Trouble In Mind at Timeline Theatre — November 2 - December 18, 2022

Trouble In Mind

By Alice Childress
Directed by Ron OJ Parson

A groundbreaking backstage satire of egos and attitudes that explores the complex and often emotional way people talk about race.

ACCLAIMED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES as “a rich, unsettling play that lives up to its title [and] lingers in one’s memory long after its conclusion,” this scathingly funny backstage drama about interracial politics explores the complex, difficult, and often emotional way people talk about race.

On stage at a Broadway theater in New York City in the mid-1950s, a group of actors has gathered for their first day rehearsing a new play called Chaos in Belleville, an anti-lynching Southern drama. But as the cast rehearses, tensions flair between Wiletta, the Black actress in the starring role, and her white director about his interpretation of the play. The result is an explosive conversation about equality, power, and how race is portrayed in the American theatre.

Written by Alice Childress (the first Black woman to have a play professionally produced in New York City) and featuring a play-within-a-play structure, Trouble in Mind is a groundbreaking backstage satire of egos and attitudes and an insightful look at the importance of honest representation. It was previously announced to take place in TimeLine’s 2020-21 season, and most recently enjoyed an acclaimed Broadway production nominated for four 2022 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play. The critics raved that this “masterpiece of astonishing power” (New York Magazine) is “the play of the moment” (The New York Times) and “will take your breath away” (Associated Press).

Trouble in Mind runs November 10 – December 18, 2022 (previews 11/2 – 11/9)

773.281.8463 (TIME) | TimeLine Theatre Company | 615 West Wellington Ave | Chicago, IL 60657