The to set untold stories free.
A LETTER TO OUR HARLEM STAGE FAMILY: A Manifesto for Freedom
By Dr. Indira Etwaroo, CEO & Artistic Director, Harlem Stage Beloved Community,
These times are too urgent, too perilous, too volatile for convention. The times demand more than going about our everyday lives. These times demand a fierce and radical reimagining.
And reimagining begins when we resist the ease of indifference. It is too easy to scroll past, to tune out, to say, “not my fight.” But every time we turn away, injustice deepens its roots. Silence is not neutral - it is fertile ground for oppression. We are living through the unraveling of truths once thought unshakable. Demagoguery rises. Lies dress themselves in headlines. Whole histories are being erased with the stroke of a pen.
And yet . . . here stand the artists.
Toni Morrison warned us: The history of art has always been bloody, because dictators and people in office . . . know exactly the people who will disturb their plans. And those people are artists.
At Harlem Stage—the stage to set untold stories free—we take Morrison’s charge to heart. We meet this moment not with routine, but with urgency. The urgency for one of humanity’s oldest and most unflinching instruments of truth: the telling of stories. And thus . . . Freedom Riders: A Journey with No End in Sight.
This work is not a season opener. This work is a pilgrimage.
This journey carries us through a century of America’s struggle for racial justice—from the Great Migration, when six million Black Americans fled the terror of Jim Crow, to the Freedom Riders who risked their lives to desegregate interstate travel, to the present-day Movement for Black Lives. But this work is not confined to the stage. The entire company (cast, crew, and musicians, activists all) will travel together by bus, retracing in reverse the path of the Freedom Riders and honoring the northward arc of the Great
Migration. Mile after mile, over a thousand in all, becomes a living testament to solidarity, history, resistance, and resolve; carrying the spirit of those who sacrificed everything for justice, while urging us to confront the unfinished work that remains.
And the where matters as much as the what. This summer, my team at Harlem Stage and I sat inside Montgomery’s First Baptist “Brick-a-Day” Church; the very sanctuary where the Freedom Riders once sought refuge in 1961 as a 3,000-strong mob raged outside. A deacon leaned in to tell us that it was here, in their basement, that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and so many others gathered to protect those who risked everything for the freedoms we too often take for granted— freedoms now being stripped away at record speed. This church is hallowed ground. And it is here that our journey will begin.
From Montgomery, the journey continues to Atlanta, Georgia, to the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College within the Atlanta University Center—home also to Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University—where generations of Black leaders have been nurtured. Nearly 600 students, professors, and community members will gather to bear witness to these stories of racial injustice, carrying within them the possibility of shaping a new world, just as students before them once changed the course of history.
That same spirit will meet us in Greensboro, North Carolina, at A&T University, steps from the Woolworth lunch counter where students in 1960 dared to sit and, in so doing, stood up for a nation. There, another 900 students and community members will join us. Side by side, Atlanta and Greensboro remind us that the torch of justice has always passed through the hands of young people, who link memory to possibility.
They will not only witness Freedom Riders: A Journey with No End in Sight; they will help carry it forward. HBCU students will craft their own reflections on a new America, daring to dream beyond what is into what could be. These reflections will be shared publicly, extending the reach of the work. Along the way, communities will gather in conversations, making space for dialogue, vision, and truth-telling.
And finally, we return to Harlem—our charge, our sanctuary, our home.
Here, our NYC community will gather for 16 performances to bear witness to these stories of struggle and hope; six of those performances will be
dedicated, free-of-charge, to the city’s students, inviting the next generation to step into the long continuum of justice and possibility.
Beloved community,
Freedom Riders: A Journey with No End in Sight matters because freedom is unfinished and unfinished freedom asks something of each of us. It is both remembrance and revelation, and it also marks Harlem Stage’s evolution as a cultural anchor. As the newly-appointed leader of this enduring 42-year-old institution, it is my charge to chart a bold vision that expands our national and global reach, while deepening our covenant with you, our New York City audiences. Because the struggle for justice requires both a local sanctuary and a national stage.
Just imagine . . . imagine a country where every community begins to set its own untold stories free. Where voices long silenced are finally heard, and where rising voices are welcomed without resistance. What would our neighborhoods look like if every story truly mattered? What might our nation feel like if every person was seen and heard? Who could we become, as a nation, if truth itself stood as a sacred and immovable force? That is the power of the arts; a power that must be unleashed with greater force than ever before, because the fragility of our fractured democracy is pressing against its breaking point.
This is the possibility and the promise of our journey. We are here to set untold stories free and when we do that, we do our part to shape a world where “we the people” means ALL of us.
I hope you will stand with us. Bear witness. Answer the call of this moment.
Only forward in solidarity,
Dr. Indira Etwaroo | CEO & Artistic Director | Harlem Stage
This work is dedicated to the lives slain by racially motivated violence in the United States of America.
