The Colored Museum Ep 2

Black Stage Matters: Episode 2 enters the museum, but not quietly.

In this episode, host Josiah McCruiston sits down with Deborah Asante, director and Indianapolis theatre architect and founder of Asante Children's Theatre, and TJ Rowley, Artistic Director of the Indianapolis Black Theater Company and Black Light, for a rich conversation on George C. Wolfe’s groundbreaking work, The Colored Museum, written in 1986 but still powerful today.

Together, they explore the play’s biting satire, cultural memory, theatrical brilliance, and ongoing relevance. More than a discussion of a classic, this episode opens the door into the artistic process: how directors listen to the text, honor the ancestors, challenge the audience, and build a production that is both historically rooted and urgently alive.

Through conversation, reflection, and behind-the-scenes insight, this episode asks what it means to stage Black identity without flattening it, to use humor as both scalpel and sanctuary, and to create theatre that refuses to let our stories be trapped behind glass.

This is a conversation about process, power, legacy, and the responsibility of Black artists to hold the guard while still making room for the future to speak.

Transcript

unknown 0:02

Right. I'm just there. Holding like card. Holding the guard.

SPEAKER_04 0:07

Y'all takes true dye.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

That's that's the rest of the season. So get a get cheeks and seats. What are you saying to get people to Colored Museum? And then later on, uh Color uh Kiladelphia, what are you saying?

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Well, I'll tell you this. Uh we don't have to tell them to come and and and please come and see Color Museum. I'm saying to you, uh if you're lucky, get your ticket.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Hello, hello everyone, and welcome to Black Stage Matters. My name is Josiah Rain Kruston, the Grand Grio, and we are so excited and glad for this episode. Episode one was amazing. Um, and we mentioned through the end of the episode of the amazing production that is happening in Indianapolis, the Colored Museum, at the Indianapolis Black Theater Company District Theater. I am super excited for the next uh two guests that we're about to hear today. If you are interested in everything that we do here about Black Stage Matters, please don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this amazing uh podcast that we have. There are amazing stories that we share with you, not only here, but also in our community. So if you would like to get involved, uh find us on all social media platforms and also find us um wherever you get your podcast. Uh Black Stage Matters covers the Ifa, Hakima, Ikon, and Utu of what it means to be a part of this black community, of theater makers, of theater professionals, and all of that and more. Uh we are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and I am very excited for this episode where we're gonna talk about the Colored Museum, uh, we're gonna talk about cover uptake, storytelling one, and we're also going to cover some amazing work that IBTC, the Indianapolis Black Theatre Company, is doing in Indianapolis. So, um stay tuned. You are in for an amazing show. Um, I can't wait for you to hear it. What's up, what's up, everybody? How's everyone doing today? I am Josiah Raymond Christin, the Grand Grio here at Black Stage Matters for the second episode. Ladies and gentlemen, for the second episode, you are in for quite a treat. I have two amazing theater makers here in uh Indianapolis um joining me this evening. Uh please, would you care to introduce yourself, starting off with um whoever wants to start? I'll I'll I I actually asked Mr. TJ to start.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

