Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Culture
CultureEntertainmentHistory

‘Orange Is the New Black’ Actress Uzo Aduba to Play the First Female Baseballer Toni Stone

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
uzo aduba

Uzo Aduba’s upcoming portrayal of baseball player Toni Stone marks her return to the stage. (GabboT/Flickr/Biography)

“Orange Is the New Black” actress Uzo Aduba is returning to the stage to portray the first woman to play in men’s professional leagues.

Aduba, who is coming back to the New York Theater following a 2011 performance of “Godspell” on Broadway and in the 2013 show “Venice” at New York’s The Public Theater, will play the titular character in “Toni Stone.” The play, which opens for Off-Broadway preview performances in May 2019, is part of Roundabout Theater Company’s 2018-2019 set of shows, Variety reported Monday, April 9.

Stone, a Black woman, made history in 1953 when she became the first woman ever to play in men’s professional leagues after joining the Negro Leagues. In her first year with the Indianapolis Clowns, she went on to play in 50 games and a nabbed a .243 batting average, which includes hitting against the legendary pitcher, Satchel Paige, who is known as one of the greatest pitchers in history.

 

Independent journalism doesn't fund itself.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top