Tyler Perry worked feverishly to raise money for his first play, I Know I Been Changed, which he started writing in 1992. Some of his professions included being a bill collector, car salesman, bartender and waiter. Perry managed to save up $12,000 to put on the production. It took off in its seventh staging in 1998 at House of Blues in Atlanta. The “Chitlin’ Circuit,” which brought creative performances to Black venues and communities, can be traced back to Vaudevillian entertainment in the early 20th century. “Cut to 1998 an I’m doing the exact same thing … traveling around to African-American people,” Perry told The Arsenio Hall Show in 2013. He has written, directed and produced nearly two dozen plays, including I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Behind Closed Doors and Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
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