Stage Black is back. The midsummer festival of new plays reflecting the African American experience runs Friday through Sunday (July 15 to 17) at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the Dallas Convention Center Theater Complex.
Six short plays are in the mix. They are: Breaking Vows at Midnight by Cherie' Monique Williams. An ordinary family finds their world turned upside down by a mysterious guest who drops in for the weekend.
Drinks on Me by Prince Duren. Out to have a cocktail or two, Gary enters a strange bar. By the time he leaves, his life has been changed forever.
The Liberation of Aunt Jo Mama by Gregory Carr. On a sprawling antebellum plantation that just happens to occupy a grocery shelf, Smokie, a "white toothpaste slave;" his woman, Aunt Jo Mama, a "pancake mammy"; a couple of "maple syrup slaves" and one "rice slave" try to co-exist.
Life-Death-Life by Paula Sanders. An artist finds that he can't escape his past and might not be able to keep it from ruining his future.
The Ugly Truth by Catherine Montgomery. A couple married to other people make plans for a tryst. But their rendezvous takes a dramatic turn.
The Wide Divide by Joe Feinstein. Two young white couples get into a racial confrontation in a most unusual way when one husband decides to change his race from white to black.
Performances, rated PG for language and adult situations, are 8 p.m., Friday; 3 and 8 p.m., Saturday; and 3 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $15. For tickets or more information, call the TBAAL box office at 214-743-2400, Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849 or 7th Stage Productions at 214-417-6095.