Toni Morrison — the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature — was the author of 11 novels. Her first was “The Bluest Eye,” published in 1970. Morrison died at the age of 88 in 2019. Her works, which deeply describe and embody the Black experience, have always been met with critical and commercial success. But they’ve taken on a renewed significance during our country’s current look at systemic racism and police brutality.

The legacy of Toni Morrison is celebrated by The Huntington Theatre Company’s production of “The Bluest Eye,” which brings her classic debut novel to life. Steeped in the cultural environment of a rural Black community, “The Bluest Eye” is the story of Pecola Breedlove, a young Black girl, who believes blue eyes would make her beautiful.

GUESTS:

Lydia Diamond, an award-winning, prolific playwright whose own works have been staged in theatres around the country, including here in Boston. Her play, “Stick Fly," enjoyed a Broadway run after debuting here. She is currently on the Faculty of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Awoye Timpo, director of "The Bluest Eye." Timpo’s directing repertoire includes the plays “Ndebele Funeral” at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and “Carnaval” at the National Black Theater, both produced in New York City. She will next direct a reading series of classic plays by Black playwrights.

The Huntington Theatre Company's production of "The Bluest Eye" ends on March 26.