Intiman brings a traveling museum, Black and African history to the stage

A replica Ku Klux Klan robe. Crab rattle shackles. A ceremonial face mask decorated with cowrie shells from central Africa. 

These are among dozens of artifacts Seattle ethnomuseumologist Delbert Richardson brings to Intiman Theatre’s stage in “The Lion Tells His Tale.” The play, which runs May 1-5, takes audiences on a whirlwind journey through history, from Africa, chattel slavery and the U.S. Jim Crow era to present day, paying homage to the trailblazing contributions of Black people across the world. 

“Lion” is the stage incarnation of 69-year-old Richardson’s American History Traveling Museum: The Unspoken Truths, which curates thousands of artifacts. The national award-winning Seattle-based exhibit aims to preserve African and Black history and culture, and spotlight Black inventors and innovators’ contributions. 

“I am a cultural custodian,” said Richardson, who founded his traveling museum in 2005. “I am my ancestors’ keeper.”

The Black-led and all-local production, written by Vida Oliphant Sneed and directed by Steve Sneed, aims to bring to life Richardson’s artifacts of American history while weaving in his personal story, including his teachings as a community scholar and storyteller. The play’s title is from the African proverb “Until the lion tells his tale, the hunt will always glorify the hunter” — that people in power often decide our historical narratives. 

Unlike most U.S. history books, the Sneeds’ play instead shares the Afrocentric version of our country’s history, starting from Africa itself. Throughout “Lion,” audiences will also learn about Richardson’s upbringing and how he is transformed by learning about Black culture. 

Richardson stars in the Sneeds’ play as the founder and curator of the traveling museum. Audiences meet three versions of him in “Lion”: Richardson as himself, a young storyteller (Deejay Brown) and the storyteller (Erwin E. A. Thomas). 

“[Richardson] was born at a time where if you call somebody ‘Black,’ you’re going to fight to ‘Say it loud, I am Black and I’m proud!’ ” Steve Sneed said. “We get to see glimpses of his life and what motivated him and took him to the place of saying, ‘This museum is what I will do. This is what I am called to speak about [and] this is the assignment I’ve been given as a lion.’ ” 

Richardson was born in 1954, when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation in schools. In the late 1960s, Richardson’s father moved his family from Detroit to Seattle’s Central District. About five years later, Richardson started attending the University of Washington, where he took a class on Black Studies that helped empower his Black identity. 

In the 1990s, Richardson began collecting items symbolizing Black Americana or Black memorabilia such as Aunt Jemima salt and pepper shakers and Cream of Wheat posters. The collection eventually grew into a touring exhibition that includes Richardson’s storytelling about Black history, artifacts, newspaper clippings and hundreds of storyboards covering racial segregation, redlining and slavery to teach U.S. history through an Afrocentric lens. 

Richardson has toured his traveling exhibits at Seattle Center, local schools and other public institutions. As a cultural steward, he said it’s his responsibility to make “sure our stories don’t get lost.” 

In “Lion,” music, dance and spoken word awaken Richardson’s storyboards and artifacts. On the stage, audience members will see Jim Crow-era “No Negroes Allowed” signs and recreated quilts from the underground railroad that helped enslaved people escape. 

Offstage cast members will bring red poles into the crowd to represent redlining as Richardson discusses the devastating impact of its racist and discriminatory housing policies that forced people of color into underinvested neighborhoods. In tribute to Richardson’s museum display “Still We Rise,” cast members bring out a red carpet and display famous creations by Black inventors, including the ice cream scoop and gas mask. Audience members will also be able to touch the artifacts, including slave shackles and restraints. 

The production blends a mix of new and old-school music. In the play, there is a dance performance called “The Statement” that features local hip-hop DJ Vitamin D’s remix of the protest song “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round.” 

“What we’re depicting here is that this work has always gone on, and it’s still going on for today’s young people,” Sneed said. “That’s another way of exhibiting through a performance what’s going on today.” 

The production also underscores a story of Black people’s resistance and resilience to racial discrimination. 

“Otherwise, we would not have survived,” Sneed said. “Part of what held us together was our love for one another.” 

The threads of triumph shine through in Richardson’s work. 

Over the years, Sneed has witnessed Richardson’s pride in his identity and his community. It’s important to honor his work because it can inspire future generations to become leaders, the director said. 

“I know a lot of Black men who didn’t make it,” Sneed said tearfully. “And so we have to be able to tell these stories of transformation.” 

“It’s an example of what we could be. … They can see what’s possible if we treat our young Black men differently.” 

Richardson wants audiences to take away a much larger message from “Lion”: that they also have the power and responsibility to share stories of Black history. 

“I am hoping and praying that everybody will connect to the lion inside of them,” Richardson said.

The remaining question, he said: If we embrace our inner lions, how would we change the world?