Show: FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE / WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF
Theater: Dunbar Repertory Company
Theater Website: https://middletownarts.org/for-colored-girls/
Show runs: 11/07/2026 to 11/15/2026
Dunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, Sr.
Capturing the brutal, tender and dramatic lives of contemporary Black women, for colored girls… offers a transformative, riveting evening of provocative dance, music and poetry.
Show Dates:
Sat, Nov 7 at 3* + 8 pm | Sun, Nov 8 at 4 pm
Sat, Nov 14 at 3 + 8 pm | Sun, Nov 15 at 4 pm*
Tickets
General Admission Price: $22
MATINEE SPECIALS
Sat, Nov 7 at 3 pm AND Sun, Nov 15 at 4 pm
GA Tickets: $17
GROUP SPECIAL (10 or more)
Tickets for all performances are $17.
Call box office to arrange group discount at 732.706.4100.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is a groundbreaking theatrical work that blends poetry, dance, music and dramatic storytelling into a form Shange called a “choreopoem.”
The work follows seven women, identified by the colors of the rainbow—Lady in Red, Lady in Blue, Lady in Purple, Lady in Yellow, Lady in Brown, Lady in Green and Lady in Orange—as they share deeply personal stories of love, loss, struggle, survival and self-discovery.
Through 20 interconnected poems, the women reveal their individual experiences while finding strength in their shared humanity. Moving between moments of joy, humor, heartbreak and empowerment, the production explores the challenges Black women face while celebrating their resilience, individuality and solidarity.
Since its Broadway debut in 1976, for colored girls… has become an enduring theatrical classic, inspiring generations of artists and audiences with its revolutionary approach to storytelling.
CAST
Lady In Red – Juli Harkins
Lady In Purple – Dana P. Hawkins
Lady In Green – Octavia Harrell
Lady In Yellow – Vivette Alston
Lady In Orange – Camitha
Lady In Blue – Tania Simone
Lady In Brown – Amya Ashanti
Lady In Brown – Kia Yvette
Ntozake Shange (1948-2018) was one of America’s greatest writers – an acknowledged master in the genres of drama, fiction, memoir and poetry. In a hugely prolific career, Shange wrote 15 plays, 19 poetry collections, 6 novels, 5 children’s books, 3 collections of essays, and a memoir called Lost in Language & Sound.
Her theatre piece for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf(dubbed a “choreopoem” for its highly original combination of music, poetry and dance) was a stunning success on Broadway in 1976-1977. Considered a landmark not just in American theatre but also in theatre worldwide, it won an Obie while still off-Broadway at the Public Theater. for colored girls… has been performed continuously since then both in the United States and abroad, has remained in print since its publication in 1974, and was made into a movie by Tyler Perry in 2010.
Learn more at https://officialntozakeshange.com
ABOUT THE DUNBAR REPERTORY COMPANY
Known to residents of Central New Jersey as “Monmouth County’s African American Theater Company”, Dunbar Repertory Company is committed to its mission of perpetuating an appreciation of cultural diversity and celebrating African American culture through LIVE literary readings, main stage theatrical productions, education programs and services.
NOTE: The show takes place INDOORS in the Middletown Arts Center Theater. Tickets are General Admission. Seating is first-come, first-serve. If you require accessible seating, please call the Box Office at 732-706-4100 and we will happily accommodate you and reserve your seat!
Theater Address: 36 Church Street, Middletown, New Jersey 07748 (Map It)
Theater Phone: (732) 706-4100
Purchase tickets online: https://mac.ticketspice.com/for-colored-girls-dunbar-rep
