''Trouble in Mind'' is a play by Alice Childress, which debuted

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the Greenwich Mews Theatre in 1955. It premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a nonprofit organization, non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fr ...

American Airlines Theatre The Todd Haimes Theatre (previously known as the American Airlines Theatre and originally the Selwyn Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 227 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Built ...

on November 18, 2021. The play focuses on racism and sexism in American theatre. It was published in the anthologies ''Black Theater: a 20th Century Collection of the Work of its Best Playwrights'' ( Dodd, Mead & Co. 1971), the second edition of ''Black Drama in America: an Anthology'' ( Howard University Press, 1994), ''Plays by American Women: 1930-1960'' ( Applause Books, 2001), and ''Alice Childress: Selected Plays'' (

Northwestern University Press Northwestern University Press is an American publishing house affiliated with Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It publishes 70 new titles each year in the areas of continental philosophy, poetry, Slavic and German literary criticis ...

, 2011). It was first published on its own by

Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, us ...

in 2022.

Productions

Original 1955 Off-Broadway

The original Off-Broadway production was produced by Stella Holt, sponsored by the Village Presbyterian Church and the Brotherhood Synagogue. Childress co-directed, alongside

Clarice Taylor Clarice Taylor (September 20, 1917 – May 30, 2011) was an American stage, film and television actress. She is best known for playing Cousin Emma on '' Sanford and Son''; Anna Huxtable, the mother of Cliff Huxtable, on '' The Cosby Show''; and M ...

, who also starred as Willetta.

Hal England Harold Franklin England (October 2, 1932 – November 6, 2003) was an American actor. Personal life He was born on October 23, 1932 to W. F. England and Della Irene England in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. He attended Kings Mountain High Schoo ...

was featured in the supporting role of Eddie. The sets and lighting were designed by Vincent Sorrentino. The production opened on November 3, 1955, and ran for 91 performances. In 1957, a Broadway transfer had been planned, renamed ''So Early Monday Morning''. The production was cancelled as Childress refused to subdue its content.

1992 British premiere

The play made its British premiere at the

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as n ...

in London on October 8, 1992, directed by

Nicolas Kent Nicolas Kent (born 26 January 1945) is a British theatre director. His father arrived in Britain in 1936, a Jewish German refugee, and changed his name from Kahn to Kent. Early life and education Kent, who was brought up in Hampstead Garden Su ...

. Carmen Munroe starred as Wiletta with

Maurice Roëves John Maurice Roëves (; 19 March 1937 – 14 July 2020) was a Scottish actor. He appeared in over 120 film and television roles, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. His breakthrough performance was as Stephen Dedalus in the 1967 ...

as Al. The production ended on November 14.

2017 London

Following a run at Theatre Royal Bath's Ustinov Theatre, a new production opened in London at the Coronet Theatre from September 14 to October 14, 2017, directed by Laurence Boswell. It starred

Tanya Moodie Tanya Moodie (born 16 April 1972) is a British-Canadian actor and producer, best known for her work on ''Motherland'', ''Silo'', and her many stage credits, which include productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatr ...

and Jonathan Slinger.

2021 Broadway premiere

''Trouble in Mind'' finally made its Broadway debut on November 18, 2021, at the

. It was directed by

Charles Randolph-Wright Charles Randolph-Wright is an American film, television, and theatre director, television producer, screenwriter, and playwright. Early life A native of York, South Carolina, Randolph-Wright graduated with honors from York High School. He atten ...

and featured sets designed by Arnulfo Maldonado, costumes designed by Emilio Sosa, lighting designed by Kathy A. Perkins, sound design by

Dan Moses Schreier Dan Moses Schreier is an American composer and sound designer. He is best known for his theatrical music work, on Broadway and elsewhere. Schreier is from Detroit, and lives in New York City. He studied music at the University of Michigan and ...

, original music by

Nona Hendryx Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Ma ...

