ABOUT THE PLAY
In 1971, Fair Housing advocates considered San Leandro one of the most racist suburbs in America. CBS aired a special in the situation. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights conducted hearings. The next year, eight-year-old Copeland and his African-American family moved in. In an evening of laughter, tears and sociology, “Not a Genuine Black Man” is a hilarious and insightful look at Bay Area history, and at the ways in which our upbringings make us who we are.
“Not a Genuine Black Man” broke records as the longest-running solo show in San Francisco history and brought Copeland critical acclaim as one of the city’s most talented and engaging solo performers.
“A beautiful mix of wry humor and heartbreak, indignation and inspiration, a singular story of extreme isolation that speaks to anyone who’s ever felt out of place.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“With agility, Copeland plays over 20 characters in the two-hour show including himself, himself as an 8-year-old, his mother, his sister, his grandmother, his son, his father, his landlord, 3 policemen, 2 lawyers, his father, a waitress, a pastor of an all-white church, a hate-letter writer, two white teenaged racists and several irate neighbors. He also fragments the narrative in time, flashing back and forth between his childhood and his current status as a successful performer, family man and business man. And he keeps it all together for the audience.”
—San Francisco Examiner
Tickets:
Adult $35
Senior $33
Ages 12+.
When: Saturday, March 16, 7 PM
Where: Altarena Playhouse
1409 High Street, Alameda, CA 94501