Dunbar Baldwin Hughes  Theater Company

Exploring Black and multicultural identities through performance since 1993 on Johns Hopkins University's Homewood Campus

Our Mission

The Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company (DBH) has been established to produce cultural expressions of African descent including plays, skits, monologues, poetry recitals and dance presentations. As an organization here on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus, we will serve to help heighten the cultural awareness of all minorities, racial and otherwise, through exposure to the traditions and experiences of people with varying lifestyles and identities. The Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company will ultimately serve to broaden the theatrical experience of the Hopkins community at large.

"DBH is an awesome community of people of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds. Our work facilitates wonderful cultural exchange that amplifies the humanness of all Black people by producing work that tells our stories. Theater is a beautiful way to advocate for communities by sharing experiences, and DBH is among the few communities I've seen that really achieve this."

- Simi Aluko

"I joined DBH to combine two things that are really important to me: theatre and finding community with people who look like me. I found DBH to be a place where the art and expression that is so visible through out all black culture can take center stage, and that I am very grateful for."

- Edidiong Ekpo

"I've done theatre ever since I was little but the stories never reflected my culture or the culture of many of my friends because we were always in predominantly white spaces. I'd given up on the idea of doing theatre during college but How Palm Wine Sours seemed too special to turn away. The whole experience of the play is something I'll always cherish and brought DBH into my life. Since then, I joined to help the advance the misson of DBH and showcase multicultural theatre."

- Mariama Morray

"Earlier in the spring 2020 semester and I was fortunate enough to be a crew member for the production of a play called How Palm Wine Sours. That experience made me realize how much I loved working "behind the scenes". I joined DBH because I knew it would be a great place for me to work in the background and a part of something impactful for the minority groups in the Hopkins and Baltimore community, most importantly those of the African diaspora. We are very expressive people especially through the arts, and I believe it is also important for us to be racially and culturally represented at Hopkins. DBH has done a great job at doing this in the past and I would love to be part of the process of making that continue."

- Elizabeth Daramola

"To this day, the highlight of my freshman year was performing in the production of "How Palm Wine Sours", a play written and co-directed by DBH's current president, Simi Aluko. Before, while I had done some theatre in high school, it never crossed my mind to join a theatre group at Hopkins. But it was in those three months of rehearsal, joking around, and learning not to embarrass myself with the few Yoruba words I had to say that I found a space at Hopkins that I could see myself learning from and contributing to. I am so excited to not only see all the great things that DBH has in store for raising cultural awareness in the Johns Hopkins community, but also to have a part in it as a member of the e-board."

- Laeticia Jean Baptiste

"I have always had an interest in theater but almost all productions I had attended before DBH had not shown very many people of color and I felt no real connection to a lot of the stories being told. I really appreciate how DBH is dedicated to bringing to life cultural aspects of the African diaspora and the impact they have on the Johns Hopkins community is unparalleled."

- Zainub Balla

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