How's everybody doing? I'm Ty today Rowley. Most people call me TJ, artistic director for the Indianapolis Black Theater Company, and I'm excited to be here.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Welcome, welcome. And then I'm Deborah Asante, and uh I'm very excited to be here.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Thank you. Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. I'm super excited for y'all being here. Thank y'all so much for sharing space with the Grio tonight. Um, first of all, uh let me start off here. Uh these directors' notes, nobody in my it's one of the most beautiful things that directors get to spend time on. And I feel like nobody ever reads them. But let me read this one to y'all because it's safe but powerful. Welcome to the colored museum. George C. Wolf once said he wanted to exercise the demons of culture stereotypes through theater. In the colored museum, he does not he does exactly that. Transforming protest into art and absurdity into truth. It has been a privilege and deep rewarding and deeply rewarding to lead this incredible cast and crew of powerhouses on stage and behind the scenes of bringing energy, imagination, and content commitment. We have spent weeks exploring the tropes that confine us and the humor that sets us free. This production is a celebration of that complexity. Together, we worked to lift the play's words and connect the talents of our cast, our crew, and designer. So glad you joined us. We hope these exhibits leave you moved, elated, and ready to engage in deeper questions this play brilliantly poses. Thank you for supporting this production. Your presence here nurtures the creativity that brightens our future. Deborah Asante. Um oh my goodness. There's so much.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Okay, well, well, let me say that I am going to miss this project because it has been uh delightful to have a creative playground with uh creative people on a worthy project. Yeah because the Colored Museum, though it was written uh and premiered in the mid-80s, it is so on point right now. You know the what he's talking about and and how he creatively explores themes and and gets us laughing, but then uh you have to stop and go, whoa, for real, for real. So I'm I'm gonna man and I want to thank TJ for giving me the opportunity because I you know I direct, I I'm um I I work to be an unstoppable force in the arts community. So I'm always making things happen in my own on my own um landscape. Um things that I write or I work with writers who um respect me and give me a lot of leadway. And it is not often that someone sets before me something that I have no control over the words, you know, that you know, I get to bring my. I'm always telling this is a good way to put it. I'm always telling other artists, um, word perfect. Don't paraphrase these words. A writer worked on these words, and you know, and and as a director, I have been, you know, because I'm using the writer or I have a very strong relationship with the writer, I have leadway. I'm often able to say, hey, have you thought about this? And look at the the color um that we're working with, meaning look at the cast. Can we make it better? Can we um uh uh, you know, like suit it, you know, can we uh sculpt it to fit this actor better? Well, here I have the opportunity and the challenge on a great play, and I could not, every you know, every uh page almost was saying, you cannot change. And so I had the challenge of doing that with a very creative cast and crew, and it has been wonderful. I'm very pleased with the outcome.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

I love that. Oh my goodness. Um, you you touched on a few things. You touched on a few things. One, uh the Colored Museum premiered in 1986, I believe. And um yeah, it it it features eleven exhibits. Uh now, out of the 11 exhibits, which one is your favorite?

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Uh TJ, you answer that.

SPEAKER_03 10:10

My favorite one is is uh last mama on the couch. Uh is just uh so cool. Um and you know, when we were working on this, uh Deborah contacted me and said, Hey, we need a choreographer. We need to we need to add this dance to it. And uh what Sean and Deborah brought together along with the cast, along with um Vincent, our music director, um it's just so powerful. What I love the most about The Last Mom on the Couch is yes, it's fun, and it transfers from a satire to all of a sudden a full-blown-out musical. But it is the it is the definition of satire. It while you're laughing, like even when he throws the kids. I watch the audience, he throws the babies out of the window, everyone's like, okay, we've been laughing, we don't know what to do. So we laugh at that, and then there's a moment of laughter, but then there's a moment of wow, like this is this is the madness that oppression can do. It is the epitome of blackness, you know, that we we are so dynamic that in the most painful moments we rise out of the feet. And this that scene when he when he comes when he comes back out and he's like, this is my play.

SPEAKER_04 11:51

This is about my pain, right? Right, what the makeup, you know, and the audience is just laughing and laughing, but under that is man, this is really what we go through.

SPEAKER_03 12:07

This is the battle, this is the struggle, and as a black man myself, a lot of times our pain does feel ignored, it does feel ignored, you know, and and we have to fight to be heard, and we have to fight to survive, and we have to fight to be respected, and we have to fight, fight, fight, fight, fight.

SPEAKER_04 12:29

But nobody dies in an all-black music.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

And when you think about the power of our music, you know, that's a symbol in itself, and that our music is life, you know. So while this is funny, you know, our music is our relationship with God, you know, the point where He challenges the mother's faith, and she slaps him across the room, and all the cast does it so well. It's just so much in that scene, and and it's fun, but it makes you think. And in one of the uh individuals who who attended the play came to me and they said, I was just laughing and laughing and laughing, and then walking out, I said, so many questions now. That is what it's about, is that laughter leading to questions, and those questions leading to knowledge and leading to us becoming better individuals and humans. So that scene, I love it. I love it. I love all of the play. Yeah, I really do. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

It's hard for me to say a favorite because all of them working together is the masterpiece, true, and it uh the whole piece tells us that black joy is our superpower, boom. That there's so much pain that is depicted, but the our ability to grab joy out of it and still soar. Like you you cannot, like if that doesn't lay me down, what you gonna do next?

