Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) celebrates its 20th Anniversary with the opening of the “Black in My Day” production at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8 at the Metcalf Theater on campus.
“In recent years, the narrative in America has shifted dramatically,” said play director Greg Fenner, who received his bachelor’s in theater performance from SIUE in 2009. “We have gone from the promise of hope, change, and, ‘Yes We Can,’ to an age more reminiscent of the Jim Crow era.
“A new generation of young people is witnessing, via social media and smartphones, all the hate we thought had died with black and white photos in history books,” continued Fenner. “Through scenes, music, poetry and dance, ‘Black in My Day,’ asks what it means to be a minority in a post-Obama America, and how do blacks maintain that feeling of hope in the face of fear?”
There will be a celebratory reception following the Feb. 8 performance. Show times are also set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10. Following the Feb. 10 show, an endowed memorial scholarship will be given in the name of Lisa Colbert, BTW founder. Colbert created BTW in 1999 as an avenue for students to create and perform theatrical work of the African-American theater canon.
“The Professor Lisa Colbert Endowed Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to students who exemplify Lisa Colbert’s commitment to upholding the diverse voices in our theatrical expression,” said Kathryn Bentley, associate professor in the Department of Theater, director of the Black Studies Program at SIUE and BTW artistic director.
“Lisa Colbert was a professor, actor, director, poet and activist whose vision continues to reach students through the newly endowed scholarship,” added Bentley. “Lisa was a powerful force. Her ancestral presence continues to guide and mold the spirit of Black Theatre Workshop.”
For more than 20 years, students from all academic disciplines have participated as writers, performers, designers and audience members in BTW.
Photo: SIUE alumnus Greg Fenner is the director of “Black in My Day.”