Concord Theatricals has added Alice Childress' Trouble in Mind to its licensing catalog under its Samuel French imprint. The move marks the first time the work, seen in a Tony-nominated Broadway revival last year starring Tony winners LaChanze and Chuck Cooper, has been represented by a theatrical licensor.
The play, which premiered Off-Broadway in 1955, follows an experienced Black stage actress rehearsing for a major Broadway production, exploring racism, identity, ego, and representation in the world of New York theatre. The title was announced to make a Broadway bow in 1957, plans that evaporated after Childress refused to soften the play's themes for white audiences.
The work has seen a recent resurgence in productions as theatres continue looking to revisit overlooked works by marginalized voices. Roundabout Theatre Company gave it a long-awaited Broadway premiere in 2021, earning a Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Play, and a production played London's West End via The National Theatre the same year. Concord's acquisition of the play's licensing rights will make the work easier for theatres to find and produce. Previously, those interested in presenting the work would have had to get in contact with Childress' estate.
"We are honored to expand our relationship with Alice Childress’ work by finally making this groundbreaking, landmark play widely available to theatres for licensing,” shares Concord Vice President of Acquisitions & Artistic Development Amy Rose Marsh. “Childress is undoubtedly one of the most important dramatists of the 20th century, and Concord is committed to championing Trouble in Mind as a seminal theatrical text.”
For more information, visit ConcordTheatricals.com.
