It’s been over 40 years since Charles Fuller wrote this play about gun violence. Its message is as relevant as ever.

The only thing that feels out of place today about Pulitzer Prize-winner and Philadelphia’s own Charles Fuller’s play, Zooman and the Sign, is its slang, like “jive turkey.”

Otherwise, its messages about gun violence and community responsibility are as relevant today as they were when the play opened in 1980.

Theatre in the X, the West Philly theater company, debuted its production Zooman and the Sign on Thursday night in Malcolm X Park at 5100 Pine St. The production will continue through this weekend, with performances on Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m. As with all Theatre in the X shows, attendance is free — just remember to bring yourself a chair.

Zooman tells the story of a West Philly community reeling in the aftermath of gun violence, after the death of a girl, Jinny. Neighborhood teenager Zooman commits the murder, but residents refuse to speak to the police about what they saw. Then, the girl’s grieving father posts a sign accusing his neighbors of cowardice.

“A lot of us, unfortunately, are desensitized to these kinds of stories. [And] we’ll have some type of reaction and we’ll go on with our lives,” said Walter DeShields, the co-artistic director and cofounder of Theatre in the X.

“This play is [especially] relevant because it’s going to tell a story about what folks see every single day and folks trying to figure out how to address it ... [wondering] ‘what do we do?’ And that’s what theater is about, to help facilitate that long answer.”

We will absolutely have people in the audience who have experienced this.”

DeShields plays Reuben, the father of the slain girl. Growing up in Point Breeze, DeShields said gun violence was an inextricable part of his life; he has witnessed shootings and been to funerals since he was a child. This performance is personal to him, since his daughter, London, plays his onstage child who has been killed. “I can’t promise there won’t be tears in those moments when she’s on stage with me,” he said.

“The story and what is happening is still extremely relevant and unfortunately not dated at this point,” said LaNeshe Miller-White, the executive director and cofounder of Theatre in the X. A little over an hour after they finished rehearsal one night this summer near 52nd and Market Streets, a young girl was shot just down the road in similar circumstances as Zooman.

“It’s happening very close to where we are,” she said.

Miller-White plays Rachel, the mother of the girl. She said that the cast spoke intimately with each other about their own experiences with gun violence so they could process their emotions and deliver their best performances.

“[This] has to honor people in these situations more than any other production because of where it’s taking place. We will absolutely have people in the audience who have experienced this,” she said.

Theatre in the X celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year. It was started by Miller-White, DeShields, and Carlo Campbell, who wanted to provide more opportunities for Black people in the Philadelphia theater community, as well as make professional-quality theater more accessible for average Philadelphians.

Since its beginnings in 2013, Theatre in the X has grown from holding entire shows underneath the Malcolm X Park gazebo to adding indoor shows, more productions throughout the year, and collaborations with other groups. Now when the group performs at Malcolm X park, the gazebo serves as the backstage, behind a larger stage and set.

“We are trying to meet and break down all of the barriers,” Miller-White said. Offering free shows and holding them in West Philly’s Malcolm X Park clearly expands access, but she explained that some barriers are more subtle.

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“Comfortability and familiarity. I think folks don’t understand that there is a stopping point of someone feeling like, ‘I want to go to the theater, but what do I wear? How do I act? What’s proper? I might not feel comfortable there,’” she said.

“That [hesitation] is shattered with us. It is very much like, come as you are. Bring your chair, sit down, and watch the show ... we have been able to introduce people to theater [and] make them realize that theater is something for them.”

Theatre in the X hopes to connect with and welcome community members after their performances, too. Following each performance of Zooman and the Sign, director Ozzie Jones, the cast, and local violence prevention groups will hold “epilogue” conversations about the play’s themes and how they carry into real life.

With the play centering on violence and death involving young people,, DeShields hopes these discussions can focus on engaging youth in preventing gun violence. He believes that as well-intentioned as some anti-gun violence meetings and campaigns are, they don’t do enough to bring young people into the conversation.

“We need the kids who [are] just getting by ... the ones who are in those streets doing whatever to survive and take care of their family. We need those young people in those rooms and in these conversations,” he said.

“Let’s evoke conversation. Let’s have an honest one. That’s what theater is supposed to do. You’re supposed to look at a stage and you’re peeking into somebody’s world.”