Black women during my college career, and this show is for them. Black women deserve better.

Our community cannot treat our women like they are worthless because of their skin tone, facial features, or their hair. It is time we truly realize and accept that all Black is beautiful. I hope this show opens your eyes a bit to the struggle of Black women. Furthermore, I hope that this show allows you, my Black Women, to see yourself represented without all the trauma that many movies show. We aimed for this to be more of a slice of life piece, instead of focusing on all the negatives that we regularly endure.

I would like to give thanks to our first-year intern Maya Phelps, producer Sophia Kamanzi, playwright Jamila Dawkins, and stage manager Sabrina Spence for keeping me sane and for their immense support and dedication to Black Anthology. Moving up the ladder from assistant director has been a humbling experience and I can only hope I have made those in Black Anthology past and present proud of me.

Thank you all for continuing to support Black Anthology, and for watching our production, especially in this new format.

Theater is supposed to be for everyone, and we appreciate the opportunity to create and share Black-centered art. I hope you all enjoy the stunning performance that this lovely cast of actors and dancers have created.

Courtney Robertson, Director

Black Anthology 2021