By Zora Neale Hurston

This stage adaptation brings Zora Neale Hurston's story about a proud, independent black woman's quest for identity to life for audiences of all ages. Janie's journey of love, loss and self-discovery, has been one of the most widely read and highly acclaimed novels in the canon of African-American literature.

The Story
With haunting sympathy and piercing immediacy, Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the story of Janie Crawford's evolving selfhood through three marriages. Light-skinned, long-haired, dreamy as a child, Janie grows up expecting better treatment than she gets until she meets Tea Cake, a younger man who engages her heart and spirit in equal measure and gives her the chance to enjoy life without being a man's mule or adornment. Though Jaine's story does not end happily, it does draw to a satisfying conclusion.

In Performance
This performance allows students to examine and live with the themes of courage, self-identity, life choices, and decision-making in Zora Neale Hurston's beloved novel.

The performance is about a proud, independent black woman's quest for identity, a journey that takes her through three marriages and back to her roots. It has been one of the most widely read and highly acclaimed novels in the canon of African-American literature.

Suggested Ages: 12 and up

Educational Purposes Only.