Black Boy Jungle
Black Boy Jungle 1st premiered in 2015 as part of the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association Arts and Heritage Grant. The work was created during the process of director Arien Wilkerson grandfather's death. The show premiered the day before the funeral. Black Boy Jungle was restaged by the director in 2016 and had a 4 day showing on July 20th 21st, 22nd & 23rd, and one day showing at the Wadsworth Atheneum on Sept 20th 2016. The Town and County Club presented both the 2015/16 performances in their space. There was one free showing specifically for 80 youth. The youth came from 7 different organizations all over the Connecticut region. The youth saw the work with their facilitators and took part in a talk back lead by the director.
Black Boy Jungle is a social injustice contemporary work about race. The work addresses issues the american dream acquired through both public schooling and our consumer-driven society. The original premiere had a one day showing on July 18th 2015 at The Town and County Club the Historic home of Theodore Lyman built in 1859. The club was bought by 400 women around the historic women’s right to vote movement and became the only standing private Women’s club in Hartford CT, remodeled in 1923. The Town and County is still active now located on 22 Woodland Street in Hartford CT.
Black Boy Jungle engages the viewer physically, and invites them to think critically about their own identities in terms of ancestry and personal identity. Any presenting or programming establishment would be committed to challenging the audience to seek answers from their immigrant ancestors and to offer libations to society with works of social awareness.
