The Howard University Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts will host a performance-driven staged reading of “Black Bone,” a bold satirical fantasy produced, directed, and performed by students in the Department of Theatre Arts.  Performances will take place Nov. 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. in the Al Freeman Jr. Environmental Theatre Space. 

For tickets and location information, visit Eventbrite.

Irreverent and provocative, “Black Bone” invites audiences into a world where academia collides with hyper-surreal game-show theatrics. The story follows a group of Black faculty at a predominantly white institution who learn that one among them has been “passing” as Black. What unfolds is a high stakes unraveling filled with panic, performance, betrayal, and moments of comedic brilliance as characters navigate who gets to define Blackness and who has the power to grant entry into Black identity and community.

Jeffrey Baker, a sophomore acting major and director of the production, said it carries a distinct tone and sense of urgency.

 “I see this show being off-the-wall crazy with no stopping for the audience to take a break,” Baker said. “I want it to feel like if an episode of ‘Insecure’ and ‘The Twilight Zone’ had a love child. It’s a story about Black people for Black people, written by a Black person.” 

Award-winning playwright Tina Fakhrid-Deen, who completed the work, has said the play centers on questions of identity:

“The play asks: How does one prove or perform Blackness? What’s too Black?” she said. “What isn’t considered Black enough and by whose standards? And how do we fight the enemy in front of us if we can’t conquer the enemy within?”

Khalid Y. Long, Ph.D., interim chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, said the production is meant to challenge audiences. 

“In a world where identity can be performed, questioned, or digitally reinvented, ‘Black Bone’ challenges audiences to grapple with what is real, what is earned, and what is assumed,” Long said. “By placing questions of trust, proximity, and cultural integrity center stage, the play calls us to examine the borders of community and the courage it takes to defend them.”

The Howard University Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts is one of the nation’s leading institutions for visual arts, music, dance, and theatre. Within the college, the Department of Theatre Arts is renowned for fostering an innovative, research-driven environment where students experiment with new forms of performance and develop work rooted in cultural expression. Its Bachelor of Fine Arts programs provide rigorous, professional training that combines intensive coursework with applied research, preparing students for careers across the performing arts

For more information and media inquiries, please contact Chad Eric Smith, Office of Marketing and Communications, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, via Chad.Smith@howard.edu.

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