Black Boy

Black Boy is both the unashamed confession of a proud non-conformist, and a profound indictment—a poignant and disturbing record of social injustice and human suffering. Wright describes his youth in the South and his eventual move to Chicago, where he establishes a writing career. Actor Tarantino Smith plays more than fifteen characters from Richard Wright’s life, depicting racism in America in a way that is both honest and profound. This adaptation explores how Wright finds his voice and uses it to reach others, allowing audiences to relate to their own experiences and self-exploration.

Literature to Life (LTL) is a performance-based literacy program that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of American novels. LTL’s mission is to perform great books that inspire young people to read and become authors of their own lives. LTL’s Signature Performances are 90-minute, professionally staged single-actor adaptations of award-winning literary works, with pre/post-show discussions led by a Teaching Artist (TA). Resource Guides include activities and optional extensions for continued learning.