Black Girl from a White Suburb Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"..."Black Girl from a White Suburb," Tania Richard's new solo play now onstage at American Blues Theater, begins and ends with breathing. Before she speaks any lines or acknowledges the audience, Richard lies down on a rug and does a few yoga stretches, giving the sense that we're glimpsing a private moment. At the end of her warmly interactive and deeply personal show, she invites viewers to inhale and exhale in unison with her. After an hour of seeing the world through her eyes, with memories ranging from humorous to painful, this collective moment of reflection and release is a welcome sendoff."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended

"...The beauty of Richard's play is that although it's entitled Black Girl from a White Suburb, it's not about being black. Nor is it an edict demanding that others take responsibility for their microaggressions against people of other races. It's a therapeutic lesson in acceptance, showing how a Black Girl from a white suburb grows through microaggressions and learns to find her way. It's a note, a love letter, a diary, if you will, to herself and to the world that, regardless of our hue, we are all human, and a hope that someone will hear the cries of others and respond with love."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Earnest and compelling, Tania Richard (pronounced “rish-ARD”) excels in her one-woman show “Black Girl from a White Suburb”, based on her autobiographical book of the same name. A 65-minute performance with no intermission, Richard powerfully narrates a good portion of her life story, with the emphasis on how she was the only black girl in her elementary school and high school and how this may have affected her sense of self, the growing awareness of her identity, and her subsequent interests and achievements."

PicksInSix - Recommended

"...Whether acting as herself or stepping into someone else’s shoes, Richard is magnetic. Her audience interactions vary, sometimes asking us questions and insisting on an answer, and other times just allowing us to sit with our thoughts. Her humor ranges from soft to sharp, always pointedly in service of the greater story she’s telling. And, whether embodying her mother, a racist history teacher, or that dorky tweenage theatre kid whose enthusiasm was sound even if her logic wasn’t, Richard makes you believe she is who she says she is. She’s warm and personable, inviting you in to hear her stories. Even—and especially—the most harrowing ones."

Allie and the After Party - Highly Recommended

"...Adapted from her autobiography, Tania Richards stars in the theatrical production of Black Girl From a White Suburb. In this intimate production, she takes her audience along for the journey of defining moments of her acting career that also defined her experience as a Black woman in these predominantly white spaces."