Directed by Indira Etwaroo
Adaptation by Arthur Yorinks with Zenzele Daniels and Indira Etwaroo
“They waited and they waited…” and “Water has perfect memory…” are by and a tribute to the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison
A Journey with No End in Sight
Actors
Lisa Arrindell
Russell Hornsby
Billy Eugene Jones
Harry Lennix (9/29 & 9/30 only)
Angelica Ross
Stephen Tyrone Williams
Musical Score Composed by
Arden Altino, pianist
Daniel Bernard Roumain, violinist
Divinity Roxx and Indira Etwaroo
“We Are” composed by Divinity Roxx
Zenzele Daniels, Assistant Director
Crew
Sydney Cusic, Production Stage Manager
Kailee-Jade Berrios, Assistant Stage Manager
Breashel Mondesir, Technical Director
Ricardo Fernandez, Assistant Technical Director
Devin Cameron, Theatrical Visual Designer
Cora McKenna, Associate Lighting Designer
Jorge Rosario, Costume Designer and Prop Master
John Altino, Audio Engineer
Gabe Wilhelm, Audio Assistant
Tony Burns, Director of Photography
Michael Joseph, Film Coordinating Producer
Crew: Clarence Taylor
Crew: David Barrett
Please be advised that this performance contains flashing strobe lights and other visual effects.
A special thanks to The New Press
DR. INDIRA ETWAROO, Director
Dr. Indira Etwaroo is an award-winning producer, scholar, educator, and non-profit arts leader whose career has spanned some of the nation’s most influential cultural institutions. She currently serves as CEO & Artistic Director of Harlem Stage, where she stewards its mission to set untold stories free.
A visionary arts executive, Dr. Etwaroo has held transformative leadership roles. As the Inaugural Director of Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater, she oversaw the venue’s multiplatform programming and produced global events. As Executive Artistic Director of RestorationART
and The Billie Holiday Theatre, she helped guide a $4.1M renovation, build world-class dance studios, launched the Black Arts Institute in collaboration with luminaries such as Sonia Sanchez, Phylicia Rashad, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Michele Shay, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, and more than doubled audiences during a period in which the theatre received top AUDELCO Awards and the Presidential Medal of the Arts.
Earlier, Dr. Etwaroo was tapped to create The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at New York Public Radio, transforming a ground floor space into a groundbreaking live, digital, and broadcast venue. There, she conceptualized and produced landmark projects including the first-ever recordings of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle, the American Radio Broadcast Premiere of Their Eyes Were Watching God narrated by Phylicia Rashad, and the breakout Battle of the Boroughs showcase. She later joined NPR as Founding Executive Producer of NPR Presents, designing a national live events strategy and tours in collaboration with Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon.
Her directing and producing work spans institutions such as The Billie Holiday Theatre, Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater, NPR, WNYC, and the WACO Theater Center in Los Angeles. Among her most notable credits, she served as Associate Director with Kenny Leon on the historic all-Black Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing at The Public Theater and on Broadway’s A Soldier’s Play, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival.
As a scholar and educator, Dr. Etwaroo has contributed to critical publications, including Dance Rooted in the Movements of Bedford-Stuyvesant (University of Illinois Press, 2019), and designed and created “Leading Performing Arts Institutions in the 21st Century” as an adjunct faculty at NYU’s School of Professional Studies.
Her leadership has been recognized with honors including the Larry Leon Hamlin Producer’s Award (National Black Theatre Festival), the Legacy Award (Black Theatre Network), the Inaugural Advocacy Award (Black Theatre United), and recognition as one of the nation’s “40 Under 40” leaders by The Network Journal. As a Fulbright Scholar, she conducted fieldwork in Ethiopia with Somali women displaced by conflict—research that continues to shape her vision of the intersections between art, culture, and social justice.
Through every role, Dr. Etwaroo has sought to lift up artists, strengthen communities, and build sustainable models for cultural institutions—redefining, with purpose, what it means to create and share stories in the 21st century.
ZENZELE DANIELS, Writer, Assistant Director
Zenzele Daniels is a recent graduate of the Theater Conservatory at Purchase College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Directing in May 2024. For her Senior Thesis, she was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Imani Douglas Award for Student Scholar and Artist and received the National Student Scholar Award (2023) from the Black Theatre Network.
She currently works with the Programming and Production team at Harlem Stage in New York City. Previously, she served as Production Manager for a range of dynamic initiatives, including the Black Arts Institute where she collaborated with students nationwide training under theater luminaries such as Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Michele Shay; the American Mime Theater in New York City, and The Billie Holiday Theater in Brooklyn.
As a theater artist, Zenzele has performed as a featured character in the National Tour of NPR Presents Water+, directed by Kenny Leon. She also served as Director’s Observer to Leon for Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park, staged at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park in the summer of 2023 and an Assistant Director to Tamara Tunie and Indira Etwaroo.
With a lifelong passion for art and storytelling, Zenzele is dedicated to creating and championing global narratives that uplift, center, and celebrate Black voices.
ARTHUR YORINKS, Arranger
Arthur Yorinks has written and directed for opera, theater, dance, film, and radio and is the author of over forty acclaimed and awardwinning books, including Hey, Al, a children’s book, which earned the Caldecott Medal in 1987. His work has been produced at The Kennedy Center, the Flea Theater, The Greene Space, Tribeca Performing Arts Center and many other theaters around the country.
