As Jamil Jude, the artistic director of True Colors Theatre Company, and the cast and crew of his new version of The Wiz ease on down the road to opening night, it’s clear that this is more than just a stand-alone production. It’s also very much a statement that the playhouse is back post-pandemic, ready for audiences and psyched to celebrate its milestone 20th anniversary season.
Running June 13 – July 2 at Southwest Arts Center, the musical is directed by Brian Jordan Jr., who plays Maurice Webb on BET’s Tyler Perry’s Sistas. The cast and crew are all local, with Jeshua TedyP Williams, known for his work in gospel, hip-hop and R&B, acting as the show’s music producer.
Taloria Merricks, a former August Wilson Monologue competition champion, plays Dorothy. It’s a dream role for the actress, who is aware of the musical’s significance. “I am honored to be a part of this history and legacy,” she says. “It’s important to embrace Black culture and stories, which don’t get told that much. I think The Wiz is a story of hope and believing in yourself, and I think it will impact a lot of people.”
True Colors staged productions of The Wiz four other times from 2004 – 2007 with artists such as The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey, Tony Award winner Joaquina Kalukango and performer Victor Jackson. Jude calls it both a True Colors and an Atlanta institution due to its frequent stagings and warm audience reception. Accordingly, he wanted to make the 2023 production a celebration of everything in the city. Director Jordan has asked everyone, including Williams and scenic designers Moriah & Isabel Curley-Clay, to make this as Atlanta-specific as possible.
“If you love the city of Atlanta, you are going to love this production,” says Jude. “If you love The Wiz, you are going to love this. There is no better way to reclaim what the city of Atlanta means, what True Colors means [and] what Black theater and storytelling means than in this production.”
The classic musical, with a book by William F. Brown and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, is a re-interpretation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with an all-Black cast. It opened on Broadway in 1975 and ran for four years, and a film version with Diana Ross aired in 1978. Kenny Leon, who founded True Colors with Jane Bishop in 2002 and served as its artistic director until 2018, directed The Wiz Live! on NBC in 2013.
Merricks remembers seeing the movie and having it change her life. For Jude, too, the musical was important in changing the look of Broadway and showing audiences what could be possible onstage. “For Black people, people of color [and] queer folk, we have always had to see ourselves inside of a hetero-normative, White dominant culture,” he says. “We have to believe ourselves to be Barbie, G.I. Joe, whomever. The Wiz took that further and said — no you don’t. We can take that same narrative and make it culturally specific as heck and celebrate ourselves and be ourselves.”
Getting through the last three years has been a delicate balance for Jude. He chose not to go the streaming route during Covid and was slower to open back up than some other companies. He always knew True Colors was going to mount The Wiz this year but was a little cautious in announcing an exact date. “We wanted to make sure we were making the right stewardship decision as we saw the landscape of theater change but also make a kick-ass production of The Wiz that celebrates 20 years in this season that we are reclaiming as ours.”
He realizes Atlanta area theater companies that last this long are a rarity. Theaters of color often face larger obstacles as well. “Celebrating 20 years is a huge accomplishment, because of all we are oftentimes fighting back against,” he says. “True Colors is no novice to that. We have survived many of the slings and arrows that have affected theaters in general but specifically [those that are] Black, Indigenous and Theatres of Color.”
Another challenge is public perception. “Sometimes to the majority of live audiences, they see Black or culturally specific organizations as only for those people. That specificity and celebration is not a negation of a different experience but a lens. We are saying ‘we celebrate that and if you like that, come join us.’”
Jude and Leon met in 2009 when Jude was a production assistant, and the two bonded over being from Tallahassee. “When I got into the professional [theater] world, I did not see anyone who looked like me. There weren’t many, and that was a lonely feeling, but early on, I met Kenny, and he was so unapologetically himself.”
When Leon asked Jude to come be his assistant artistic director in 2011, Jude was not ready — yet, when Leon asked again six years later, he was. As they were working together, Leon later told Jude that when he transitioned out of the company, he wanted Jude to take over. That happened in 2019. Jude stays in touch with Leon, and, although Leon has no hand anymore in day-to-day activities, Jude wants to reassure audiences of the ongoing commitment to essential theater.
“Because of our name, we cannot put up anything less than excellence, so the standard is still there,” he says.
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Jim Farmer covers theater and film for ArtsATL. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he has written about the arts for 30-plus years. Jim is the festival director of Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival. He lives in Avondale Estates with his husband, Craig, and dog, Douglas.