SPEAKER_03 14:17

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:22

But the piece is really revolutionary in that it it's it's like it's like a kind of like the play, Josiah, before we started, it's timeless. You know, it's one of those, it's the type, it's a play that I believe 50 years from now will still be relevant. Um will still be put on and grab people the same way it did um when it originally hit the stage. And and that's kudos to George.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Um I hope 50 years from now it will be uh a reference to this time. Yes, and that we that we are we are someplace else, but we're paying tribute to the resilience that got us where we to the new place that we are. That's what I'm really hoping because it is not it is not just how do I say this? What we're paying tribute to in this play is not just uh uh the ability of black people to withstand and move forward, because he says that a lot. Move like with in the scene that that uh TJ's talking about when he throws the babies out and the mama says, help me up, sugar. Like, help me up, sugar. Um, because that's kind of like and and uh George states that George C. Wolf states that in many places of the play, and we move forward and we move on, and you know, and moving right along. Like it's like um I hope that this place says, look what it took for us to get to this new place in 50 years. Because look, we are 40 years from its um inception, right? And it is and it's still relevant. My wish is that 50 years from now, we'll be talking about the history of this, and that we are in a new place. Yeah, somebody asked me, what as a black elder, what what do I think are the consistent problems that that what is the biggest problem consistently bothering black people? Right now it's bigger than us, y'all. What the world is going through, like it is bigger than just the question of uh of being uh the the other. It is like right, because the other is the struggle is so big, and where are we going with this? Where are we going as as human beings on how we are instead of I was listening um to music crystal blue persuasion? Have you ever heard that? You know, it's like it's talking about us uh finding each other as people and uplifting one another, and that's my worldview, is like you're in the world to move forward and accomplish things, and in the in doing that, you are uplifting as you go, you know, you are uplifting those around you. That is becoming a very radical idea.

unknown 18:16

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 18:18

I agree a hundred percent. You know, when I think about you know the theater company IBTC, you know, that's in our mission is to use black stories to ultimately uplift humanity. And I truly believe our stories have that power and are that important, and that the world needs it. Um the world needs love. You don't have to be black to need to feel like you matter, um, to not feel invisible, um, to feel whole and just who you are, with all of your insecurities, all of your struggles, all of your pitfalls, but on the flip side, all of your beauty, all of your your magic, all of your happiness, all of your triumph, all of your resilience. Um in this story just it shows that you feel it. And I have to give credit to Deborah and the cast and the crew for making sure that feeling is there. And what's beautiful is even with disagreements and not everyone being on the same page at times, um, prior to this production, everyone came together for this mission, and you feel the love, you feel the love, and um it um I'm I'm big on people feeling love and um to know that we overcame some big challenges, and one of the individuals we hugged, and um just thinking about it brings tear to mind because that's what the world needs is love, in spite of disagreements, in spite of hard times, you know, still loving each other because you just don't know what people are going through. Um, and that's the beauty of theater is bringing us all together, even the audience, you know, all these different people, different races, different beliefs, uh, different traditions, different walks of life. But we all sit together for about two hours and watch a story together, and and we walk out as one.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

So one thing I really want to lean in here, um because y'all y'all named so many beautiful things. Um but uh this set, the crew and the cast that you put together. I'm I'm just gonna name off names. Um Siren Simone, Edward Strickland Jr., John Singleton, the uncut diamond, Alicia Sims, Trayvon, Clarissa, Michelle, uh Young Star, Anya C. Carlton, Empress Nakia, Empress Marlina, with uh Reno Moore and Rick Drum featuring as recorded voices, the director, uh Miss Deborah Asante, the storytelling woman, uh music and sound design, Vincent Howard, the Vincent Howard. I should say that. Uh Sean Cowherd as choreographer, the big one, not the little one. Um production manager Justin Lewis, stage manager Kelly Thomas. Lighting designer, Christopher Riesley, Board Tech, Sean Kirk, Assistant Stage Manager, Reno Moore, Sound Tech, Derklin Davy, percussionist, Como King, Step Design, Antonio Burke, Costume Design, April C. Elliott, hair and makeup, D ears, Stagehands, Crystal Usher and Kai Brown. Now listen, when you get um all these names under one roof, you're gonna have a problem because all these people uh not only come in with the full intentionality, but they come and they bring a show. Can you tell me uh the just about the creative process? How um how enriching or how um life-giving it was, because I know for sure with the names on this list, the names that y'all collected, um I've worked at I've worked with everyone on the list. And um except for uh Anya, I have not met Miss Anya, but I'm sure she's spectacular.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Um she comes from uh Sante's Prep for Life program. Uh of course, of course. Yes, she she's ready, she's ready to go.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 23:30

