Black out performance

The concept was originated by the American playwright Jeremy O. Harris, when his play Slave Play was staged before an audience of 804 black students, artists, journalists and performers in September 2019. Two performances in the London run of the play in 2024 were also scheduled to be black out performances. Black out performances for the play Tambo & Bones were also staged at its London run at Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2023 and for the play Samuel Takes a Break ... at the Yard Theatre in 2024. ==Theory==

A black out performance is a theatrical performance aimed at a black or black-identifying audience, including people of mixed race. The performances take place at plays telling black stories written by black playwrights and seek to bring black audiences to such plays. In a 2019 article on the concept of black out performances for the New York Times, Patrice Peck wrote of the performances that they can create " ... spaces for black audiences to crack jokes and clap back without apology and, afterward, process complex, nuanced race-related issues" and the "idea that seeing one's self reflected not only on the silver screen or on a stage, but also in the audience can lead to a deeper validation". The concept has also been seen as countering the negative psychological impact of double consciousness. ==References==