Yorinks studied to be a classical pianist. At 17, he began his over five decades-long work in the literary and performing arts. His wide-ranging career is known for unique collaborations among a broad spectrum of celebrated artists—from Philip Glass and Jim Simpson to Bill Irwin, Maurice Sendak and Indira Etwaroo whose work together included the radio adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and the audio recordings of August Wilson’s Century Cycle.
Among his many productions in the theater, Yorinks wrote the libretti for two Philip Glass operas, his audio play cycle American Song : 13 plays covering the landscape of America from the 1900’s to the present. He adapted James Joyce’s Dubliners for a 4-hour theatrical suite. He has directed such notable actors as Sigourney Weaver, Frances McDormand, F. Murray Abraham, and many others.
After experimenting for two years with a uniquely gifted group of physical actors, in 2024 Yorinks founded APT / American Physical Theater for which he writes plays and serves as Artistic Director.
LISA ARRINDELL
Lisa Arrindell was born in the Bronx, New York, and brought straight home to Brooklyn. A graduate of The High School of Performing Arts — now The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts — she went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from The Juilliard School.
Lisa’s extensive acting career spans film, television, and stage. Her notable screen credits include A Lesson Before Dying, Disappearing Acts, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First Hundred Years, The Sin Seer, Livin’ Large, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Random Acts of
Flyness, Elementary, Madam Secretary, Saints & Sinners, The Quad, Notorious, Bull, and more. On stage, she has appeared in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Broadway), Jubilee (Seattle Opera, Reparations (The Billie Holiday Theatre), Richard III (NY Shakespeare Festival), Heliotrope Bouquet (Playwrights Horizons), and Earth and Sky (Second Stage), among others.
Her most recent projects include Albany Road, starring Lynn Whitfield, now available on Amazon Prime, as well as Watson on CBS and Favorite Son Christmas on BET. She is best known for her role as Vanessa in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion and for her gripping performance in the Law & Order episode titled “Disabled.” Lisa also serves as the resident acting coach for the hit Starz series P-Valley.
Beyond her acting career, Lisa is passionate about health and wholeness, inspiring and educating aspiring performing artists. She teaches theater students who are deeply curious about pursuing a career in the performing arts and is on staff at The Freeman Studio and The Billie Holiday Theatre’s Youth Arts Academy in New York City. Most importantly, she is the joyful mother of two stunning, loving, highly creative, and intelligent human beings.
RUSSELL HORNSBY
Actor/director Russell Hornsby has amassed a catalog of film, television, and stage credits that any actor would envy. From comedies to science fiction to dramas and stage plays, his craftsmanship has always rung sharp and true. Currently, Russell stars in the Starz’s drama Black Mafia Family from G-Unit Films And Television in conjunction with Lionsgate while also starring in Blumhouse feature film Woman In The Yard. He can also be seen as Don King in Hulu’s Mike Tyson mini-series Iron Mike and in Hulu / Searchlight Pictures’ The Supremes at Earl’s All You Can Eat opposite Aujanue Ellis, Uzo Aduba, and Sanaa Lathan. Hornsby starred in the Oscar-nominated film Fences, opposite Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, with a powerhouse presentation of his character Lyons, whom Hornsby played in the Broadway revival of Fences in 2010, also with Washington and Davis. Hornsby also recently starred opposite Regina King in the critically acclaimed Netflix mini-series Seven Seconds, from Veena Sud (“The Killing”), appeared in an arc in Showtime’s The Affair and in the box office hit sequel Creed II opposite Michael B. Jordan. Additionally, Hornsby has received an outpouring of praise for his award buzzworthy role in the Fox 2000 film The Hate U Give. Russell also starred in the Fox series Proven Innocent from showrunner Danny Strong and in the titular role in NBC’s Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.
Also known for fighting to keep humanity safe from things that go bump in the night in his role as hard-nosed Detective Hank Griffin on NBC’s smash hit supernatural police procedural Grimm. Hornsby is no stranger to American living rooms having starred in numerous television projects including the acclaimed ABC Family drama Lincoln Heights as police officer Eddie Sutton, as well as Luke in HBO’s In Treatment, opposite Gabriel Byrne.
Hornsby’s other film credits include roles in the Jim Sheridan directed Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and the Sundance Grand Jury Award nominated Luv from director Sheldon Candis.
Hornsby also has an extensive theatre background and became an aspiring thespian after auditioning and winning the role of the Scarecrow in his high school production of The Wiz. He has taken the more traditional — and currently less traveled — route to his success by cutting his teeth on stage. While the phrase “paying his dues” is about as cliché as it gets when referring to an actor’s journey, Hornsby is its embodiment as he progressed from backroom performances
to the bright lights of New York City’s famed theatre district, Broadway, where he’s appeared in numerous productions including a stint in August Wilson’s Fences.
Born and raised in Oakland, California, Hornsby attended the theatre program at Boston University and spent a summer studying at the British Academy of Arts.
