Ho, ho, ho!! Merry Christmas one and all.
Attention theater lovers, Miami’s City Theatre is delivering an early Christmas present with Black Santa, an absurdist comedy that examines how race and racial bias can have a foothold on one of the most benign figures — Santa Claus. The City Theater production, by Chicago based playwright Aaron Mays, is its southeastern premier. Here’s the premise.
Shortly before Christmas break, a third grader named Sharifa proudly declares to her class that Santa Claus is Black. It sends the school into an uproar. To quell the storm, Patrice Patterson, 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.
A black Santa in red Florida? Will this cause a stir? Can we take a joke?
We spoke to playwright Aaron Mays in anticipation of the play.
Exclusive Jitney Interview
Do you consider Black Santa a satire? If so, can you talk about the importance of satire in America?
I would say yes but more specifically it’s a satirical comedy. Through this genre, we can easily examine some tough issues in American society because the humor can soften the edge of the painful realities of the situations at hand. The play pokes fun at the notion of a post-racial society shortly after Obama’s first Presidential win in 2008. For me, “Black Santa” is as absurd as it is real.
Can you talk about using children in satire? For example, many American satires (South Park, The Simpsons, Rick & Morty) use children as a means of softening the blow. Is this a factor in Black Santa?
In the play, there are no children in the cast. They are only mentioned in conversation. It was important to me that we only learn of Sharifa and the other students through the lens of the adults. We decided to set the play inside of a school because it’s a place that everyone is familiar with.
Florida, as of late, hasn’t been the kindest (to say the least) to the arts. Is there any reservation or preparation about premiering a play that could spark the fuels of a culture war?
To be honest, I was a little nervous about the reception of my play, given the state’s stance on diversity, budget cuts and ongoing book bans. The play tackles race, gender and class. But overall, it reminds us that we’ve all felt like an outsider or invisible at some point in our lives. My hope is that my play sparks a conversation about our varied experiences and how they shape our traditions.
Anything you would like to add about your play for the Miami audience?
Miami-Dade audiences should see this play if they want to laugh out loud. If people like the hit sitcom “Abbott Elementary” then people will thoroughly enjoy this live stage play. Also, Miami-Dade audiences will get the chance to champion local artists and a local theatre company.
Black Santa Details
Black Santa features an all-local cast led by Carbonell and Silver Palm Award-winner Rita Cole, and features Niki Fridh, Jeff Burleson, Robert L. Strain, Kimmie Harvey and Phillip Andrew Santiago.
BLACK SANTA
By Aaron Mays
Directed by Margaret M. Ledford
December 4, 2024 – Preview
December 5, 2024 – Opening Night
Through December 22, 2024
Tickets: $56, $61*
Carnival Studio Theater
For more info and tickets click here
This article was published with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
Cover photo by Morgan Sophia.
