Langston Hughes
wrote Black Nativity
in 1961 as a gospel
musical celebration of
the Nativity. The play
was performed on
Broadway and has been a
holiday favorite ever
since. Penumbra Theatre
produced its own version
of Black Nativity in 1987
and has done so every
year since with the exception of the
1998-1999 and 2002-2003 seasons.
Penumbra’s earliest versions of Black
Nativity more closely adhered to Hughes’
original version, the play was set during
Reconstruction and followed a group of
newly free African Americans who stop to
celebrate their first free Christmas on
their journey to a new home and new life
in the North. Subsequent versions
incorporated African elements and several
productions were set in Biblical times in
North East Africa. In 2004 Lou Bellamy
and T. Mychael Rambo co-wrote a new,
original script placing the production in
contemporary times. This latest version of
Black Nativity incorporates elements of
earlier versions, including Gospel music,
quilting, and the importance of the
Nativity story, but places these elements
within the home and context of a
contemporary family. This change is
intended to honor past productions while
strengthening the themes of faith, family,
and joy and reflecting the important place
that Black Nativity has come to occupy
within this theatre and this community.
Langston Hughes
wrote Black Nativity
in 1961 as a gospel
musical celebration of
the Nativity. The play
was performed on
Broadway and has been a
holiday favorite ever
since. Penumbra Theatre
produced its own version
of Black Nativity in 1987
and has done so every
year since with the exception of the
1998-1999 and 2002-2003 seasons.
Penumbra’s earliest versions of Black
Nativity more closely adhered to Hughes’
original version, the play was set during
Reconstruction and followed a group of
newly free African Americans who stop to
celebrate their first free Christmas on
their journey to a new home and new life
in the North. Subsequent versions
incorporated African elements and several
productions were set in Biblical times in
North East Africa. In 2004 Lou Bellamy
and T. Mychael Rambo co-wrote a new,
original script placing the production in
contemporary times. This latest version of
Black Nativity incorporates elements of
earlier versions, including Gospel music,
quilting, and the importance of the
Nativity story, but places these elements
within the home and context of a
contemporary family. This change is
intended to honor past productions while
strengthening the themes of faith, family,
and joy and reflecting the important place
that Black Nativity has come to occupy
within this theatre and this community.
