Congo Square Theatre has announced its nineteenth season, which the company has entitled “Imperfect Perfection,” focusing on exploring “characters who pushed against obstacles to thrive.”

The season kicks off in the fall with Alexis J. Roston reprising her role as Billie Holiday in LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL by Lani Roberston. The joyful holiday concert NATIVITY TRIBUTE returns to the DuSable Museum in December, and February brings Congo Square’s JAMBALAYA SERIES, a showcase of art from emerging talent from around the country. The season closes out with Lisa Thompson’s SINGLE BLACK FEMALE, which was first staged as a reading at Congo Square in 2017.

Executive Director TaRon Patton said, “like the characters we will be depicting, many have prejudged the paths these artists have taken, and have lost the value of their message as a result.” She continues, “Despite sometimes overwhelming odds, Congo Square Theatre continues to produce some of the most innovative and thought-provoking theater in the country. 
It is our imperfect perfection that has given us this artistic strength.”

The Congo Square Theatre Company 2018-2019 Season (from the press release):

LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL
September 7, 2018 – October 7, 2018
Shows held at eta Creative Arts
Ensemble member Alexis J. Roston reprises her award-winning role as Billie Holiday. Set in a seedy, Philadelphia bar in 1959, 
Lady Day weaves colorful memories with over a dozen musical numbers including: “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit,” 
and “When a Woman Loves a Man.”

NATIVITY TRIBUTE
December 2018
Shows held at the DuSable Museum
Congo Square’s annual holiday concert, based loosely on Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity,” tells the story of the birth of Christ through gospel music. This year we will recreate the biblical narrative of Christ using song and dance to embody the struggles of Mary and Joseph. This production will feature students from a local dance company and some of Chicago’s most prolific gospel 
voices.

JAMBALAYA SERIES
February 27, 2019 – March 9, 2019
Location TBD
Two weekends of independent film screenings and staged readings.
Events are free to the public.

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE
May 3, 2019 – May 19, 2019
Shows held at eta Creative Arts
The rapid-fire, two-woman show is a hilarious, yet poignant exploration of the lives of single – middle class – Black women. 
Addressing everything from identity to motherhood to holistic retreats, the audience follows these women through a world that fails to recognize them amid a parade of stereotypical images.

More information is available at congosquaretheatre.org.