Uh when uh we held auditions, we had lots, there's lots and lots of talent in Indianapolis.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

Amen. Say that again, say that again.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

Yes, there is lots and lots of talent. There's a lot of talent in Indianapolis, so I had lots to choose from, and most of the people that were cast were um people that I had worked with before and uh knew that they were would come ready to have fun and play. Um and then a couple of them just impressed me with what they brought to the table, their their their ability to sing, uh, their ability to take chances. Because the audition process, uh, callbacks were one where you did a lot of improv and ensemble work because I had to see how everybody worked together.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

Uh so it chose people who I knew would play hard and uh be serious about it because I, you know, hey listen, that part right there, it's not called a think piece, it is not called a serious, it is not called a um uh uh it's called a play. When we come to play. That is one of the big things that I love emphasizing. Um it people who say, oh, theater is boring, you're you're watching boring people be bored.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

When it's done, when you really come to play, because we when right when we were talking about doing this at the start of our process, I was talking about how when I was a kid, I couldn't wait to get out and play. And I knew my friends was waiting on me too, because they knew I was the big player.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

But we knew we always gonna play, we're gonna have some fun. Yeah, this fun, I'm with it. Okay, so that's this is an extension. When you think about it, I had a hard time deciding what I was gonna do when I grew up. Everybody was asking, what you gonna be when you grow up? And I was always changing, and then I realized, hey, I could be in theater and I could be all of them things. And that's exactly. And uh when somebody says, What what role do you play in? Because when I invite them, they think I'm one of the actors. They say, What role do you play in this play? And I say, All of them.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

Amen, amen, and I Shay, all of them.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Because I'm the director, I get to play all of them, okay? It's so much fun. Uh TJ, thank you again for this opportunity. And I I I really um I really have enjoyed, and I I love the impact it's making on the arts community for them to see uh how strong something can be. Uh truly. I think it's surprising some of them that a place so old can speak to them so loudly.

SPEAKER_00 27:02

And also, yeah, big ups to IBTC and leadership there. Um, TJ, y'all doing the thing. Y'all doing the big thing. Um, Indianapolis, I feel has um, I have always found space to play, whether it was in ACT um or through um theater productions at school. But now as an adult, I'm looking for more opportunities. And IBTC is offering. Black Light is offering. You are the um, you are essentially leader excellent per excellence um during this season. How does it feel to not only lead IBTC with Blacklight and all of the amazing? I mean, you got movies, um you are the hardest working man in showbiz. Being a full-time husband and a full-time dad. So what is it like being at the helm of um being the cultural influencer? Because that's what you are during this time. I mean, uh when people look back in the catacombs of theater, black theater history in Indianapolis, your name is going to be on top of the list, along with Mrs.ante and um all of the other uh like uh key players in the city. So, what is it like to um be at the helm and also create this thought-provoking work that is dynamic and transformative?

