Trouble in Mind

Trouble in Mind was written by Alice Childress that at the surface tells a slightly humorous story about actors being actors. It also looks at the role of the crew members; such as the stage manager, doorman, and director. The play gets interesting when the relationships between the director, the crew, and the cast are blurred and the ensemble begins to break apart. The topic of race relations was at the top of people’s minds at the time the play is set in. The cast and crew are made up of a mix of both blacks and whites, with a white director leading his ensemble almost as a dictator. The director Mr. Manners has a hard time relating to a mixed cast and the matters only complicate when it is discovered that he also has sexist feelings. Wiletta is a strong black woman who eventually breaks Manners down and expresses the feelings that many other blacks (especially women felt.) Millie displays similar feelings about being a black female actress when she talks about how she is tired of always playing maids. Wiletta attempts to explain to John (a young black actor) how to behave so that he will not be taken advantage of by the director. Judy may seem like she could escape from Manners' prejudices but because she is female, she is also treated badly by Manners. Even Henry, a white male doorman understands how the others feel because he is an immigrant himself. Sheldon seems to be the only one who does not mind Manners' abuse because he would rather have work than be defiant. In this way all the characters of Childress' play represent a "microcosm" of the different types of people/positions that existed on racial issues in the 1950's. When the director realizes that even he is not completely innocent of racist tendencies, he loses control of himself and the command of his players. Perhaps if he had kept his director role either as a dictator or as a friend, he would not have had the breakdown that potentially destroyed the production.