Congo Square Theatre Company will commemorate its 20th Anniversary season with a production of the 1965 satirical fantasy “Day of Absence” at the Richard Christiansen Theatre (housed inside Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.), February 27-March 22, 2020.

The cast includes Congo Square ensemble members Ronald L. Conner, Ann Joseph and Kelvin Roston, Jr., along with Jordan Arredondo, Meagan Dilworth, Bryant Hayes and Sonya Madrigal. As originally written, cast members will play various roles throughout the production.

Winner of Vernon Rice and Obie Awards, “Day of Absence” is traditionally performed as a ‘reverse minstrel show,’ with black actors in whiteface playing out the events in a Southern town faced with the sudden and inexplicable disappearance of all its black citizens. It was written and directed by Douglas Turner Ward in 1965 and helped launch the New York-based Negro Ensemble Company. Congo Square ensemble member Anthony Irons directs.

The performance schedule is February 27-March 22, 2020, Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. For more information, call 773-871-3000 or visit www.congosquaretheatre.org.