Playwright Lisa Codrington reinterprets the Black Girl in Bernard Shaw's work

When Lisa Codrington was asked to adapt one of Bernard Shaw's works for the 2016 Shaw Festival, she wasn't sure what she was going to do until she came across a short story called The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God.

"It's a title that really intrigued me because it had 'Black Girl' in it and being a black person I was quite excited, I was like, 'Oh, what's this about?'"

The story's about a black girl who has so many questions about religion that she goes on a journey through different ways to look at the world, from the biblical to philosophical. But there were parts that didn't sit well with Codrington, most notably the fact that the title Black Girl has no name. In Shaw's controversial story, the Black Girl isn't so much a character as she is a symbol or messenger.

"This is a white man exploring the story of a black girl and taking her on a journey, and for me, at times, I felt like I don't know if the voice of the black girl is as specific as I would like it to be," Codrington says. "How can I make this black girl a character as opposed to ... a vessel for ideas about religion?" 

Another focus of Codrington's in adapting The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, was diversity. Besides the Black Girl, the other characters aren't black — well, not explicitly black. Along with white explorers and missionaries, other roles in the play include Black Bear and Snake.

"So one of the things I wanted to do was make sure that this story was told by a diverse cast," Codrington tells Gill.

The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God is playing at the Shaw Festival from June 10 to September 11.