The Naptown African American Theatre Collective hopes to push the limits of what audiences think about freedom this season.
The NAATC is doing things a little differently this year, starting with a (nearly sold out) staged reading of Darrell Morton’s “Willa B’s Letter” on April 24-26 at Flanner Morningstar Cloud Stage. Then, on May 30, the collective will welcome audiences to its new home at Arts For Lawrence for a one-night-only performance of “Storytelling Slam.”
“This is new for us,” LaKesha Lorene, founder and producing director, told the Recorder. “We were very traditional in our show productions … but I’m really excited to get to still add those elements that make NAATC shows NAATC in these different ways and different platforms, as we continue to triumph above the current climate in the arts realm in the world.”
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The NAATC was founded to celebrate the beauty, power, and humanity of Black stories, and new works like “Willa B’s Letter” and “Storytelling Slam” are rooted in Black history, culture and innovation — the kind of storytelling that points to the organization’s tagline: “We don’t follow the trends, we make our own trends.”
Since its inception, that tagline has been an integral part of creating unique theatrical experiences here in Indianapolis, but Lorene said it’s even more important to the company this year as the 2026 theme is “Freedom Reimagined.”
“The season theme was really important to us this year, because there’s so much going on in the world affecting the freedom of Black folks, of other oppressed groups,” Lorene said. “It’s important to us that even in the midst of very stark suppression, oppression and attempts to silence our voices, that we continue to innovate, create and provide spaces of freedom reimagined.”
Directed by Kayla Hill, “Willa B’s Letter” follows the story of Willa Brown, an African American aviator, educator, mechanic and Civil Rights activist. Brown, who was the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license in the U.S., was a trailblazer for Black women in aviation, having trained thousands of civilian pilots — 200 of whom became Tuskegee Airmen, Morton said.
Morton began working on the play after learning that Brown also attended his alma mater, Indiana State University; with his background in aviation and drones, he “felt close to her story.” Brown still has living relatives in Indianapolis, and Morton had a chance to meet with them and learn more about their shared connections to the city’s south side.
“I began writing and getting to know her. We actually honored her when I did work for an aviation company, and I was able to meet some of her relatives,” Morton said. “It is my duty, I feel, to really showcase to people who she is and what she stood for.”
Although history “is choosing to remember her in different ways,” Morton said more people are beginning to recognize Brown for all the facets of her work and layers to her character — layers he hopes to showcase through “Willa B’s Letter.”
Brown still hasn’t been inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame, though Morton said he’s nominated her five times.
“It should be our duty to preserve our history and tell our own stories, rather than wait to get recognition from them,” Morton added. “So that’s really another motivation for me.”
Directed by Lorene, Adam Henze and Gabrielle Patterson, “Storytelling Slam” is an opportunity for writers, playwrights and poets alike to hone in on the art of storytelling and how it can expand the way people act, think and write.
“Storytelling engulfs you, it brings you into a world that for just five minutes, is unique and different and well-told and well-built for the listener to listen to,” Patterson said. “So, I’m really excited about being a part of that opportunity.”
Patterson is an actress, poet and playwright who has worked with KaidyDid Productions. Now, she’s lending her expertise in the arts as co-director of “Storytelling Slam.” Spoken word, which is credited to founder of the Poetry Slam Movement Marc Smith, was designed around the idea of performance and “bringing poems to life,” Patterson said.
Spoken word and action are kind of like first cousins, Lorene said. However, it’s not often that those two worlds meet. “Storytelling Slam” aims to bridge that gap, blending elements of traditional acting with the storytelling of spoken word to create a competition-style showcase featuring a cast of 10 artists.
It’s another avenue for the NAATC to bring the community in, to make the arts more tangible and accessible, Patterson said. There are people who really want to be involved in the arts and just don’t know how. “Storytelling Slam” is a way to open that door.
“If you look around the city, and if you look at what other communities or other arts or theater houses are doing, nobody in this city is doing anything similar,” Patterson added. “I want more people to get involved. I want more storytelling slams to happen. I want this to be the kickoff for other theater communities and churches and different places to bring in their storytellers. … Let’s build something every single year so that we have a record of all of these unique stories that people have to tell.”
“Willa B’s Letter” is running at 7 p.m. April 24-26 at Flanner Morningstar Cloud Stage, 2307 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. Tickets are free to reserve but selling out quickly, Lorene said.
“Storytelling Slam” begins at 7 p.m. on May 30 at Arts For Lawrence, 8920 Otis Ave. Tickets are $15. For more information about the NAATC, showtimes or upcoming programming, visit naatcinc.org/season.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
