by Dolores Díaz
directed by Helen Young

World Premiere

May 8 – June 29, 2024

at TimeLine Theatre,
615 W. Wellington Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657

Take a remarkable trip back in time to witness this haunting story of climate change, migration, and family in the days leading up to a calamitous dust storm in 1930s Texas.

IT IS APRIL 1935 IN THE DUST-RIDDLED PLAINS OF TEXAS, and a family farm is struggling to keep afloat amidst a mounting series of ecological disasters. As Jesús, a farm worker with a secret, arrives in their midst, stubborn Pa refuses to believe his land is no longer viable, young Sunny dreams of a new life in bountiful California, and Ma has mysterious visions of the future. As everyone seeks respite from an increasingly uninhabitable environment, this powerful, atmospheric world premiere manifests a Dust Bowl beyond the familiar lore and viscerally confronts humanity’s disregard for nature in the days leading up to the infamous storm known as Black Sunday.

Black Sunday was developed through TimeLine’s Playwrights Collective—joining Brett Neveu’s To Catch a Fish (2018); Tyla Abercrumbie’s Relentless (2022, Jeff Award for Outstanding New Work); and Will Allan’s Campaigns, Inc. (2022) to become the fourth play developed through the Collective to receive a full production. Black Sunday received its first public readings as part of TimeLine’s First Draft Playwrights Collective Festival in December 2021.

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Cast

Production Team

Understudies

* Member of Actors Equity Association

# Member of United Scenic Artists

~ Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

+ TimeLine Company Member

^ TimeLine Associate Artist

§ TimeLine Playwrights Collective

Reviews

  • Chicago Sun-Times

    May 16, 2024

    “★★★…blazing with contemporary relevance”

    —Catey Sullivan

  • Chicago Tribune

    May 16, 2024

    “spectacularly immersive…expansive, soaring”

    —Chris Jones

  • Around The Town Chicago

    May 16, 2024

    “★★★★★…a spell-binding 90 minutes of theater…hold on to your seat! You are about to experience some history that will make you think.”

    —Alan Bresloff

  • Chicago Theatre Review

    May 16, 2024

    “a particularly poignant and poetic drama…dynamic…exquisite…absolutely jaw-dropping”

    —Colin Douglas

  • Buzz Center Stage

    May 19, 2024

    “The performances were superb…the actors were excellent, the production first-rate”

    —Sarz Maxwell

  • Newcity

    May 21, 2024

    “Whatever the weather, migrate to TimeLine Theatre to check out this gale-force of a show.”

    —Tristan Bruns

  • Chicago Reader

    May 22, 2024

    “Dolores Díaz’s Black Sunday couldn’t be more timely— welcome lens on a chapter in Great Depression history”

    —Kerry Reid

  • PicksInSix

    May 28, 2024

    “Black Sunday is both a brilliant historical retrospective and a captivating cautionary tale for our time”

    —Ed Tracy

Discussions & Events

  • BLACK SUNDAY: Post-Show Discussions
    Various Dates

    Join us for informal post-show discussions with members of the production team and cast.

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  • Distanced Performance of BLACK SUNDAY
    Friday, May 24 at 8pm

    This performance has a capacity cap and seating chart.

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  • BLACK SUNDAY: PRE-Show Discussions
    May 30 & June 9

    Join us for an informal sneak peek into this production with members of the production team.

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  • Open Captioned Performances of BLACK SUNDAY
    June 14 at 8pm & June 15 at 4pm

    Featuring a text display of words and sounds heard during the performance.

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  • BLACK SUNDAY: Company Member Discussion
    Sunday, June 16 at 3:30pm

    Join us for an informal chat with TimeLine’s Company Members after today’s performance.

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  • Audio Described Performances of BLACK SUNDAY
    Thursday, June 20 at 2pm and Friday, June 21 at 8pm

    Featuring audio description of visuals during the performance via individual headset.

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  • BLACK SUNDAY: Sunday Scholars
    Sunday, June 23 at 3:30pm

    This one-hour post-show panel discussion features experts on the themes of the play.

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