Black culture, history and stories told by the West Coast Black Theatre Troupe

SARASOTA, Fla. - More than two decades ago, a small start-up theater in Sarasota started putting African American stories center stage. Now it's one of the premiere Black theater companies in the country. 

The West Coast Black Theatre Troupe was the vision of founder and artistic director Nate Jacobs. 

"If we don’t tell our stories, no other race is responsible for doing that," Jacobs explained.

He's worked in local theaters since the '90s, but he always knew Black faces and voices were missing from the shows. 

"I just would wonder, 'why isn’t there anybody Black in this?'" 

His artistic director at the time told him theatergoers wouldn't support Black theater. Nate says he simply couldn't accept that.

He left his job in 1999 to start the non-profit West Coast Black Theatre Troupe. 

The goal is simple: celebrate and promote African American history through diversity.

The theater's recently show, "Flyin' West," tells the story of Black women leaving the oppressive south and settling in Kansas after slavery ended. 

Actor Donovan Whitney plays the conflicted, bi-racial man Frank Charles. 

Whitney said Frank Charles is the kind of character that exposes white audiences to themes they would otherwise never encounter. 

"I do think it gives them a perspective they are not used to: the tragic mulatto and this self-hatred that a person of color can experience," said Whitney.

Since day one, that audience has shown up in a big way. 

"I never thought Caucasian audiences would celebrate us on the level that they do. And I never thought the appreciation for learning about Black culture, Black history, and Black stories would be so exciting for everybody!"

Visit https://westcoastblacktheatre.org/ to see the theater's full season lineup.