Black History Month play focuses on women's voices

Though race relations are at the forefront of the national conversation, playwright and director Maurice D. Proffit became acutely aware that the voices and perspectives of women were not as prominently represented.

So the challenge he set for his sixth Black History Month production at Schaumburg's Prairie Center for the Arts was to redress the balance a bit with a show focused on that viewpoint.

"With this show, we're celebrating women of color," Proffit said of Saturday's performance. "I felt this was the prime opportunity. It was a bit of a challenge because I'm a man. It challenged me to look outside my own borders."

He talked much with his wife during the writing to capture the essentials of what women see and notice, as well as how they react differently to circumstances than men often do.

"There's one segment of the show that talks about reality TV, and how much more profitable it is to exploit women than celebrate them," he said.

This year, both acts of the show have individual titles. "Black Girl Magic" is set in 1999 and follows four teen girls on the South Side of Chicago.

After intermission, "She Means War" picks up their story as women in 2017.

The first thing Proffit believes people should know about all his shows is the audience envisioned is one of all ages and backgrounds. Though the term "family friendly" might cause some to assume a certain amount of corniness, Proffit prefers to say "suitable for all ages."

"It's definitely for everyone," Proffit said. "It's about things everyone needs to be privy to. I implore everyone to come out, check it out and have a great time. It's something they're going to remember for a long time."

Writing something relevant and interesting to kids and adults isn't the easiest thing to do, requiring a greater amount of creativity on his part, he said.

"My way of thinking is, I want to take the ideology of Snapchat - which holds your attention for 10 seconds, because the attention span today is so short - and apply it to a two-hour show. It makes a two-hour show feel like two minutes."

One of the things the 35-year-old writer had some fun with was looking back at 1999 and making the references consistent with that time. And by setting the show in two different times, it allowed him to explore how much people change - and stay the same - throughout their lives.

"As much as everything changes, when you look back at yourself, you still see the parallels between yourself in high school and yourself today," Proffit said.

One of the themes of the show is the amount of heroism it takes to overcome even personal challenges and how that parallels the battles of comic-book superheroes. One of Proffit's female friends, who is very much into comic books, helped him make that connection in the show and apply it to the women who are his protagonists.

"Black Girl Magic"/"She Means War" will be performed at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. To order in advance, call (847) 895-3600 or visit schaumburg-prod.civica.granicusops.com/depts/cultural/pca/tickets/black_history_month.htm.