This season Penumbra marks its 20th anniversary of staging the gospel Christmas musical Black Nativity. Originally written by the prolific poet and playwright Langston Hughes in 1961, the play debuted on Broadway, toured Europe, and was broadcast on television in 1963. Its impact has stretched from coast to coast, and each year, in addition to Penumbra’s production, companies in Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago, and New York present their own versions of the Nativity story.

Throughout its twenty years on the Penumbra stage, Black Nativity has undergone continual change. Under the artistic guidance of Lou Bellamy, Penumbra has shaped and re-shaped Black Nativity by framing it within different critical points in African and African American history. These moments have included the Reconstruction period, featuring a journey of recently emancipated African Americans northward, biblical times in North East Africa, and most recently, a contemporary setting in St. Paul. In this incarnation, we are taken into the home of recently widowed Grandma Walker, whose family brings the spirit of hope and holiday cheer to her, filling the house with song, dancing, the sharing of presents, and the tradition of quilting. With this year’s focus on the quilting tradition, Penumbra brings attention to an integral and lasting African American skill. Both Black Nativity and quilting have served as ways of preserving, telling, and recreating the stories of African Americans in this country. The quilt you will see in the production today has been a community creation of local artists dedicated to keeping those stories – biblical, ancient, and recent – alive.

Stephanie Lein Walseth,
August Wilson Fellow