Philly Theatre Week: blckgoorue by Sterling Duns

Dwight Dunston aka Sterling Duns is a Philadelphia-based theater maker, clown, and hip-hop artist who has performed in schools, theaters, and festivals all over the country and internationally for 10+ years. In his work, Duns draws on the artistic lineages of Pochinko Clown, Social Presencing Theater, and Comedic Improvisation. blckgoorue is his second originally written and produced play, which premiered at Cannonball Festival in 2024. After learning about prophetic witnessing through a 10-month spirituality cohort, Duns' curiosity led him to consider how the conditions of suffering can give way to prophecy, but can also make humans vulnerable to the manipulations of a guru. Through this work, Duns poses the question: "If we have to surrender to a higher power to experience a spiritual awakening, what are the dangers of that surrender?" Each character that Duns embodies grapples with this question from different positions and through open dialogue with the audience. blckgoorue is a emotionally compelling, funny and sobering view into the interior life of one sick blck man.

Philly Theatre Week is a celebration of the artists, organizations, and audiences that make Philadelphia one of the most vibrant theatre cities in the nation. Organized by Theatre Philadelphia, 2025's Philly Theatre Week features 50 different shows at venues all over the Philadelphia area from April 3–13. Studio 34 is hosting five of these shows—See them all on our events page.