Sophina Brown: Creating Space and the New Black Theatre Movement
Sophina Brown is a force on stage, on screen, and in the community. After graduating from the University of Michigan’s BFA Theatre program and making her Broadway debut in The Lion King, she moved to LA to break into TV but never stopped fighting for the theater. Inspired by August Wilson’s The Ground on Which I Stand, Sophina began producing Black theatre in Los Angeles, determined to create space, equity, and opportunity for Black artists and audiences. In 2020, she founded Support Black Theatre, a nonprofit that has secured over $1.3 million for Black theaters, partnered with nearly 200 Black businesses, served more than 20,000 community members, and earned a prestigious Lilly Award for its impact.
In this episode, we chop it up about building legacy, creating access, and staying rooted in purpose. From national tours to network TV (Shark, Numb3rs, Twenties, Kindred), to starring in Bosch: Legacy (dropping March 2025), Sophina’s career is proof that the hustle doesn’t stop but the mission always leads.
Whether she’s acting, producing, or organizing, Sophina is showing what it means to lead with love and strategy and to make sure Black theatre not only survives but thrives.
Support Black Theatre
Credits
📍 A production of Outside In Theatre in Highland Park, Los Angeles
🎭 Created by Alex Ubokudom and Tobie Windham
🎧 Edited by Brianna Seamster
🎚 Recorded and Mixed by Arlo Sanders
🎵 Theme Song by Arlo Sanders
🎬 Produced by Brianna Seamster and Jessica Hanna
🎙 Executive Produced by The Frogs and Outside In Theatre
What is The Frogs?
Alex & Tobie travel to different theater communities in LA to explore what’s happening on the ground. They have conversations with some of the world’s most renowned theater practitioners. Discussing broad topics: theater, film, TV, music, current events—all viewed through the lens of theater and culture. The Frogs will get people excited about the theater by first conquering our city (LA), then the country, and eventually the world—by engaging the community in meaningful conversations about the arts. The Frogs are unapologetically Black, theater nerd culture, mixed with real-world energy. It’s intellectual and ratchet, classy but down-to-earth.