The DC Black Theatre & Arts Festival

proudly presents

The Heroes' Tale

The story of the Dupont Circle Heroes spans the decades between 1960 and 1980 in Washington, DC. It was a time that saw racial discord amplified to screaming violence nationwide. The Civil Rights movement gave birth to freedom rides, sit-ins and rallies which decried the mistreatment and disenfranchisement of America's Black citizens, while the Peace movement spoke out against all violence and proclaimed "make love not war"! Police brutality ran rampant, and - pre-DNA - countless innocent people rotted in prisons for crimes they didn't commit - the fate that befalls three of the Heroes - Feets, TJ and Black Jimmy.

During those years, Washington, DC - Chocolate City - was seeing the start of demographic changes. The Dupont Circle area, for instance, was slowly becoming less chocolate. Young white professionals and artists, older politicos, and the city's hippie population moved in beside Black families that had long called the area home. Establishments like the Heroes' hangout - Pop Pop's Cafe - were replaced with expensive, trendy restaurants, art galleries and other businesses that catered to upscale, white patrons.

The mingling of these diverse communities inevitably gave rise to interracial relationships like that of Suede's and the Mother. Though happening more often, the practice was still taboo. Whites largely found the idea of their women in the arms of Black men offensive, if not downright repulsive. Black people's emotions ran the gamut of anger, shame and betrayal to pride. Children born of these unions faced challenges of acceptance from both races - and frequently identity confusion within their own minds as we see in the character of Thyme. This is the climate in which The Heroes' Tale is told.

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Meet DCBTAF Alumni Cheryl Butler-Poole & Gregory Poole:

Playwright - Cheryl Butler-Poole studied musical theatre at Howard University and dance with LaVerne Reed, the Jones & Haywood School of Ballet, and the Louis Johnson Dance Theatre. She was a staff writer for WUSA-TV’s award winning program, “In Our Lives”.

Director, Gregory Poole has a BFA from Howard University’s Theatre Arts Department where he won Best Actor and Director awards. Most recently Greg was heard on ESPN 980 radio as Judge Poole on "The Man Cave."