SPEAKER_03 28:55

Great question. Well, first of all, thank you guys. Um thank you for what you just said, Josiah, um, and Deborah. Just thank you for just being who you are and your respect and love for me as well. Um honestly, it's it's challenging. Um it's it's it's challenging in that I um I put I put a lot of pressure on myself because I want excellence, I want greatness, and I want people to feel valued and loved. And I believe in the power of whether it's theater, whether it's films, whether it's an acting class, whether it's improv, whether it's a hundred thousand dollar budget, or if it's a ten-dollar budget. I've been on both sides. Um I believe there's power in everything that is done when people put themselves out there to create. And I believe that the art has the power to change people's hearts and minds and change their lives because it did that for me. Um I am humbled in that I remember with when started when I started with Black Light. Um, you know, I I remember feeling the pressure, like, okay, huh? I mean, I've been doing teaching classes and doing all this stuff for years before black life, but pressure of I wanna sell out. I wanna I wanna do this, I wanna do that, I gotta make an impact. And I'll be thinking we're stepping back, taking a deep breath, focusing on the mission. Uh my biggest motivations is my family. Uh I want my friends to forever know that nothing or no one can dictate who you are. And if you believe in yourself and you go after it, then you can be great. And something that changed my life forever was when I decided to no longer gauge success based on what the world said, which says was success based on what I believe success is for myself. And I started to celebrate the smallest things. You know, if if I uh memorized some lines of a play that I was in, I celebrated it. If I had made it on time to everything I needed to do in one day, when it was a whole, I celebrated it. Uh, if I completed a film, no matter the quality, no matter if a celebrity was involved, no matter if if it was a sold-out premiere, I celebrated it. And I would a lot of times say, I I made it, I made it, I made it. This is 15, 16 years ago. I'd be like, I made it, I already made it. And people would look at me like, what are you talking about? No, you whether you're Indianapolis or not. But for me, I did. And that gave me great joy. And be able to be in this position, I don't take it lightly. I also recognize that I didn't get here alone. Um, that I feel like every artist in Indianapolis who's creating, we're we're we're a force together. Um, and I just want to play my part in making sure I manage the opportunity to the best of my ability. Um, honor the position, honor the craft, honor the story. Um, I will never be perfect. Uh, I will make mistakes, but those are opportunities to grow as well. Um, not a finished product. I'm forever growing and forever learning. And I'm just humbled and thankful. And um, I gotta shout out my wife. You know, uh, my wife is is is genuinely my backbone and my support and my family, um, my sister who looks out for the kids when uh when we have to work and travel and do all these different things, that's that's the MVP. Um, because I couldn't do any of this without people like that, like my beautiful wife Komoka and my sister Adola. And you know, I hope and pray that what when my sons grow up and they're going through some difficult times, that they can look at a picture of me or or something I've done and say, you know what, my dad can do it, I can do it. And that they remember my oldest son is he's he's on the spectrum, so he's different, but he's brilliant. And I want him to overcome every boundary that tries to get put on him in his life, and uh so when I get discouraged, because I do, when I get you know get down because I do, um, or when I'm overwhelmed, because I do get overwhelmed because life and leadership and artists and and and and and leading is challenging, it's overwhelming when I when I get to those places. Of course, I rely on my faith, but I also think about them. Uh I get refueled. So this has been an honor um to be in this place, but it also has been a challenge and it has helped me grow as a man. And um, I I I want to thank you know the district theater, Lily Endowment, um, all of the individuals and volunteers that came to meetings 10 years ago and talked about this and and discussed this and said, hey, this should happen and this should happen. Every advocate, um, every board member, every volunteer, um, people who have did who did theater before I was even born here in Indianapolis and and had to hide in churches to do it, and and and and and people like Deborah, Deborah, who have invested in in the youth, invested in so many artists, um, people like yourself, Josiah, who continues to push the needle and tell excellent stories. Um, it I it's the community, it's us. So my success is our success. And I say that genuinely. Um, so every little thing I get to do, I I thank God, and I pray that I continue to be able to do it, and and that um I continue to blaze the way for more people to be in positions like this. And uh I pray that more funding comes to our community, um, to the operation side. Um I, you know, that that people who work diligently to bring things like this together are are paid well so they can take care of their families and they can keep pushing the needle.

SPEAKER_00 35:52

Wow. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Um I want to also give some flowers to the um you are an architect of the storytelling Roman, the uh the mother of every amazing black. Listen, if you see amazing talent in this city and they are black, um there are a few exceptions, but uh more than 80 percent of them were trained by your hand. Um and that shouldn't be taken lightly. Um you are essentially the queen of black theater. Um and I do feel uh we are a sort of DEI is under attack, but I mean our work is never um second rate, it's never um it it can't be dismissed. Like you you can disrespect it, but you can't deny the work that we have.

