Harlem Stage Presents Classical Theater of Harlem

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JAN 27 – APR 28

Our mission matters ... to ignite the artistic freedom of performing artists of the Global Majority (85% of the global population) who dare to create new artistic works, new ideas, and a new world in which ALL people can lourish.

Due to persistent and longstanding inequitable systems and structures, artists and institutions of the Global Majority remain the underinvested communities of the 21st century and yet ...

Harlem Stage is forged in a crucible of a creative ire whose lames and embers may waver, still — undeterred by overwhelming odds — we will continue to be a conduit for freedom, a lens to focus the issues of our time, and a light to illuminate any darkness.

Harlem Stage, in partnership with The Classical Theatre of Harlem, presents new works by emerging playwrights and a special preview!

JAN 27 – Playwright’s Playground

FEB 24 – Future Classics: No History

MAR 24 – Future Classics: The Memory House

APR 28 – Future Classics: Memnon (Preview)

This program from The Classical Theatre of Harlem is supported in part by Axe Houghton Foundation and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. This program is curated by The Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Director of Literary Programs, Shawn René Graham.

The work of The Classical Theatre of Harlem would not be possible without general operating support from the following organizations: Actors Equity Foundation, Aegon Transamerica, the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Blue Coat Philanthropic Fund, the Casement Fund, the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, Columbus Foundation, the Community Foundation of Utah at the recommendation of the Jarvis & Constance Doctorow Foundation, the Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Fordi Family Foundation, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Harlem Grown, the Howard Gilman Foundation, Hurlock Marketing Enterprises, the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, the Diana King Memorial Fund presented by the Charles & Lucille King Family Foundation, Loeb & Loeb, Lucille Lortel Foundation, the Mac & Bob Charitable Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, Miranda Family Fund, Netflix, New York Life Foundation, Nikko Asset Management, Rainbow Sandals Foundation, Richenthal Foundation, Scherman Foundation, SHS Foundation, Shubert Foundation, The Society, Inc. Renaissance Chapter, and Tiger Baron Foundation.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and City Council Members Shaun Abreu, and Yusef Salaam. The work of The Classical Theatre of Harlem is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Future Classics— A Preview of Memnon

Monday, April 28 at 7pm ET I Harlem Stage

Running Time: 90 mins

Inspired by long lost historical records, Memnon reintroduces a legendary Ethiopian king—son of Tithonus and Eos, nephew to Priam—who fought alongside Troy after Hector’s death. Until now, his valor and legacy survived only in ancient fragments mentioned by Homer and others. Playwright Will Power’s riveting script and direction by Carl Cofield illuminates an African hero overlooked by history. This special preview and conversation explore cultural memory, diverse storytelling, and the importance of reviving voices long silenced. Join us in rediscovering a once-forgotten warrior whose story resonates powerfully in today’s world.

Soraya Nadia McDonald is an award-winning cultural critic and journalist. As senior critic for Andscape (formerly known as The Undefeated), she won the George Jean Nathan prize for dramatic criticism and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism. She is an adjunct professor at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. You may recognize her voice from NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour or Fresh Air with Terry Gross. She is a contributing editor for Film Comment and contributes to Rolling Stone, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, and New York.

Soraya’s essay “‘Believe Me’ Means Believing That Black Women Are People” was published in Believe Me: How Trusting Women Can Change the World (Seal Press, 2020) and her essay “The Unbearable Whiteness of Oklahoma!” was published in Bigotry on Broadway (Baraka Books, 2021).

Soraya was a Eugene O’Neill National Critics Institute fellow and a Princeton Belknap fellow. She is a member of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, and the Television Critics Association. She sits on the board of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Prior to joining Andscape, she covered culture for the Washington Post

Soraya graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in journalism. She grew up in North Carolina and lives in Brooklyn. She is repped by Anna Sproul-Latimer of Neon Literary.

WILL POWER, PLAYWRIGHT

Will Power is an internationally renowned playwright, performer, lyricist and educator. His plays and performances have been seen in hundreds of theaters and concert halls throughout the world including The Public Theater (New York), The Battersea Arts Centre (U.K.), The Sydney Opera House, as well as numerous venues in Asia, Africa, Europe and throughout North America.

Called “The best verse playwright in America” by New York Magazine, Mr. Power is an innovator and dramatic explorer of new theatrical forms. He is known as one of the pioneers and co-creators of hip hop theater, a late 20th Century art form that led the way for future iconic works such as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, as well as dozens of hip hop education programs being established throughout the country. Power is also a master craftsman of traditionally based plays and musicals. His straight play, Fetch Clay, Make Man, has been produced in various LORT theaters and regional companies including the McCarter Theater, New York Theater Workshop, the Round House Theater, True Colors Theater Company, The Ensemble Theater, and Marin Theater Company to name a few. Other plays include (Getty Villa, Classical Theater of Harlem upcoming), Stagger Lee (Dallas Theater Company), Five Fingers of Funk (Children’s Theater Company), The Seven (La Jolla Playhouse, New York Theater Workshop, Ten Thousand Things Theater Company), Seize the King (La Jolla Playhouse, The Alliance Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem), Detroit Red (Arts Emerson), and most recently, MEMNON (Getty Villa and Classical Theater of Harlem upcoming). Power’s collaboration with Anne Bogart’s SITI Company and composer Julia Wolfe resulted in the performance piece Steel Hammer (Humana Festival, UCLA Live, Brooklyn Academy of Music, plus World tour).

Power has received numerous awards for his work as a writer and performer in the field including The Doris Duke Artist Award, an Andrew W. Mellon Playwright in Residence Grant, a Lucille Lortel Award, a United States Artist Prudential Fellowship, an NEA/TCG Residency Grant, TCG Peter Zeisler Memorial Award, a NYFA Award, a Joyce Foundation Award, and 2020 Elliot Norton Award (Outstanding New Script, Detroit Red).

