Nancy Medina’s revival of Alice Childress’ 1955 satire about racism in theatre has opened at the intimate Dorfman Theatre in the National Theatre. Trouble in Mind is one of those plays that still feels completely relevant today, even though it was first staged more than 60 years ago.
It tells the story of black actress Wiletta (the excellent Tanya Moodie), who has taken a leading role in a new play about racism being directed by two somewhat tone-deaf white men.
The play-within-a-play format means we actually see very little of the on-stage action itself, but we do get a fascinating insight into the behind-the-scenes conversations and debates between the (largely black) cast and the (entirely white) creative team.