BILLY EUGENE JONES
Broadway credits; Our Town, Purlie Victorious, Fat Ham, A Soldier’s Play, The Book of Mormon, A Raisin in the Sun, The Trip to Bountiful, The Big Knife, The Mountaintop, Passing Strange, Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean. Off-Broadway credits include Fat Ham (Public Theater/Obie Award), On Sugarland (NYTW/Obie Award, Audelco Award for best actor, Drama Desk Nomination for best actor), Where the Mountain Meets the Sea (Manhattan Theater Club), Much Ado About Nothing (NYSF), Pitbulls (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), The Jammer (Atlantic Theater Company), In the Footprint (The Civilians), Waiting for Godot and Three Sisters (Classical Theatre of Harlem).
Regional credits include Seven Guitars, Death of a Salesman, Good Faith, Richard II, Breath Boom (Yale Rep), Macbeth (Berkeley Repertory Theater), The Good Negro (The Goodman), Stick Fly (Elliot Norton Nomination for Best Supporting Actor / Arena Stage and Huntington Theater Company), Othello (CalShakes), Spunk (Actors Theater of Louisville), The People Before the Park (Premiere Stages).
Other stage credits include productions at Two River Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Hartford Stage, and numerous productiosn at The Dallas Theater Center. Billy is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
HARRY LENNIX
Harry Lennix is an accomplished film, television, and stage actor. His recent credits include Warner Bros.’ “Man of Steel”, The CW’s “Emily Owens, M.D.”, Fox’s “Dollhouse,” HBO’s “Little Britain,” as well as the critically acclaimed series “24” as Walid Al-Rezani.
Harry Joseph Lennix III was born November 16, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, to Lillian C. (Vines), a laundress, and Harry Lennix, Jr., a machinist. He is of African-American and Louisiana Creole descent. He was not always certain he wanted to be an actor. An A student, he decided to act in his high school’s play while he waited for the baseball season to begin. Lennix attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was recognized in “Who’s Who Among American College Students.” He majored in Acting and Direction at Northwestern and upon graduation stayed teaching in Chicago for a bit, before moving to New York, and from there to Los Angeles, California.
He has appeared in a veritable bevy of movies and guest-starring roles in many popular television shows such as ER (1994), Diagnosis Murder (1993), Century City (2004), and House (2004).
Lennix made his Broadway debut in August Wilson’s Tony nominated play, Radio Golf. He was seen on the big screen in Working Title’s “State of Play.” In 2006, Lennix starred in the Golden Globe nominated ABC show “Commander in Chief” as Jim Gardner, the Chief of Staff. His other appearances include the Oscar winning film “Ray,” “The Matrix: Reloaded,” and “The Matrix: Revolutions.” Lennix received critical acclaim and a Golden Satellite Award as Aaron in Julie Taymor’s “Titus” starring Anthony Hopkins. A host of other film credits include “Across the Universe,” “Barbershop 2,” and “Love and Basketball.” Lennix starred his as the legendary Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in Showtime’s “Keep The Faith Baby,” for which he won a Black Reel Award and was nominated for both an NAACP Image Award and a Golden Satellite Award. He continued to make his presence known with recurring roles on “ER” and “Diagnosis Murder” and other guest starring appearances on shows such as “Law & Order: Los Angeles.” Lennix has directed and appeared in stage productions across the country, including the Northlight Theater Company’s production of Permanent Collection, at the Greenway Arts Alliance in Los Angeles. Under his directing consultation, it was remounted at Los Angeles’ Kirk Douglas Theater.
He directed the stage version of Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats, which received 3 NAACP Theater Award nominations and The Glass Menagerie for the Steppenwolf Theater Company. As a stage actor, Lennix was the first distinguished recipient of an Ollie Award for his portrayal of Malcolm X at the Goodman Theater in Chicago and two Joseph Jefferson Citations for his roles in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Caught in the Act. He also starred as King Hedley II, another play by August Wilson, at the Mark Taper Forum. In 2001, he was part of the first American company to be invited to the Royal Shakespeare Company in the production of Cymbeline. Lennix has also been extremely active in his native Chicago community where he was an English and music teacher before becoming an actor.
He founded Legacy Productions with renowned director Chuck Smith in 1989. The company is dedicated to promoting significant works about the African American experience. He is on the staff of the Goodman Theater Co. He also is active in various civic groups and is on the Advisory Council for his alma mater, Northwestern University.
ANGELICA ROSS
Actress, Singer Songwriter, Founder of TransTech & Human Rights Advocate
Angelica Ross is a pioneering leader in the fight for human rights, with a special focus on advancing transgender and racial equity. While widely recognized for her breakthrough roles on FX’s Pose and American Horror Story, Angelica’s impact extends far beyond the screen. As the founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, she has empowered marginalized communities through digital education and economic advancement. From advocating on Capitol Hill to addressing global audiences, Angelica Ross is committed to building a just and inclusive future for all.
With a proven track record in fighting for equality, Angelica’s leadership blends her experience as an executive producer, writer, and activist with her deep commitment to creating change. Her advocacy has been recognized across industries, whether through her groundbreaking media work or her efforts to uplift Black, queer, and trans communities. Now, as she embarks on her political journey, Angelica is dedicated to translating her activism into policy, ensuring that marginalized voices are heard and protected at every level of government.
