Flyin' West

Written by Pearl Cleage
Weekends September 8 – October 1, 2023
Directed by Terrance Afer-Anderson

Following the end of the Civil War, many former slaves, took advantage of The Homestead Act and went West to build new lives for themselves and their families. Many of these homesteaders were black women who overcame tremendous odds to work their own land and make a place for themselves in an often harsh and forbidding environment. Set in 1898, Pearl Cleage's "FLYIN’ WEST" is the story of some of these African-American female pioneers who settled, together, in the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas; facing problems ranging from the inevitability of long, cold winters, to the possibility of domestic violence, to the continuing spectra of racial conflict. It is a call to all women to follow their dreams and create lives that are meaningful and honestly tell their stories.