The Tofu Chitlin Circuit was started out of frustration from the lack of variety in the black theater in Chicago. We either see “kitchen sink dramas” or musicals. I didn’t see Avant Garde’ or devised work written and directed by African American artists. There weren’t any classic works like Shakespeare or the Greeks with all black casts and most of the plays were written before 2000. We are looking for those types of plays as the foundation for The Tofu Chitlin’ Circuit. The Tofu Chitlin’ Circuit is a conservatory. Our mission is simple; to create fresh and vigorous dialogue with our audience about theater, empower the audience … to create their own stories on stage, share information from established and emerging practitioners, and create devised performances. The name, Chitlin’ Circuit takes on a negative connotation within black theater, it’s considered low-brow and normally describes one-night-only productions. The TCC wanted to challenge how black theater was perceived.

The panel came as a way to ease the controversy at the Goodman Theatre concerning the play Mary. In my opinion, theater companies are responsible for creating dialogue with their audience in order for them to continue with the companies’ artistic journey. On the panel, I shared that a theater company has to know their audience. The small business owner knows about their customers. No matter how large a company gets, I believe they should take the time to get to know their patrons. One can’t just spring something on their patrons and expect them to accept it without preparing them for it.