Black Hoosiers: Untold Tales

A new collection of museum theater performances that celebrates the lives and contributions of African-American Hoosiers will be performed each Saturday in February at Conner Prairie.

“Black Hoosiers: Untold Tales” will be performed from 7-9 p.m. Feb. 3, 10, 17 and 24 at Lilly Theatre, located inside the museum’s Welcome Center at 13400 Allisonville Road in Fishers.

The evening will include a performance of “Rhodes Family Incident,” a 30-minute play written by Crystal V. Rhodes and in collaboration with Asante Children’s Theatre, that tells the story of two contemporary college students who grew up in Westfield, Ind., and discover a historical racial incident that challenges their notions of identity and their hometown.

Solo performances will share the lives of Lillian Thomas Fox of Indianapolis, a journalist and civic leader; Dr. Martin Jenkins of Terre Haute, who pioneered research into black children of superior intelligence; and Willa Brown of Terre Haute, the first African-American woman to earn a pilot\’s license and commercial flying license.

A dialogue with the audience about issues of race, history and identity, will follow, facilitated by Ernest Disney-Britton of the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Tamara Winfrey-Harris of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Tickets for “Black Hoosiers: Untold Tales,” a collaborative project between Conner Prairie and Asante Children’s Theatre and funded by the Christel DeHaan Family foundation and Indiana Arts Commission, are $6 for the general public and $5 for museum members. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at connerprairie.org.

Asante Children’s Theatre is a youth development organization in Indianapolis committed to enriching the lives of young people so they become empowered citizens of the world. Created in 1990, the organization provides creative arts training, transformative performances, effective leadership development and inspiring opportunities to youth to unlock their potential and connect with a global community of artists and arts professionals.