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Paradise Blue

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The African American Theater Arts Troupe is a collective of students to provide a creative outlet for African-American artists. Under the Cultural Arts and Diversity organization, AATAT is a vehicle to create unity, visibility, and understanding of Black theater history.

Dominique Morisseau is a powerhouse within the world of contemporary theater. Her work, particularly on The Detroit Project, speaks to her deep roots in Detroit, Michigan, in addition to her ability to portray tough issues like economic hardship, race, and resilience. Paradise Blue is a strong piece of writing—Morisseau knows how to capture the multifaceted world of Black life and art. Her writing even extends into the struggles and nuances of education, privilege, and systemic oppression as well, as we saw in Pipeline. Her versatility in working across genres and media, from stage to television, is wildly impressive.

Morriseau works to highlight how the displacement of Black people wasn’t just physical—it also erased a rich cultural history. The limited relocation assistance and the forced exodus of people to less-than-ideal public housing projects only exacerbated their struggles. The backdrop of rapid industrial growth and rising powers of the automobile industry, which was benefiting from the very labor that these displaced communities had provided, adds a layer of irony and injustice to the whole situation, as we observe throughout Paradise Blue.

Morisseau's Paradise Blue taps into a beautiful and often overlooked history, bringing the complexity of Detroit’s Black communities to life, despite the force of urban redevelopment.

Don Williams
Nazeerah Rashad

Paradise Blue

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