STEPHEN TYRONE WILLIAMS
Stephen Tyrone Williams is an actor, producer, and consultant for the page, stage, and screen. Select credits include: Broadway: Lucky Guy (Broadhurst), and Jitney (Manhattan Theatre Club); Off-Broadway: Harper Regan (Atlantic Theater Company), Burning (The New Group), Adam Rapp’s The Hallway Trilogy (Rattlestick Theater), Sundown Names… (Negro Ensemble Company Three Audelco Nominations), and My Children! My Africa! (Signature Theatre Company Drama League Award & Clive Barnes Award Finalist). Regional: Seattle Rep, Actors Theatre of
Louisville, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, Syracuse Stage (SALT Nomination), Two Rivers Theatre, Hartford Stage, and Geffen Playhouse. Film & TV: Stag & Doe (HBO Short Film of the Year), Elementary, Restless City (Sundance), Children of God (Best Actor Award Festival Del Mar), The Knick, Greetings from Tim Buckley (Toronto), Tobacco Burn (Best Actor Nominee Seattle Film Festival, Massachusetts Independent Film Festival and New Filmmakers Los Angeles) and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus A Spike Lee Joint. He holds a B.A. from the University of Alabama in theatre (performance). He is a recognized actor/combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat.
MUSICIANS
ARDEN ALTINO
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Jamaica Queens, New York, Arden Altino is a Grammy Award-winning Musician, Keyboardist, and Composer. Altino’s Haitian roots and closeknit family influenced his career path and was instrumental in developing him into the artist that he is today. Arden Altino has traveled worldwide touring with artists such as Grammy Winner Wyclef Jean, Melissa Etheridge, Akon, and many more A-list celebrities. As a (Musician) Music Producer, Mr. Altino has also worked with the likes of Justin Bieber, Busta Rhymes; Multi-Platinum Award-Winning Artists Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Diddy, and many more. Arden, aka Ar-Keyz is the owner of “Altino Music Inc”. He is currently working with famouos Music Producer Jerry Wonda & Platinum Sound Recordings Studio and also has the pleasure to currently work with The Great Director Indira Etwaroo with Harlem Stage Family.
DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) is a Black, Haitian-American composer who sees composing as a collaboration with artists, organizations, and communities with the farming and framing of ideas. He is a prolific and endlessly collaborative composer, performer, educator, and social entrepreneur. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), Roumain has worked with artists from J’Nai Bridges, Lady Gaga and Philip Glass to Bill T. Jones, Marin Alsop and Anna Deavere Smith. Known for his signature violin sounds infused with myriad electronic and African-American music influences, Roumain takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He is a composer of solo, chamber, orchestral, and operatic works, and has composed an array of film, theater, and dance scores. He has composed music for the acclaimed film Ailey (Sundance official selection); was the first Music Director and Principal Composer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company; released and appeared on 30 album recordings; and has published over 300 works. He was Artist-in-Residence and Creative Chair at the Flynn in Burlingon, VT.
Currently, he is the first Artistic Resident Catalyst with the New Jersey Symphone. Roumain is an Atlantic Center Master Artist, A Creative Capital Grantee, and a Hermitage Artist Retreat Fellow. He has won the American Academy in Rome Goddard Lieberson Fellowship; a Civitella Ranieri Music Fellowship Award; an Emmy Award for The New Look of Classical Music; National Sawdust Disruptor Award; and the Sphinx Organization Arthur L. Johnson Award. He has lectured at Yale and Princeton University and was a Roth Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Dartmouth College. He is currently a tenured Associate and Institue Professor at Arizona State University Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
DIVINITY ROXX
Divinity Roxx stands out as a transformative figure in the music industry, known for her extraordinary bass playing and dynamic artistry. Her illustrious career includes touring with 5-time Grammy award-winning bassist Victor Wooten, and serving as the bassist and Musical Director for Beyoncé, where she not only captivated global audiences but also elevated the role of women in music.
Her solo work and family-centric albums have earned two Grammy nominations, highlighting her versatility and innovation, and weaving her unique musicality across diverse sounds and styles. Her compositions have been adapted into children’s books by Scholastic, and featured on television. Divinity produced, co-wrote, and performed the theme song for the Emmy-nominated PBS Kids’ show, Lyla in the Loop, showcasing her creative synergy across disciplines. She has performed at the Easter Egg Roll at the Whitehouse as a headliner and graced the stages of The Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
As a fervent advocate for musicians’ rights, Divinity pushes for inclusion and equality in the industry, mentoring emerging talents and fostering an environment where diverse voices thrive. Divinity’s genre-spanning sound combines elements of funk, hip-hop, and rock, breaking conventional barriers and inspiring musicians worldwide.
OUR FREEDOM RIDERS PARTNERS
ABOUT FIRST BAPTIST “BRICK-A-DAY” CHURCH
First Baptist was founded in downtown Montgomery in 1867 as one of the first black churches in the area, ultimately becoming one of the largest in the South. It was an important gathering place for activities related to the Civil Rights Movement, and was led from 1952 to 1961 by Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Dr. King’s right hand.
