The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin was a great addition to our Black History Month events!

The performance of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin was outstanding! Producer and head of the Progressive Theater Gregory Osborne and Director Jasmine Richardson brought together an amazing cast that truly captured the spirit of this semi-autobiographical musical. The story of Viveca, the Black girl from Los Angeles who is alternatively optimistic about making her way in the world and troubled as she faces the realities of multiple levels of racism, really resonated with the South Orange and Maplewood audiences. While the performances were enjoyable and enlightening, the story line itself provided a great opportunity at the audience talk-backs. We were so fortunate to have both journalist Ayesha K. Saines on Saturday and the author Kirsten Childs for the talk-backs. The audiences discussed their personal experiences facing racism, colorism, white privilege, the special rejections faced by Black women in the work and performance worlds, and facing one's complicated sets of identities. Many audience members noted the importance of telling and sharing stories like this.

We would like to thank Gregory Osborne of the Progressive Theater, director Jasmine Richardson, the entire cast, crew, and the musicians for bringing this to SOMA. Thanks also to the Maplewood Township Committee and the Arts & Culture Department for organizing Black History History month events.