Theater Up Close Black Santa

By Aaron Mays
Directed by Margaret M. Ledford
Southeastern Premiere

Before Abbott Elementary, there was Patrice Patterson at Dartmouth Day School. Shortly before Christmas break, a third grader named Sharifa stands in front of her class and says, “Santa Claus is a Black man from Detroit," sending the school into an uproar. To quell the storm, Patrice, the school's only Black teacher, is asked to create an ad campaign within the school to make Santa white again. As events unfold, Sharifa’s enrollment is placed in jeopardy, and Patrice must decide how to protect Sharifa and ultimately herself. This absurdist comedy examines how race and racial bias can have a foothold on one of the most benign figures — Santa Claus.