SPEAKER_01 37:11

I would like to say uh we have been in the business, Asante has been in the business of building great people, and a lot of them have stuck with theater, but I'm most proud of saying uh the Asante way is like knowing your worth. It's a consciousness of worthiness, of um of deciding that you can listen to you, that you have uh the ability to mold your own future. What TJ was talking about uh of saying he framed his own success. That is something that uh that um me and my camp and many people uh who have come through and helped to make that possible. Not just me, but we built a village of people who in many different ways brought many different talents to that idea that sometimes when you walk right up to it, you think of it as naive, using love and self-worth to navigate your way through the world. But in actuality, it's a discipline, it's very hard to do um to love people instead of trying to stomp them out, you know. Um, James Baldwin, I just saw something recently on Instagram talking about uh James Baldwin talking about the power of love and how you know it's very it's it's not an easy way to go, but they the people who practice it are indeed the most powerful because it takes the strength to be able to walk through the world and see all the madness and the crazy people coming at you and understand that could be you if it's if it weren't for your discipline of love, the power and the strength you have to love yourself through that instead of succumbing to it. That you know, so uh yes, I've been around a long time, and I I pray to God that I continue to have the strength because yeah, we've been doing it a long time, and we still do it. I consider Asante a contemporary of IBT C. Yes, ma'am. Yes, you are. Okay, it's not something of the past, it's something that still stands today. Yes, you know, uh Touch of Glory was just a few months ago where we we paid uh uh and employed professional actors during um you know a big city event. Um final four, and you packed the house. Yes, yes, okay, right.

SPEAKER_00 40:19

Help me out because I'm not the sports person. I'm not the sports person either. I just know I just know that uh theater packed the house and you told a dynamic, beautiful story.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

Um I'm a I'm an Oscar uh Robertson fan, though. I know about him. Yeah, uh so just that that we are are able to do that, and it and in in the very beginning, we had the foresight, the the insight to say Asante Children's Theater of Indianapolis, Indiana. Because we knew this place held so much talent that I wanted people to understand this was a place that they need to keep their eye on.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

And you told that story at Carnegie Hall, you told that story uh in Chicago, you told the story that these talented black bodies came from Indianapolis. And that is that is a powerful legacy that you not only leave behind, but you live out. Um, people think legacy is something that you leave behind after you die. No, it is something that you currently build as you are shaping it the world, and you stand in it, and you stand in it bold, storytelling woman with the purple hair.

SPEAKER_01 41:48

Well, the proof is in the pudding, as the old folks say.

SPEAKER_00 41:52

Amen. And the serving up the pudding. And it's good. That's right. Okay, y'all, we only got a few more minutes. Oh my goodness, we've been having so much fun um hearing not only your perspective, but your um just your beautiful nature of the both of you. Thank you so much for joining me here. Um if thank you for having us. Okay. If uh you were coming to if you wanted to say something to the audience, to prospective audience members, the last few rallying calls, what would you say to them to get them to come see uh the colored museum and Philadelphia? Because you know that's that uh the rest of your season. So get a get cheeks and seats. What are you saying to get people to Colored Museum? And then later on, uh Color uh Kiladelphia, what are you saying?

SPEAKER_01 42:57

Well, I'll tell you this. Uh we don't have to tell them to come and and and please come and see Colored Museum. I'm saying to you, uh, if you're lucky, get your ticket. The tickets are flying. All right, that part. So I'm hoping that uh that you will get a ticket to see something that will make you feel full.

SPEAKER_03 43:28

Yeah, yeah. I second that. Um you don't want to miss the train. Be a witness, be a part of this. The moment you come, you're a part of it. You're just everybody on stage. And that's the beauty of theater. So, you know, I'm I'm excited for people to see and witness the great things that all these beautiful artists are putting together. And if you love art, if you love stories. And you will leave Change. Whether it's Philadelphia. Uh you're going to leave Change. And I think everyone out there to support theater across the board in Indianapolis. There's so much habit. There are so many people creating stories and we have to support it because it's so important. So make it a habit to go see theater. But all theater. These artists that are telling these stories support. Make it a habit. We need you to become an avid theater goer if you're not already.

