Gold In Our Bones: A Soulsville + South City Play
Nov 6 - 8, 2026
When a forgotten ancestor appears with a stolen song and a long‑buried curse, Chaos is forced to confront his name and his truth: there is gold in his bones and somebody has been trying to steal it.
Free Admission
- Pricing
- FREE
- Recommended Age
- All Ages
Admission
Admission and parking are free. Seating for each performance is limited.
THIS IS A NON-TICKETED EVENT. Your RSVP does not guarantee a seat for the performance. We highly encourage arriving early to secure a seat - doors will open 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.
Friday, November 6 Fri, Nov 6 7 PM
Saturday, November 7 Sat, Nov 7 2 PM
Sunday, November 8 Sun, Nov 8 2 PM
About Gold In Our Bones: A Soulsville + South City Play
In a Memphis neighborhood built over an underground river of history, Chaos is just trying to keep his head down. When a forgotten ancestor appears with a stolen song and a long‑buried curse, he is forced to confront his name and his truth: there is gold in his bones and somebody has been trying to steal it — from him and his neighborhood — for generations. Gold In Our Bones is a history‑haunted, music‑infused play that asks who gets to profit from Black genius.
Conceived by the Orpheum Theatre Group and the Soulsville + South City Community. Written By Ann C. Perry. Play commissioned and originally produced by the Orpheum Theatre Group, Memphis, Tennessee.
More Information
The Neighborhood Play Program is a community play-making program that explores the stories of a neighborhood and collaboratively creates a play with and about the community. The Orpheum Theatre Group facilitates a series of free interactive story-based workshops between neighborhood residents and artists, creates a fictional play inspired by the stories, and invites community members to audition and participate in the production alongside professional Orpheum teaching artists. The program culminates in a free public performance.
Free Transportation Available (in partnership with Backbeat Tours) at the following Pick-Up Spots:
- Cleaborn Pointe at Heritage Landing - 460 South Lauderdale Street, Memphis, TN, 38126
- Foote Park at South City Apartment Complex - 457 Brightside, Memphis, TN 38126
- Temple Church of God in Christ – 672 S. Lauderdale St., Memphis, TN 38126
- College Park Apartments - 838 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38126
Ann C. Perry is an award-winning playwright, performer, producer, and teaching artist whose work brings historical narratives into vivid, contemporary life. Her acclaimed one-woman show, Live Rich Die Poor, winner of the 2023 Ostrander Award for Outstanding Original Script, is inspired by the life and legacy of Zora Neale Hurston. The piece has captivated audiences with its powerful storytelling, as Perry embodies18 characters while exploring themes of resilience, artistic freedom, and cultural inheritance.
Based in Memphis, Perry creates theatrical works that blend folklore, history, and contemporary voice. Her writing centers Black cultural memory, Southern storytelling traditions, and sometimes magical realism. She is the creator of Zora the Brave, a children’s theatrical work that introduces young audiences to imagination, identity, and heritage, inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s folklore.
Perry is pleased to be a commissioned playwright with the Orpheum Theatre Group’s Neighborhood Play Program. She was a writer on the inaugural production, We All We Got, featuring the historic Binghampton neighborhood and she is equally honored to be writing the second Neighborhood Play, Gold In Our Bones, which explores the rich and layered history of Memphis’s Soulsville and South City community.
Created in Collaboration with Our Neighborhood Partners
The Neighborhood Play Program is Made Possible By
Two Venues, One Mission
