Washington, DC knows a thing or two about museums. We know that the best museum exhibits bring you face-to-face with something you may only know as a concept or abstraction and turn it into a solid, undeniable reality. Or maybe they show you something you experience every day, but from a completely different perspective.
This summer, director Psalmayene 24 and designer Natsu Onoda Power invite you to Studio Theatre to experience a different kind of museum. In this museum, the “exhibits” take the form of characters and scenes that will stay with you long after your tour is complete. But they aren’t meant to be viewed at a distance. The entire experience of The Colored Museum, from the people you meet to the art installations you encounter, and even the seats you sit in, will invite you to engage with the play in a profound and personal way.
Onoda Power’s environmental design will immerse the audience in the satirical universe of George C. Wolfe, a universe that will feel both strange and familiar. Scenes we might recognize, like a photoshoot with a pair of Ebony magazine cover models or a woman choosing the right wig for a special occasion, become surreal in Wolfe’s world. The play, a scathing critique of American racial politics, was written in 1986 and yet remains devastatingly relevant today. His “exhibits” of Black life, culture, and history demand that their audience confront stereotypes and narratives that are uncomfortable, even painful. And Psalm and his cast have thrown themselves into bringing these exhibits to life.
The Colored Museum is now open at Studio Theatre. Get your tickets to this one-of-a-kind experience now at studiotheatre.org.
