The Sankofa Seasons
With the Sankofa Seasons (2021 – 2024), Artistic Director Jamil Jude is focused on preserving and uplifting the belief of the Akan people of Ghana that the knowledge of the past must not be forgotten as time and journeys move forward. The three-year series began in 2021-2022 with “Go Back and Get It”, three productions that explored themes impacting Black people in the 40s, 50s and 60s. 2022-2023, True Colors’ 20th Anniversary Season, is the second year of the Sankofa seasons, the theme of which is “Reclaiming Ours.” The season will include program remixes of True Colors and Black theatre classics to celebrate that which has made us successful thus far. The final year of the series – “Looking Forward” in 2023-24 – will consist of all world premieres, some of which will have been developed as part of the commissioning programs Jude launched in the 2020-21 season.
About “Reclaiming Ours”
“Reclaiming Ours”, the theme for True Colors’ 20th Anniversary Season, speaks to the accomplishments of the past that have made True Colors what we are today – a leading regional theatre that centers Black artistic expression and that creates space for honest dialogue on issues that affect our human community. The season includes three performances – a world premiere, a reimagining of a Black musical classic, and a revival of a 1988 production – each of which is associated with a True Talks event that places artists and experts in front of community members to explore the messages in the productions. In the midst of the political, social, economic and emotional tensions of today, True Colors productions provide a window through which audiences may see themselves working through family dynamics following a tragic loss (Good Bad People by Rachel Lynett),coming of age through a world beyond home (The Wiz by William F. Brown and Charlie Smalls), and establishing their identity despite external perceptions and internal expectations (That Serious He Man Ball by Alonzo LaMont, Jr.). Looking through the window creates just enough distance to allow empathy to develop and flourish.
