Essay

Improvisational Jamming: The Process and Production of Personal Problems

By Nicholas Forster

A detailed look at the long, fascinating history of Bill Gunn and Ishmael Reed's groundbreaking soap opera.

Essay

The Life of an Artist is Not For the Pusillanimous

By Toussaint Jeanlouis

Reacting to jazz-like lyricism of Bill Gunn’s Black Picture Show.

Essay

Black Picture Show in Context

By Soyica Colbert

An examination of what Bill Gunn’s play meant at the time of its initial release, and how to understand both its recent incarnation and where it fits in the history of Black art.