SOUTH LOOP — Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s first novel is on the big stage this week at Columbia College Chicago.
The 1970 American classic — which delves into the life of Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl growing up amid racism and ridicule in 1940s Ohio — has been adapted into a theatrical production by writer Lydia Diamond and director Ashley Keys, who graduated from Columbia in 2022.
In this coming-of-age story, Breedlove blames her dark skin for her misfortune and fervently yearns for blue eyes, believing they will bring her the love and acceptance she desires to feel.
“The Bluest Eye” opened last week and runs through Saturday at Studio 404, 72 E. 11th St. There are various showtimes Wednesday through Saturday, including a special “Blackout” performance Friday evening. Tickets are $10 online.
The Blackout performance is meant for Black and African American audiences, and it’s usually held for theatrical productions that highlight Black and African American stories, Keys said.
It will be followed by a talkback with Keys, the actors and the show’s dramaturge. Audience members will be able to ask questions about the story, the process of theater, how the crew felt while working on the piece and anything else they might be curious about.
The Blackout performance holds space for Black audiences to see an acclaimed Black story told on stage without fear of stigma or “harsh theater rules.” It’s also meant to welcome people who are just dipping their toes into the world of theater.
“I think that we as just a community, sometimes we don’t get to see Black art portrayed a lot, and we don’t get to have access to it because one thing about theater is that it is expensive. Unfortunately, shows aren’t as accessible as they should be,” said the 25-year-old Keys.
Keys said she felt a Blackout performance was “really needed” for Black audiences and performers. While studying theater at Columbia, Keys said she was often the sole Black directing student in the room and tried to be a “catalyst for change.” That’s why working on this all-Black production has been all the more meaningful to her, she said.
“There’s just something about being in a room full of people who look like you that you feel camaraderie with, you feel braveness with, you feel comfortability with,” Keys said. “I think that was really important that we have that for my actors, but also for the community as well. To feel like, you know, this is a place for me as well. That theater is something that I can go see or I can do. I can participate in any sort of way.”
A Story That ‘Needs To Be Told’
As a director, Keys said working on “The Bluest Eye” has been a welcome and fulfilling challenge.
“It’s a show that needs a lot of care,” Keys said. “We’ve had a lot of making sure that everyone is in a safe space to do this show, but it’s also been really fun. I’ve been able to create a space where we can still have fun every day and be able to come in the room and laugh and cry and do the things that we need to do to get the show up and running.”
While “The Bluest Eye” grapples with heavy themes such as racism and sexual violence, it’s a story that carries moments of joy, love and sisterhood. Keys said audience members and neighbors have told her it’s one that “needs to be told.”
“I could relate to the story on my own personal level of just being a Black girl in a white-centered world and not being told to love myself. And, you know, just kind of like going with the punches a little bit,” Keys said. “I just felt that this is something that people needed to see. Just because these are situations that maybe happened like 50, 60 years ago, but it’s still very relevant today.
“The only way to stop repeating history is to see it and then say no, and I think theater is a great catalyst for that,” she said. “You get to see these things happen. You’re like, ‘Oh, that’s not right.’ And then you get to reflect on it yourself.”
The show is also important for Chicago’s theater community, Keys said. It’s brought in many first-time theatergoers who decided to watch the show because they read the book in school, she said.
“All theater isn’t always like this and it’s okay if this isn’t necessarily for you,” Keys said. “But definitely get into theater more and support our fellow Black theater makers, especially our young ones who are up and coming, who need those audiences to feel supported enough. And it really helps when we have outside audiences that are outside the Columbia community as well.”
“The Bluest Eye” runs through Saturday at Studio 404, 72 E. 11th St. Showtimes this week are Wednesday through Saturday, including a 10 a.m. student matinee and the 7:30 p.m. “Blackout” performance Friday. Tickets are available online.
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