Are you (or your children) a fan of superhero origin stories? If so, you (and they) should go see
Hidden Heroes: The Black Women of NASA at Stages Theatre in Hopkins. It's the origin story of heroes named
Katherine Johnson,
Mary Jackson,
Miriam Mann, and
Annie Easley - black women scientists and mathematicians who played a vital role in the space race. Most of us learned about them through the 2016 film
Hidden Figures, which was based on the
book of the same name that came out the same year. Now multi-talented #TCTheater artist Shá Cage has adapted the book into a play for young people, that imagines what these remarkable women were like as children. She's taken a bit of artistic license (I doubt all four went to the same school), but shares the truth of what it was like to be a black girl growing up in the mid 20th Century, the limitations placed on them that they persevered through to become heroes. It's a very special thing to see a stage full of women and girls of color telling this story, inspiring us not only with the history of these smart, brave, pioneering black women, but also with their own artistic talent. Director Signe V. Harriday notes in the program: "May this play spark in you the feeling of joy and the power of dreaming." Mission accomplished.
