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Cut & Paste: Tesseract Theatre asks: ‘Am I Black Enough Yet?’ and everyone's in on it

Left to right: Nathan Maul, Sherard Curry and Anna Drehmer in Tesseract Theatre's "Am I Black Enough Yet?" by Clinton Johnston
Tesseract Theatre
Left to right: Nathan Maul, Sherard Curry and Anna Drehmer in Tesseract Theatre's "Am I Black Enough Yet?" by Clinton Johnston

The title of an upcoming play by St. Louis’ Tesseract Theatre is a loaded question: “Am I Black Enough Yet?”

It's a challenge that could cause discomfort but the play aims to make fun of the query with a playful approach. The first order of business is to proclaim that the entire audience is “black.” Those who were already black get to be “uber-black.”

In our latest Cut & Paste arts and culture podcast, we talk with “Am I Black Enough Yet?” director Bre Love and Tesseract’s founding artistic director Taylor Gruenloh about this production that uses humor to spark difficult conversations.

Here’s a bit of what you’ll hear in the podcast:

  • Gruenloh on how the play upends assumptions: “The actors switch race and gender in certain skits. So sometimes the skit starts and you don’t realize who is the black character.”
  • Love, who is African-American, of Tesseract’s casting techniques: “No one else would have cast me as a Scottish midwife.”
  • Gruenloh on why now is a great time to  be involved in St. Louis theater: “The number of plays that have never been done before that are getting done, and the diverse acting pool that’s here and that’s being celebrated.”
Cut & Paste

Look for new Cut & Paste (#cutpastestl) podcastsevery few weeks on our website. You can also view all previous podcasts focusing on a diverse collection of visual and performing artists, and subscribe to Cut & Paste through this link.

Follow Willis and Nancy on Twitter: @WillisRArnoldand @NancyFowlerSTL

Please help St. Louis Public Radio find artists to feature on Cut & Paste. Tell us which artists and cultural themes deserve a closer look.

Nancy is a veteran journalist whose career spans television, radio, print and online media. Her passions include the arts and social justice, and she particularly delights in the stories of people living and working in that intersection.