The dramatic play “Phillis in Boston” centers around the events set on the same ship of the Boston Tea Party, when Phillis Wheatley returns to Boston with her first published books of poetry.
Written by Adeola Solanke, the same playwright of the companion play “Phillis in London,” and directed by Regge Life, the play will go up at Revolutionary Space in the historic Old South Meeting House — where Wheatley was a congregant two and a half centuries ago. Hear all about Whealey’s life and the play, debuting for the first time Nov. 17 in Boston, on this week’s Basic Black.
Later in the program, we also feature a series of banners in Roxbury and Dorchester that honor other notable Black women — including Marita Rivero, GBH’s former vice president and general manager.
Our guest panelists will join host Kristen L. Pope to discuss other moments of Wheatley’s life including her relationship with her enslaver, Susanna Wheatley: Adeola Solanke, playwright of "Phillis in Boston" and founder and director of Spora Stories; Kyera Singleton, executive director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford; Joshua Olumide, who plays Prince Hall; and Adreyanua Jean-Louis, who plays Phillis Wheatley.
Watch the latest episode of Basic Black tonight at 7:30 p.m. on GBH 2 or live at the stream below. You can also watch on the GBH News YouTube channel. Subscribe to get notifications for future premiere episodes.