, and hair and wigs designed by Cookie Jordan. The production starred LaChanze as Wiletta,

Michael Zegen Michael Zegen (born February 20, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series '' Rescue Me'' (2004–2011), ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2011–2014), and '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2017–2023). Personal li ...

as Al, Chuck Cooper as Sheldon,

Danielle Campbell Danielle Marie Campbell (born January 30, 1995) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Jessica Olson in the 2010 Disney Channel Original Movie '' Starstruck'', Simone Daniels in the 2011 Disney film ''Prom'', Davina Clair ...

as Judy, Brandon Micheal Hall as John, Jessica Frances Dukes as Millie, Don Stephenson as Bill, Simon Jones as Henry, and Alex Mickiewicz as Eddie. The limited run closed on January 9, 2022, after 58 performances and 20 previews. The production was nominated for four

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

including Best Revival of a Play, Best Actress in a Play (LaChanze), Best Featured Actor in a Play (Chuck Cooper), and Best Costume Design in a Play (Emilio Sosa).

2021 London

Less than a month after the opening of the Broadway production, the National Theatre in London opened a production at its Dorfman Theatre on December 10, 2021. Moodie reprised her role from the 2017 production. This production was directed by Nancy Medina and starred (along with Moodie)

Cyril Nri Cyril Ikechukwu Nri (born 25 April 1961) is a Nigerian-born English actor best known for playing Superintendent Adam Okaro in the police TV series ''The Bill''. Cyril Nri plays the role of Lord Danbury in the Netflix series '' Queen Charlotte ...

Rory Keenan Rory Keenan (born 9 June 1980) is an Irish actor. On film and television he has starred in '' Somewhere Boy'', '' The Duchess'', '' Birdsong, Versailles'', '' War & Peace'', '' The Guard'' and ''Peaky Blinders''. Career Keenan has performed in ma ...

Naana Agyei-Ampadu Naana Agyei-Ampadu is a British actress of Ghanaian descent. Born in Accra, Agyei-Ampadu moved to the UK as a child. She studied law at the University of Sussex, before embarking on a career in acting. She graduated from the Central School of Sp ...

, John Hollingworth, Emma Canning, and Daniel Adeosun.

Other productions

Other productions of ''Trouble in Mind'' have included: * New Federal Theatre Project, 1979. Starred

Theresa Merritt Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24, 1922 June 12, 1998), known professionally as Theresa Merritt, was an American actress. She is known for her role in ''That's My Mama'' (1974–1975) and for her film roles in ''The Wiz'' (1978) and '' Billy Ma ...

. *

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, 1987. *

Negro Ensemble Company The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by producer-actor Robert Hooks, playwright Douglas Turner Ward, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundatio ...

at Theatre Row, 1998. *

Yale Repertory Theatre Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented stud ...

, 2007. * Aurora Theatre Company, 2010. * Arena Stage, 2011. * Intiman Theatre Festival, 2013. *

Two River Theater Two River Theater is a professional, not-for-profit, regional theater company producing plays and educational programs for audiences from central New Jersey and beyond. It is located in Red Bank, New Jersey, on the peninsula between the Navesink ...

, 2014. *

PlayMakers Repertory Company PlayMakers Repertory Company is the professional theater company in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. PlayMakers Repertory Company is the successor of the Carolina Playmakers and is named after the Historic Playmakers T ...

, 2015. *

, 2019. *

Shaw Festival The Shaw Festival is a Charitable organization, Charitable theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America, second only to Canada's Strat ...

, 2021. Canadian premiere. * TimeLine Theatre Company Chicago, 2022. * TimeLine Theatre Company Chicago, 2022. *

Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Royal MTC) is Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre. Next to the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, MTC has a higher annual attendance than any other theatre in the country. It was founded in 1958 by Jo ...

Winnipeg, 2023. *

Hartford Stage Hartford Stage is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit regional theatre company located on Church Street in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Since its founding in 1963, Hartford Stage has won the Regional Theatre Tony Award (1989) and many Connectic ...

, 2023. * Baxter Theatre Cape Town, 2024. *

Pittsburgh Public Theater Pittsburgh Public Theater, or The Public for short, is a professional theater company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Public celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024/2025, and is led by Artistic Director Marya Sea Kaminski and Managing Dir ...