This month, the Goodman Theatre is presenting “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”, a Lynn Nottage play inspired by black actresses of the past who never got their due. Much of the play takes place in the 1930s: the beginning of the Golden Age of Hollywood. But Hollywood was a very cold place for starlets who happened to be brown. In “Meet Vera Stark”, we get an inside look at life a fictional black actress who has to make a choice about what she’s willing to do to be a star. We were joined at the shop by two actresses from the production: • Amelia Workman, who plays Anna Mae and Afua, and • TaRon Patton, who plays Lottie and Carmen. Also joining us was the director of the play, Chuck Smith. We also hear a clip from Richard’s 1984 interview with the incomparable Lena Horne about what it was like for aspiring black stars in the early days of Hollywood. The Barber Shop Show is hosted by WBEZ’s Richard Steele. It airs live from Carter’s Barber Shop in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood on Fridays at Noon (CST) with a rebroadcast Saturdays at Noon. http://vocalo.org 89.5fm (NWI/CHI) and 90.7fm (CHI).