The History of FOR COLORED GIRLS... and its Journey on Stage and Screen

for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf is officially back on Broadway! This production, which opened earlier this week at the Booth Theatre, marks the first Broadway revival of Ntozake Shange's piece, however, it has had quite the life on stage and screen.

Today, we're taking you through the production history of for colored girls... to learn more about its journey over the past nearly 50 years!

What is "for colored girls..." all about?

Described as a "choreopoem", the piece is a series of 20 separate poems choreographed to music that weaves together several interconnected stories.

The cast consists of seven nameless African-American women only identified by the colors they are assigned. They are the lady in red, lady in orange, lady in yellow, lady in green, lady in blue, lady in brown, and lady in purple. The piece delves into sensitive subjects including rape, abandonment, abortion and domestic violence.

Join the circle as seven women share their stories and find strength in each other's humor and passion through a fusion of poetry, dance, music, and song that explodes off the stage and resonates with all. It's time for joy. It's time for sisterhood. It's time for colored girls.

Production History

for colored girls... was first performed by Shange and four other artists at women's bar, Bacchanal, which is located outside Berkeley, California. There, the group performed the piece for about six months, before deciding to move it to New York City.

In July 1975, the reworked version of the piece was professionally produced for the first time in New York City at Studio Rivbea. That same year, the piece was performed at other venues including the Old Reliable, and DeMonte's, as well as the Henry Street Settlement's New Federal Theatre.

Off-Broadway and Broadway Premiere

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf officially opened off-Broadway at The Public Theater in June 1976. In September, the show transferred to the Booth Theater on Broadway, where it continued until July 1978, running for 742 shows.

The cast was led by Trezana Beverley as Lady in Red, Laurie Carlos as Lady in Blue, Risë Collins as Lady in Purple, Aku Kadogo as Lady in Yellow, Janet League as Lady in Brown, Paula Moss as Lady in Green, and Shange as Lady in Orange with Aku Kadogo, Seret Scott, and Michele Shay as understudies.

The original Broadway production was nominated for two Tony Awards, and Trezana Beverley won for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

A cast recording was released by Buddah Records.

Australian Production

for colored girls... toured Australia in 1978, presented by the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust. It was staged first at Her Majesty's in Adelaide, South Australia, as part of the 10th Adelaide Festival of Arts, and then went on to Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville, Cairns, and Brisbane. The cast was led by original cast members Alfre Woodard, Aku Kadogo, Carol Maillard, and Lynn Whitfield, and it was directed by Oz Scott.

Off-Broadway Revival

In 2019, the production was revived at The Public Theater, directed by Leah C. Gardiner, with choreography by Camille A. Brown. for colored girls... began performances on Tuesday, October 8 in The Public's Martinson Hall and officially opened on Tuesday, October 22.

The cast included Sasha Allen (Lady in Blue), Celia Chevalier (Lady in Brown), Danaya Esperanza (Lady in Orange), Jayme Lawson (Lady in Red), Adrienne C. Moore (Lady in Yellow), Okwui Okpokwasili (Lady in Green), Alexandria Wailes (Lady in Purple), and D. Woods (Understudy).

Television and Film Adaptations

In 1982, for colored girls... was adapted for television on WNET-TV, PBS, as part of The American Playhouse series.

In 2009, Tyler Perry announced that he would produce For Colored Girls as a film, which was set to be the first project for 34th Street Films, Perry's new production company. The cast included Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson, Phylicia Rashād, Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington and Thandie Newton.

For more information about for colored girls..., visit www.forcoloredgirlsbway.com.