The Mammy Project

chashama presents a Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts Inc. production of The Mammy Project.

Written and performed by Michelle Matlock and directed by Joan Evans, the show finally confronts the stereotype of Mammy in American Culture. This project travels from the life and times of Nancy Green (the first woman hired to play the part of Aunt Jemima), through the minstrel show era and silver-screen Mammies, to the present day where Aunt Jemima is still bought and sold from her pancake box prison.

History informs us that the character of Mammy was imagined from slavery, minstrel shows and advertising. The Mammy Project re-imagines these cultural traditions, evolving their oppressive power with daredevil humor, educated outrage and ridiculous grace.