Just Before Day

Join Court Theatre for a staged reading of Just Before Day, part of their 2025 Spotlight Reading Series.

Originally written to be a radio play, this story follows Nettie Sampson, the matriarch of a struggling Black family in 1940s Harlem during World War II. Nettie endeavors to hold her family together through the daily travails of poverty and racial discrimination in the face of American hypocrisy, while her eldest son is abroad serving his country in the military.

Following the reading, Chicago theatre luminaries Ron OJ Parson, Pemon Rami, and Chuck Smith will reflect on the significance of Theodore Ward’s works and how his legacy has impacted them personally and professionally.

August 13, 2025 | Penthouse, The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637) | 6:30pm Staged Reading | 7:30pm Conversation

Artwork: Stephen Flemister, Jobari (2012), graphite on paper, 22 1/4” x 30”