Trouble in Mind

Trouble in Mind is a 1955 play written by Alice Childress. It had its Off-Broadway debut in New York City that same year. The play, which critiques the racist portrayal of Black characters in American media (both stage and screen), was initially set to premiere on Broadway in 1957. However, when Childress refused to change the play so that it was more palatable for the white audiences she was critiquing, the premiere was canceled. The show premiered in London in 1992 at the Tricycle Theatre and ran again in 2017 in Bath and London. The show would not reach American audiences again until 2021, when it premiered on Broadway at the American Airlines Theater. It was nominated for five Tony Awards that year, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Actress in a Play for LaChanze, who played Wiletta. The rediscovery of Trouble in Mind led to more awareness for Childress’s other plays, such as Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, which was performed in New York at the Theatre for a New Audience in 2022, for the first time since 1972.

The edition of Trouble in Mind used for this guide was published by Theatre Communications Group in 2021.