In 1957, three weeks after the official end of the boycott, the church was bombed along with three others nearby. No one was hurt but the church was severely damaged.
The church was also the site of the “Siege of First Baptist.” Following the arrival of Freedom Riders who were met with violence at the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Montgomery, the church was besieged by 3,000 whites who threatened to burn it. In the basement, Dr. King called Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy while bricks were thrown through the windows and tear gas drifted inside. The event played a crucial part in the desegregation of interstate travel.
First Baptist “Brick-a-Day” Church still stands as a beacon of community resiliency, unity, and freedom.
ABOUT ATLANTA UNIVERSITY CENTER CONSORTIUM
The Atlanta University Center Consortium, Inc., located in the heart of metropolitan Atlanta, is the world’s largest consortia of African American private institutions of higher education. Originally formed in 1929, the Consortium is a nonprofit organization that operates on behalf of its member institutions: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College. With very humble beginnings, established at various times in history, primarily to educate newly freed slaves at the end of the Civil War through the Reconstruction era, each member institution has a distinguished legacy of excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. Today, enrolling more than 10,000 students collectively each year, one common goal continues to bind the Consortium members together; to provide the finest undergraduate, graduate and professional training possible to its students. Atlanta University, founded in 1865 and Clark College founded in 1869, merged to form Clark Atlanta University in 1988, a leading private, historically black doctoral research university. Morehouse College,established in 1867, is the nation’s largest private liberal arts college for men. Formed in 1881, Spelman College is a highly selective liberal arts college for women. The Consortium’s newest member institution, Morehouse School of Medicine was formed in 1974 and is one of the nation’s most widely recognized community based medical schools. Because of the close proximity of the institutions, the boards of trustees and presidents of the colleges began to assess ways in which they could utilize their services and resources more
effectively and efficiently. Thus, the Atlanta University Center Consortium was formed to coordinate and manage the cooperative efforts of various programs and services offered by the colleges.
While no longer members of the Consortium, Morris Brown College founded in 1881, and the Interdenominational Theological Center founded in 1958, are largely significant to the Consortium’s rich legacy. The long-established history of collaboration that exists among member institutions allows students, faculty and staff to benefit from an expanded and enhanced educational environment. Some distinguishing collaborative efforts of the Consortium include cross-registration, a Dual Degree Engineering Program, center-wide Career Planning and Placement Services, and the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library. Renovated in 1992 and reorganized in 2003, the library is a modern information and research center designed to meet the diverse needs of the AUC community. Consortium member schools have graduated a number of distinguished scholars throughout the years. Some of the most notable are Marian Wright Edelman, Esther Rolle, Pearl Cleage and Keisha Knight Pulliam (Spelman College); Martin Luther King, Jr., Julian Bond, Spike Lee, Edwin Moses, and Samuel L. Jackson (Morehouse College); James Weldon Johnson, Amanda Davis, and Emmanuel Lewis (Clark Atlanta University), and Regina Benjamin (Morehouse School of Medicine).
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA A&T
North Carolina A&T State University is so many things to so many people, both in our state and around the country.
We are a top-flight research university, the largest historically Black university in the country, the #1 producer of degrees awarded to African Americans in North Carolina and nationally recognized for our excellence in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) education.
We are a diverse community, bound by intense pride and tradition, with fiercely loyal alumni who hold positions of importance and influence in companies and government agencies across the state, the country and the world. We are inclusive and welcoming, with students from many backgrounds and cultures, every part of our state, our nation and countries around the globe.
We are achievers, driven by a curious, limitless, fearless spirit that fuels discovery and innovation, resulting in 66 patents issued based on our research, as well as numerous spin-off and start-up companies.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Department of Visual and Performing Arts – Theatre Arts Program would like to thank our partners for their enthusiasm and willingness to support this powerful artistic experience.
The International Civil Rights Center and Museum
Mt. Olivet AME Zion Church
The Greensboro Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc.
