Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has received a $15,000 Art Works award from the National Endowment for the Arts to help underwrite its 2020 production of Flyin’ West, as well as to defray the costs of community outreach activities related to the play. Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage, which will close the 2019-2020 season, is a show that WBTT previously offered as a staged reading. In the 1890s, the lives of a small group of African-American women change after they leave the oppressive South and settle in the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas. Their hope and determination to survive in a harsh region are tested as they build new lives for themselves and their families. Resident director Chuck Smith will return to Sarasota to direct this show, which runs June 3 - July 12, 2020. WBTT will take a three-pronged approach to the community outreach activities, including two free performances of Flyin’ West for students and their families, a free “WBTT Voices” community discussion about the play, and a hearing assisted performance either with captioning or ASL interpretation.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe