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Black-and-white photograph of the original 227 stage play cast assembled on the tenement stoop set beneath the number 227.

documentary short · Currently in Post-Production

Two
Twenty-Seven

The untold story of Dr. Christine Houston, the Chicago playwright whose stage play 227 became NBC’s iconic sitcom—and a woman still creating at 91.

Help us finish her story.

2,000 people × $25 = $50,000. Will you be one of them?

Give $25

First goal: $14,000 by Dec. 31, 2026

At the Center

Dr. Christine Houston

Writer, Creator & Subject

A 91-year-old veteran, NAACP + Norman Lear + Lorraine Hansberry Award-winning playwright, and novelist behind one of America's most beloved sitcoms. Her story is a masterclass on the power of self-authorship.

Still writing. Still dreaming. Help preserve her story.

Give $25

Complete the Film

Where your donation goes

Help us raise $50,000 to finish Two Twenty-Seven and bring it to audiences. A $25 donation is enough to move the film forward.

  1. Milestone 1

    $14,000

    Finish the Film

    Production, post-production & legal

    Target date · Dec. 31, 2026

  2. Milestone 2

    $10,000

    Bring the History to Screen

    Archival footage licensing

    Target date · Mar. 31, 2027

  3. Milestone 3

    $6,000

    Prepare for Streaming

    VOD & streaming music licensing

    Target date · Dec. 31, 2027

  4. Milestone 4

    $20,000

    Bring It to Audiences

    Distribution, exhibition, marketing & audience reach

The first $30,000 gets the film finished, cleared, and ready for audiences. The remaining $20,000 supports distribution, exhibition, marketing, and audience reach.

Current goal · Milestone 1

$14,000 by December 31, 2026

To finish the film. Part of our $50,000 campaign.

Give $25
  • Fiscally sponsored by Docs In Progress
  • Currently in Post-Production
  • Contributions tax-deductible

All donations are tax-deductible and facilitated through our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Docs In Progress.

Origin Timeline

  1. 1935

    Dr. Christine Houston born on Chicago's South Side.

  2. 1970s

    Enrolls at Kennedy King College at nearly 40, on a bet with her sons — pens her first play, titled 227.

  3. 1977–1980s

    Wins the Norman Lear playwriting contest, writes for The Jeffersons and Punky Brewster, and receives an NAACP Award for playwriting.

  4. 1985

    227 adapts to NBC primetime, launching Regina King; Jackée Harry wins a historic Emmy in 1987.

  5. 2025

    Chicago State University awards Dr. Houston the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

  6. Now

    Two Twenty-Seven is in post-production. Help bring Dr. Houston’s origin story to audiences.

2,000 people. $25 each. One story preserved.

Will you be one of them?

You don’t have to fund the whole film. You just have to help move it forward.

Give $25
Give $25