Philadelphia Premiere

The Black Clown, conceived by Davne Tines alongside composer Michael Schachter and director Zack Winokur, receives its Philadelphia premiere! The piece reimagines Langston Hughes' famous poem of the same name in theatrical form, calling on the sounds of gospel, jazz, spirituals and opera to bring the masterful work to fresh audiences in a new form which eschews genre, as performed by a 12-piece ensemble.

What Is It About?

Drawing on Hughes' text, The Black Clown centers on a figure compelled to entertain while confronting the weight of racialized expectation and historical trauma. The production stages this tension as a spectacle interrogating the mythology of the "American dream" and the endurance required to survive within it as a member of the black community.