Black joy at ‘The Wiz’ this August with Theatre in the X

Aliyah Isis is hungry. The young performer plays a messenger and citizen of Oz in Theatre in the X’s The Wiz, and she wants to grab a snack before her scene comes up in tonight’s rehearsal. “Are we starting at the top of the show, or the top of Act Two?” she asks assistant stage manager Amanda Bazemore politely. Talking with Aliyah, it’s hard to believe that she’s only six years old. She speaks like a seasoned professional.

More than one witch

The Wiz, which tells the story of The Wizard of Oz in the context of modern black culture, is known for its showstopping music and dance. Theatre in the X will present the much-loved musical in Malcolm X Park in West Philly, August 12 through 26.

“It’s about a young little girl who is taken by a hurricane because she loves her dog Toto,” Aliyah explains. “Then there are two witches and she kills one.” She pauses and then owns up. “Well, more than one.”

Empowering rehearsals

In addition to TV and film appearances, Aliyah has a long resume of work on Philly stages, and she’s just completed a run of Ragtime in New York as Young Coalhouse, which she says is her favorite role so far. The Wiz is her first singing part in a musical.

Being part of the cast and crew at Theater in the X is new in another way, too. “It’s different because it’s all black people,” says Aliyah.

Her dad, actor Kalif Troy, says that being part of The Wiz, with its all-black cast and almost all-black production and design team, has been a great experience for Aliyah. “It is pretty empowering. She leaves these rehearsals differently than she’s left other rehearsals. There’s a sense of strength that comes out of it. There’s a sense of community.”

The community created by director Cheyenne Barboza and Theatre in the X is on full display at rehearsal. Bazemore rocks her daughter in a carrier with one hand and marks her script with another. As performers stretch out and practice dance steps, a toddler wobbles across the stage. Choreographer Lyron Paulin greets every dancer with a warm hug.

“It’s really great that she’s able to see herself in various forms. And see people work through things to make it really great — to see people of color do that. She’s been able to note those things for herself,” Troy says.

The "dad-ager"

He’s been supporting Aliyah in her desire to perform since she could talk. It can be hard to balance the roles of father and manager.

“You’re my dad-ager. For now,” says Isis. She explains to me that she’s looking for a new professional manager, but she doesn’t want to settle. She’s waiting for the best.

Sometimes, as in the short film Reasons, father and daughter work together. More often than not, though, they have separate projects. In a family of two working performers, balancing schedules can be crazy. On a night like tonight, where Aliyah will attend a three-hour rehearsal after a day at camp, “I go right to sleep, pretty much. Unless I’m hungry.”

For Troy, being a dad-ager is not just about Aliyah’s schedule and career. It also means helping her to process the content that she’s working on. Two years ago, she appeared in TS Hawkins’s Suite Reality, a deeply emotional response to police brutality.

Bullies, bystanders — and joy

“She was in on every rehearsal,” says Troy. “And we had conversations about those people who lost their lives to police brutality and male fragility.”

Tough topics for a six-year-old: “I get as basic as possible about what a bully is, what a bystander is,” Troy says. “It’s difficult, but it’s also fun to have her in a position to learn about certain subject matter in the world of play.”

But at The Wiz, Aliyah is surrounded by black joy — and leadership. She loves working with director Cheyenne Barboza.

The feeling is mutual. “Aliyah is a real professional,” Barboza says. “She’s not flustered by adjustments and she’s eager and committed to landing her mark. She often keeps the adult members of the cast on their toes!”

I ask Aliyah if the older actors in the cast give her advice, but she’s quick to reframe them as professional peers. “We encourage each other,” she says.

It’s time for rehearsal, and Aliyah takes an infant out of the choreographer’s arms and carries him to the house to await instruction. Barboza reminds her to get that snack before she stretches out, so she hands the smiling baby off to a teenage actor and goes to eat.

Theatre in the X’s The Wiz is coming to Malcolm X Memorial Park (5100 Pine Street, Philadelphia) for three Sunday performances, on August 12, August 19, and August 26. All shows are at 5pm. The performance is free, and audiences should bring their own blankets and chairs.