Family: Blood is Thicker Than Water

Despite his youth, Joe “JoeP” Palmore is an experienced and richly talented actor who dominated the stage at Ensemble Theatre in many productions, notably as the lead in The Ballad of Emmett Till. He put this experience to good use in penning his first full-length play, Family: Blood Is Thicker Than Water, about a family coping with the death of its patriarch. The work is directed by Kendrick Brown and produced by the Black Box Theatre Group, founded by Brown and Palmore, who met as actors at Ensemble. “This is a drama about struggling with hard times, but also about the celebration of the rich life that families provide, transcending stereotypes given to plays on black families,” Palmore says. “The overall theme is a universal story of one people, that all colors and races can relate to.” The Black Box Theatre is current artist-in-residence at FrenetiCore.

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Through February 2. Frenetic Theater, 5102 Navigation Boulevard. For information, call 832-577-9715 or 832-387-7440 or visit theblackboxtheatre.org. $20 to $25.

Sundays, 3 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Starts: Jan. 24. Continues through Feb. 2, 2014