Mt. Olivet AME Zion Church
Common Thread Theatre Collective
Black Play Readers Club
Wake Forest University School of Medicine – DAWN Alzheimer’s Research Project
Wake Forest University Performing Arts Department
Light of Life Salvation Ministries
Liggins Family Care Homes
English Department
North Carolina A&T State University’s Student Organizations
• Political Science Society
• Student Government Association
• National Council of Negro Women
• Student National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Club
Freedom Riders: A Journey with No End in Sight in Partnership with First Baptist ‘Brick-a-Day’ Church
Monday, September 29 at 7PM
6:55PM Opening remarks by Dr. James Wright and Pastor Booker McMillan
7:00PM Town Hall
7:30PM Performance
Moderated by award-winning radio host, Terrance McKnight
Panelists:
Joe Carver | Howard Davis | Joe Lacey | J. Mills Thornton | Dorothy Walker
With special thanks to:
Dr. James Wright—Chair of Board of Trustees
Booker McMillian—Pastor
Dr. Tyna Davis—Board of Trustees VP
Joe Edwards—Chair of Board of Deacons
Warren George
Yvonne Williams
Brenda Coleman
James Wilson
Bernard Frye
Freedom Riders: A Journey with No End in Sight in Partnership with Atlanta University Center: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College
Tuesday, September 30 at 7PM at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center
7:00PM Town Hall
7:30PM Post-Show Community Conversation
Moderated by award-winning radio host, Terrance McKnight
Panelists:
Tracey Bonner | Corrie Claiborne | Michelle Hite | Eric Little
With special thanks to:
Dr. Robert Tanner | Morehouse College, Director, Theatre, Performance, and Dance
Stephanie Whittaker | Morehouse College, Senior Administrative Specialist
Keith Arthur Bolden | Spelman College, Associate Professor of Theatre and Performance
Eric J. Little | Clark Atlanta University, Associate Professor, Department of Theatre and Communication Studies
Eddie Bradley | Spelman College, Chair of Theatre and Performance
Sidney Miller | Morehouse College, Senior Media Relations Manager
Jasmine Gurley | Morehouse College, Senior Director of Brand Marketing & Communications and Press Secretary
Gary Clark, II | Morehouse College, Multimedia Coordinator
Reginald Sargent | Morehouse College, AudioVideo Technician
Natalie Sowell | Spelman College, Associate Professor of Theatre
Dr. Regine O. Jackson | Morehouse College, Dean of Humanities, Social Sciences, Media and Arts Division
Zahria Cook | Morehouse College, Assistant to Dean of Humanities, Social Sciences, Media and Arts Division
Molaundo Jones | Morehouse College, Associate Director of Content Marketing
Cameron Nolan | Morehouse College, Content Manager
Freedom Riders: A Journey with No End in Sight in Partnership with North Carolina A&T University
Thursday, October 2 at 7PM at Harrison Hall
7:00PM Town Hall
7:30PM Performance
Moderated by award-winning radio host, Terrance McKnight
Panelists:
Irving Allen | Mya Brown | Jaren Doby | Tatiana James
With special thanks to:
Donna Bradby
Monai Cammorto-Williams
Freedom Riders, Ambassadors New York
Bertha Aiken
Cherine Anderson
Robin H. Bell
Charles Browning
Tiffany Ellis Butts
Brenda Glasse
Dr. Brenda Greene
John Martin Green
William Hamer
Nick Hawkins
Pat Hurlock
Toni Israel
Selma Jackson
Nadine Johnson
Sharnity Johnson
Loki Karuna
Judge Tanya Kennedy
Natalie Langley
Eyesha Marable
Lucille McEwen
Wayne McKenzie
Brenda Aiken Thompson
Land Acknowledgement
The Harlem Stage Gatehouse sits on land that was stewarded by the Lenape Tribes and violently overtaken, leading to the death and displacement of countless original inhabitants and stewards of this land. The colonial initiative of the United States of America not only invaded the land stewarded by Indigenous tribes, it also enslaved and exploited millions of Africans stolen from their land to build a free labor force under barbaric conditions that included the separation of families, brutal beatings, rape, and lynching. Harlem Stage seeks to partner with all communities, artists, and institutions of the Global Majority in the struggle for true equity and freedom. Harlem Stage encourages all people to see this acknowledgment as an urgent call to stand against the deliberate erasure of history, to refuse to let voices of truth be silenced, and to join our efforts to set untold stories free.
Our Commitment to the Planet
Harlem Stage’s values are rooted in ensuring a sustainable planet. Because we see climate change as one of the most pressing issues of our time—an issue that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities across the globe—we will continue to honor environmental initiatives both in our operations and programming. Our efforts in using less paper, transitioning to LEDs in our tech and operational spaces, and leaning into digital communications, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 2.5 tons in the 2024 – 2025 season alone.
