Under the continuing leadership of Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, with interim artistic leadership from Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent and Senior Managing Producer Heidi Thompson Saunders, Court Theatre proudly presents the Spotlight Reading Series, featuring works authored and inspired by Theodore Ward. Often referred to as the “dean of Black dramatists,” Ward wrote about the complexities of Black life in America—from the Civil War, to the Second Great Migration, and beyond. Court will stage his Big White Fog as the first production of the 2025/26 season.
The Spotlight Reading Series is comprised of four events:
Just Before Day I Staged Reading and Panel Discussion: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Film Screening of Native Son (1951): Thursday, August 14, 2025
Community Reads: Native Son I Dinner and Facilitated Conversation: Thursday, August 14, 2025
Our Lan’ I Staged Reading: Friday, August 15, 2025
Each event will be held at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th Street), all events are free and open to the public, and reservations are required.
Reservations can be made online at CourtTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472.
The Spotlight Reading Series is presented in partnership with the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Chicago Public Library, and the University of Chicago’s Film Studies Center, and is supported in part by the Joyce Foundation.
Just Before Day I Staged Reading and Panel Discussion
Join us for a staged reading of Just Before Day. Originally written to be a radio play, this story follows Nettie Sampson, the matriarch of a struggling Black family in 1940s Harlem during World War II. Nettie endeavors to hold her family together through the daily travails of poverty and racial discrimination in the face of American hypocrisy, while her eldest son is abroad serving his country in the military.
Following the reading, Chicago theatre luminaries Ron OJ Parson, Pemon Rami, and Chuck Smith will reflect on the significance of Theodore Ward’s works and how his legacy has impacted them personally and professionally.
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Time: 6:30pm Reading, 7:30pm Conversation
Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th Street)
Film Screening of Native Son (1951)
The 1951 film Native Son is a significant adaptation of Richard Wright’s groundbreaking 1940 novel. Directed by French filmmaker Pierre Chenal, the movie is most notable for starring Richard Wright himself as Bigger Thomas, the protagonist.
Theodore Ward and Richard Wright shared a close relationship, particularly during their time in Chicago. Their friendship led Ward to join the South Side Writers Group, a significant gathering place for Black writers in Chicago. They were co-founders of the Negro Playwrights Company in New York, a testament to their shared vision for a theatrical space dedicated to Black voices and stories.
Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Screening Room, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th Street)
Community Reads: Native Son I Dinner and Facilitated Conversation:
Following a screening of the 1951 film Native Son, explore the film’s themes through dinner and discussion. As you reflect on the film, you will be able to connect with neighbors and friends through intimate guided breakout discussions.
This portion of our program will also launch the next Community Reads Book Club series selection, Richard Wright’s Native Son.
Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Penthouse, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th Street)
Our Lan’ I Staged Reading
Join us for a staged reading of Our Lan’—a notable play at the time it was written in 1947, that successfully ran on Broadway—focusing on the Reconstruction South and the broken promises made to newly freed slaves at the conclusion of the Civil War. A post-show discussion with this year’s Spotlight director, Charles Andrew Gardner, will follow.
Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Penthouse, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th Street)
Winner of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago’s historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.