SPEAKER_01 45:11

And I'm going to get my ticket for Kiladelphia, you best believe.

SPEAKER_00 45:24

Yeah, DP. And it don't he got like a TV series and a movie? And ain't it?

SPEAKER_03 45:30

Yeah. So y'all, this is hot. This is gonna be hot. Mini-series. So uh very proud of my brother. Um I I first did Philadelphia uh about 18 years ago with him when we first met and uh joined in Detroit. One time we did it in Detroit, and about 70 people came to Christ. Uh it was one of the most beautiful moments I've I've experienced. And we uh we even we found a bullet sitting on one, because it was in a church. We found a bullet sitting on one of the church seats. And uh I remember VP said that an individual came up to him and said, I was planning to kill someone after the show. And I think I decided it's not working. That is what these stories do, they change the same life, literally the work we are doing. Um, when I say we, I mean these three amazingly talented, your side is amazingly talented, devil of the storytelling woman is so powerful because of the work that we're doing. You who are listening right now, you want to join us. You want to join us, you know you want to. You can be a crack.

SPEAKER_00 47:05

Uh, ladies and gentlemen, you want to get your tickets to see IBTC's production directed by the Miss Deborah Asante, the storytelling woman, the colored museum. You got three more chances to see it. So if you listen to me right now, Wednesday at midnight, uh, you want to get these tickets um for Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7.30 p.m. And the last showing is gonna be on Saturday at 4 p.m. Uh, you want to go to the District Theater on MassTav, it's right smack dab in the middle of it. Uh, grab you something from Rostons, grab you a piece of chicken from Popeye's, don't sneak it in, that's ghetto. Uh, but make sure you enjoy yourself this amazing piece of theater before it goes away. Listen, I'm not gonna be the one to uh to tell you that you missed it. I'm just gonna say um when everybody keeps talking about it, and you're gonna be like, oh man, you know, I heard a podcast about it too. It's your fault. So um thank y'all so much for being here. Uh, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Miss Deborah Sunday and TJ for being here with us. Thank y'all so much. It has been a privilege and an opportunity. Uh, I am humbled by it. Um, but thank y'all so much. And uh, you know what, you you inspired this choice. So I'm gonna I'm gonna let Tommy James end this out.

SPEAKER_02 48:44

Okay. What do you see?

SPEAKER_00 49:14

That's beautiful. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for joining us this evening for another episode of Black Stage Madness. My name is Josiah Raymond Kruston, the Grand Grio. Again, we want to thank our amazing artist and our host. If you enjoyed this episode, please, ma'am, please turn. Um like, comment, subscribe, share it out with your friends. Um, but most importantly, uh be engaged. We are not making this because we uh don't believe in the power of community. We are making it for our community to not only be a catapult for all the amazing things that we have going on here in the Midwest, but also to essentially tell our stories while we're still here to tell them. Um please know that you are loved and we are so grateful for your opportunity to not only sit and listen, um, but also just sit and chill. Take care of yourself. Um listen to this podcast in whatever capacity that you deem necessary. I love you. You are powerful beyond all belief, and know that no matter what anyone tries to do to destroy you, you are powerful to overcome. Love, peace, and top peace. Black Sage Matters is brought to you by the Africana Repertory Theater of IU Indianapolis, a vibrant and beautiful campus here in Indianapolis, but also a powerful and transformative uh uh group of individuals who mean to make a meaningful change. If you want to support our amazing uh endeavors, our mission and our vision, we host not only this amazing podcast, but we also uh do Onyx Fest every year. We do Center Stage, uh Black Stage, and we also host so many wonderful uh new initiatives. Our brand new initiative this year is going to be Kabali, uh a 10-minute play festival where you and your family can come out and enjoy uh all the amazing things that we're doing. It'll be August 10th uh 2nd, August 2nd at the Indianapolis Black Expo campus. So please, ma'am, please, sir, come out and support live theater. We are so excited for everything that we have going on, and we can't wait to see you there. So please, ma'am, please, sir. If you care to donate or care to give, uh, you can find us on social media and also on our website, and you can click the link in the bio to donate right now. Be safe, be blessed, and love, peace, and have a peace.