The Butterfly Effect: An Interview with Black Butterflies Director Lauren Spencer
By Elspeth Sweatman Artwork for 2017 production of Black Butterflies . “We’re at a moment of true crisis. No one is really acknowledging the disappearance of our young girls of color,” says Black Butterflies director Lauren Spencer. “They are the fastest growing population in juvenile hall. An entire population is disappearing behind walls. And it’s not that people aren’t doing anything about it, but the girls are so hidden and forgotten.” Black Butterflies , which runs through July 29 at The Rueff at A.C.T.’s Strand Theater, aims to bring those stories into the light. This world premiere production centers on three young girls of color who find themselves caught in a stifling web of educational neglect, calcified courts, and an overwhelmed incarceration system. Pushed out of society, they must fight to survive with their humanity, dignity, and individuality intact. Written by award-winning playwright Darren Canady, Black Butterflies is the latest play commissioned for A.C.T...