HARLEM STAGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Courtney F. Lee Mitchell – President
Mark Thomas – Vice President
Larry McRae – Treasurer and Chair, Finance and Audit Committee
Michael Young – Secretary
Ronald K. Alexander
Angela Glover Blackwell – Chair, Development Committee
Jamila Ponton Bragg
JoAnn K. Chase
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes
Dr. Indira Etwaroo
Channing Martin
Rebecca Robertson
Tamara Tunie
Heather Wagoner
Blair Washington – Chair, Nominating and Governance Committee
Alisha Johnson Wilder and Todd Wilder
HARLEM STAGE TEAM
Dr. Indira Etwaroo, CEO & Artistic Director
CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Karlvy Smith, Institutional Strategist & Development Lead
Julianna Friedman, Associate Director of Development
Ebony Devereaux, Development Administrator
Margaret Hunt, Development Consultant
Dwight Johnson Design, Gala Consultant
FINANCE TEAM
Martha Samuel, Director of Finance
Denzel Fields, Manager of Administration & Partnerships
MARKETING TEAM
Deirdre May, Chief Marketing Officer
Theodora Kuslan, Senior Director of Marketing
Lamont Askins, Senior Manager of Internal Comms and Customer Support
Katie Burk, Graphic Designer
Nina Flowers, Public Relations
Squire Media & Management, Public Relations
Walker International Communications Group
OPERATIONS TEAM
Jelani Buckner, Director of Business Management & Operations
Acey Anderson, Manager of The Gatehouse Facility
Jordan Morales, Facilities & Maintenance Associate
Das IT
Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants
Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/Claudia Kaufman, Insurance
G&A Partners, Human Resources
Madison Consulting Group, Matt Lawrence
Madison Consulting Group, Matt Lawrence
PEOPLE & PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Shawna Bean, Director
PROGRAMMING & PRODUCTION TEAM
Miriam Sierra, Director of Programming & Production
Bethany Cintron, Manager of Education & Community Outreach
Zenzele Daniels, Programming & Production Manager
Breashel Mondesir, Technical Director
Devin Cameron, Light & Projections Designer
HARLEM STAGE FAMILY OF SUPPORTERS
Endowment
The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
The Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Public Support
New York State Council on the Arts—Chair, Katherine Nicholls
The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs—Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Laurie Cumbo
The New York City Council—Councilmember Shaun Abreu and Councilmember Yusef Salaam
New York City Tourism Foundataion
Manhattan Borough President—Mark Levine
Manhattan Community Board Program
Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone
Foundations
Altman Foundation
Bard of Pittsburgh US
Black Theatre United
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Columbia Community Service
Doris Duke Foundation
The Diana King Memorial Fund Presented by the Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation
The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust
Ford Foundation
Harkness Foundation for Dance
The Hearst Foundations
Howard Gilman Foundation
The Hyde and Watson Foundation
The Jerome Foundation
Jewish Communal Fund
Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts
Lambent Foundation/Tides Foundation
The Leonard and Robert Weintraub Family Foundation
The Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund
Lucille Lortel Foundation
MacMillan Family Foundation
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
(Foundations
continued)
Metzger-Price Fund
Miranda Family Fund
The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation
Pilot House
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Ruth Foundation for the Arts
The Scherman Foundation, Inc.
SHS Foundation
Spinrad Charitable Trust Fund
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Theatre Development Fund
The Thompson Family Foundation
Corporations
Bloomberg LP
JoAnn Chase Company
Consolidated Edison Company
The Interpublic Group of Companies
Manhattan Beer Distributors
SESAC
Warner Bros. Discovery
West Harlem Development Corporation
William Morris Endeavor
Ziffren Brittenham LLP
Major Gifts
Altman Foundation
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Ford Foundation
The Hearst Foundations
Barbara and Amost Hostetter
Howard Gilman Foundation
Jewish Communal Fund
The Diana King Memorial Fund Presented by the Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation
Lambent Foundation/Tides Foundation
The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation
Pilot House
The Thompson Family Foundation
The Leonard and Robert Weintraub Family Foundation
Education Funders
Columbia Community Service
Department of Cultural Affairs
Manhattan Community Award Program
Miranda Family Fund
The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation
The Weintraub Family Foundation
The above list reflects gifts of $100,000 and above. Donations under $99,999 are greatly appreciated but not classified as a Major Gift at Harlem Stage. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies and contact, Associate Director of Development, Julianna Friedman at jfriedman@harlemstage.org
Individual Support
Anonymous
Randy Adams
Ashley Adjaye
Ronald Alexander*
Lisa Arrindell
Stephany and Simon Bergson
Robert D. Bielecki
Angela Glover Blackwell*
Randy Bryant
Richard Buery
Giselle Byrd
Gayle Capozzalo
Drs. George and Mary Campbell
Geoffrey Canada
Joann Chase*
Christine Choi
Robin Coles
Vicki Corman
Hugh Dancy* and Claire Danes*
Sally and John Draper
Dr. Indira Etwaroo*
Susan Frost
Lisa Garcia
Stuart and Karen Gelwarg
Thelma Golden
Jessica Golden and Scott Lippstreu
Laura Greer
Agnes Gund
Monique Hanson
Drew Hawkins
Kinshasha Holman Conwill
Russell Hornsby
Margaret Hunt
Lisa Jackson
Debra James
Dwight Johnson
Terria Joseph
John Josephson and Carolina Zapf
Jenette Kahn
Michael Kenny
Steven Kirkpatrick
Brad Learmonth and Jon Gilman
Courtney Lee-Mitchell*
Kenny Leon
Channing Martin*
Frank H. McCourt, Jr.
Gay McDougall
Lawrence McRae*
Sherman and Chris Meloni
Lynn Nottage
Noreen O’Loughlin
Stan Ponte
Terri Prettyman Bowles
Toby Rappaport
LaTanya Richardson
Jackson
Rebecca Robertson*
Rick Rosen
Calvin Royal III and Jacek Mysinksi
Elizabeth Smith and Richard Cotton
Shadawn Smith
Mark Thomas*
Tamara Tunie*
Erwin Underwood
Courtney P. Vance and Angela Bassett
Reginald Van Lee
Laura Walker and Bert Wells
Donna Walker Kuhne
Blair Washington*
*Board Members
The above list reflects gifts received between July 1, 2024 and September 10, 2025. Donations under $1,000 are greatly appreciated but not acknowledged publicly. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies and contact Associate Director of Individual and Foundational Giving, Julianna Friedman at jfriedman@harlemstage.org
