Suburban Black Girl

Created & Performed by Zakiya Urbi Young
Directed by Jacole Kitchen
Scenic by Jonathan Gilmer
Sound by Melanie Falcón
Projections by Blake McCarty
Costumes by Jen Caprio

Outside In Theatre continues its development and presentation of premiere solo theatrical performances in our ArtBox studio space with this limited run of Zakiya Urbi Young’s SUBURBAN BLACK GIRL directed by Jacole Kitchen.

Zakiya Young: poster child for racial reconciliation. She code switches with lightning speed. White sorority? Like, no prob. A Black and Latine church with a White pastor? She’ll praise God in Spanish! Broadway? Is it color blind casting or an all-Black show? Yes, she can do it all because this Suburban Black Girl has mastered the art of being ‘non-threatening.’ But when the new political regime begins criminalizing “otherness”, will she remain safe in her glass house of assimilation? Or will current events raze that house into shards of nonconformity?

Why this play now? Turn on the news. Go on social media. People are frightened and angry. Some became activists after the events of 2020, like Zakiya did. Others struggle to figure out where their help is most needed. And many wrestle with the guilt of not taking action – keeping their heads down and working for fear of putting their families at risk.  For marginalized people, especially Black people who live in the suburbs, conformity is the key to success. But with the abrupt and painful transition that is happening in America, now is the perfect time to delve into the realities and consequences of assimilation.