The Box Marked Black

In 2013, as an intern at WW, I wrote this about local actress, teacher and dancer Damaris Webb's one-woman show The Box Marked Black: "In the absence of easy description, 'delightful' will have to do." Two years later, categorizing Webb's hourlong personal exploration of race through interpretive dance, Obama impersonations and Roots re-enactments is no easier. But given recent chants of "Black lives matter!," her accounts of black history and culture have a new context. On a decidedly empty set, Webb stages the relocation of her Baptist grandparents relocating to Oregon, the gum-smacking gossip sessions of her Dominican hairstylist, and Obama's public reception. The premise seems outlandish: explore race relations with sock puppets. The result is a patchwork production weird enough to keep its subject matter fresh. Some things haven't changed; a college application today would still ask Webb to check the box marked "Black." Fitting the nonconformist style of her show, Webb says she marks “Other.” 

SEE IT: The Box Marked Black is at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1624 NE Hancock St., 287-1289. 7 pm Friday, March 6. Free.

WWeek 2015