Black female directors use Atlanta theater scene to take the African American experience from page to stage

A scene from the Alliance Theatre's production of "Bust," onstage until March 16, 2025. (Courtesy of Alliance Theatre)

On a Wednesday afternoon before curtain, theater director Ibi Owolabi is excited to share the call she received from her mother five minutes previously about a surprise television appearance on a local television show.

“My headshot and stuff was there, and she was like, ‘You’re on TV!'” she says with a laugh.

It is one of several media nods the director has received since the opening of True Colors Theatre’s production of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” a character-driven comedy staged at the Southwest Arts Center.