Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s (WBTT) 26th season will feature fan-favorite performances, a drama by playwright and actress Dominique Morisseau, and a world premiere, all under the theme "Soul of a People." 

“The theme 'Soul of a People' refers to the collective spirit, identity, and cultural essence of a group of people, encompassing their shared history, values, traditions, beliefs and aspirations,” says WBTT founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs. “In the coming season, we will explore some of the deepest and most meaningful aspects that bind us together as a community and affirm our strong sense of pride and connection to our shared heritage.”

Purlie

Oct. 8-Nov. 9, 2025.

Opening the season is the Tony- and Drama Desk-award-winning musical Purlie. In it, a dynamic traveling preacher, Purlie Victorious Judson, returns to his small Georgia town—still enmeshed in Jim Crow politics—to shake things up and change lives. With his inheritance, the self-taught preacher plans to open an abandoned church and ring the bell of freedom. However, he has a problem: White-haired old-timer Ol' Cap'n is holding Purlie's inheritance due to the discovery of a long-lost cousin. With the help of Ol' Cap'n's son, Charlie, Purlie manages to outsmart Ol' Cap'n and win a victory for freedom. 

Black Nativity

Nov. 19-Dec. 21, 2025.

During the holiday season, WBTT invites the community to celebrate with Black Nativity, an inspirational gospel musical originally penned by poet/playwright Langston Hughes that retells the nativity story. The music is an exuberant mash-up of gospel, blues, spiritual and Christmas music paired with Hughes' poetry. 

Paradise Blue

Jan. 7-Feb 8, 2026

The season’s dramatic offering was written by renowned American playwright and actress Dominique Morisseau. In a strip of Detroit known as Paradise Valley, a man named Blue struggles to keep his father’s business, Paradise Club, afloat during a push towards gentrification. The city wants to kick out African Americans in the community of Black Bottom by buying properties up and down the strip. Blue, who is haunted by the memory of his father, teeters on the edge of madness as he decides whether selling the club means selling his soul. The people who occupy Paradise Club begin to turn on each other and change as the city also changes around them. This is Morisseau's first play in her Detroit Project, which illuminates the effects of gentrification and the erasure of Black history on the African American community.

How I Got Over: A Gospel Revue

Feb. 18-March 29, 2026.

Performed at WBTT in 2016 and then featured at the National (now International) Black Theater Festival in 2017, this high-spirited show celebrates the music of renowned singers like Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Staple Singers, James Cleveland and other gospel greats. It features traditional songs like “Travelin’ Shoes,” “Amazing Grace” and “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” combined with more upbeat, popular tunes such as “Elijah Rock,” “Oh Happy Day,” and “When The Saints Go Marching In.” February 18-March 29, 2026.

Lies, Spells and Old Wives’ Tales

April 8-May 17, 2026

This new, original musical comedy, adapted and created by Nate Jacobs and his writing partner and brother Michael Jacobs, celebrates the spirit, identity, and cultural essence of the African American diaspora. The show spotlights and celebrates the sayings, beliefs, values, fables, stories, and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation and become the fiber and foundation that establishes the conventions and traditions of a group of people.

Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. All performances take place in The Donelly Theatre at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota. Subscriptions will go on sale in early summer; individual ticket sales will be announced at a later date. Visit westcoastblacktheatre.org for more information.