Royal Court Theatre, Nica Burns, Hackney Empire, Sarah Verghese Production
Present
The Royal Court Theatre, Nouveau Riche and New Diorama Theatre production
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy
Written and Directed by Ryan Calais Cameron
Original Direction by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu
Inspired by Ntozake Shange’s seminal work For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy is located on the threshold of joyful fantasy and brutal reality: a world of music, movement, storytelling and verse – where six men clash and connect in a desperate bid for survival. Father figures and fashion tips. Lost loves and jollof rice. African empires and illicit sex. Good days and bad days. Six young Black men meet for group therapy, and let their hearts – and imaginations – run wild.
The play was originally conceived by Ryan Calais Cameron in the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and has been developed over the course of the last decade with young Black men and mental health groups.
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Read our 2023 Apollo Theatre review of For Black Boys
Read our 2022 Royal Court Theatre review of For Black Boys…
Afridiziak x Dope theatre meet up pic – For Black Boys, May 2023