Power is also a passionate teacher of writing and performance. He has held fellowships, residencies and faculty positions at the City College of New York, Princeton University, Wayne State University, The University of Michigan at Flint, the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and Spelman College. Currently, Will Power is a Professor of theater at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

CARL COFIELD, DIRECTOR

Carl Cofield is the Chair of Graduate Acting at NYU and Associate Artistic Director of the award-winning Classical Theatre of Harlem. His directing credits include the world premiere of The XIXth by Kemp Powers for the Old Globe, Seize the King and The Bacchae (both New York Times Critics Picks), MEMNON (Getty Villa), One Night in Miami (Rogue Machine, Denver Center), and King Lear starring André De Shields (St. Louis Shakespeare) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CTH) Other regional credits include A Raisin in the Sun and an Afro-futuristic Twelfth Night (Yale Rep and CTH), Disgraced (Denver Center), and The Mountaintop (Cleveland Play House). Cofield helmed The Princeton and Slavery Plays at McCarter Theatre, collaborating with renowned playwrights like Jackie Sibblies Drury and Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins. His acting work spans prestigious theaters nationwide, including Manhattan Theatre Club, Arena Stage, Berkeley Rep, and others. Honors include an NAACP Theatre Award and an L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, AUDELCO, and others. MFA Columbia School of the Arts.

ERIC BERRYMAN, MEMNON

Eric is a Baltimore born, Brooklyn based actor who is involved in work he believes his great-grandmother would dig. He won an Audelco Award-Best Featured Actor for the world premiere production of the now Pulitzer winning play Primary Trust (Roundabout). Last year he starred in several world premiere productions: Memnon (Classical Theatre of Harlem/Getty Villa); The Ford/Hill Project (Waterwell/The Public Theater); Galilee, 34 (South Coast Rep). Other Select Theatrical Credits: The B-Side: “Negro Folklore from Texas State Prisons” A Record Album Interpretation (Wooster Group-Drama Desk Nomination); Toni Stone (Roundabout); Detroit Red (ArtsEmerson-Elliot Norton Award); Steel Hammer(SITI COMPANY). This summer at Joe’s Pub he will be bringing back his current collaboration with The Wooster Group, which had a soft opening last year, a theatrical piece centered around a collection of Black American bawdy oral folk poetry called toasts entitled Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me. Select Film/TV credits: “Atlanta” (FX) Season 4, Ep 8-The Goof Who Sat by the Door, portraying ‘short lived Disney CEO’ Thomas Washington. “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight), “Godfather of Harlem” (Epix/MGM+), “Ramy”(HULU), “Bonding”, “Marriage Story”(NETFLIX), “Evil” (PARAMOUNT+); “Fallout”, “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”(Amazon) Training: Carnegie Mellon University.

ANDREA PATTERSON, HELEN

Andrea Patterson, Obie Award Winner and Drama Desk Award Nominee. NYC; cullud wattah (Off Broadway-The Public Theatre), Confederates (Off Broadway-Signature Theater), Seize the King (Classical Theatre of Harlem). Regional; Create Dangerously (Miami New Drama), Paradise Blue (Detroit Public Theatre), originated role of Helen in Memnon produced in Fall of 2024 by CTH and The Getty Villa. TV credits; Jessica Jones, Blue Bloods, Manifest.

Land Acknowledgement

The Harlem Stage Gatehouse sits on land that was stewarded by the Lenape Tribes and was 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 a call to action to join our efforts and our mission to ignite the artistic freedom of performing artists of the Global Majority who are poised to build new artistic works, new ideas, and a new world in which ALL people can flourish.

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 this 2024 – 2025 season alone. Finally, we are proud to work with artists, such as Bebe Miller, who will explore the dynamic and thriving ecology of forests, as necessary to a sustainable planet, as part of our Spring 2025 E-Moves Festival.

HARLEM STAGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ronald K. Alexander

JoAnn K. Chase

Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes

Dr. Indira Etwaroo

Angela Glover Blackwell

Alisha Johnson Wilder and Todd Wilder

LaChanze

Courtney F. Lee Mitchell, President

Channing Martin

Larry McRae

Jamila Ponton Bragg

Rebecca Robertson

Mark Thomas, Vice President

Tamara Tunie

Heather Wagoner

Blair Washington

Michael Young, Secretary

HARLEM STAGE LEADERSHIP

Dr. Indira Etwaroo, CEO & Artistic Director

Deirdre May, Chief Communications Officer

Jelani Buckner, Innovation Business Management Director

Karlvy Smith, Director of Institutional Development

Margaret Hunt, Development Lead

HARLEM STAGE TEAM

Acey Anderson, Facilities and Maintenance Associate

Lamont Askins, Operations Manager

Katie Burk, Graphic Design

Devin Cameron, Light and Projections Designer

Bethany Cintron, Community, Education, and Social Initiatives Manager

Zenzele Daniels, Institutional Volunteer

Denzel Fields, Programming and Administrative Associate

Julianna Friedman, Associate Director of Individual and Foundational Giving

Deniz Kofteci, Social Media & Website

Theodora Kuslan, Senior Director of Marketing

Martha Samuels, Director of Finanace

Saúl Ulerio, Technical Director

HARLEM STAGE USHERS

Trinity Bell

Linda De La Rosa

Andy Garcia

Jordan Morales

Julian Norales

Steven Sterling

Joshua Screen

HARLEM STAGE TECHNICAL CREW

Clarence Taylor, Shop Steward

David Barrett

Orlando Alvarado

Julio Collado

PARTNERS

Das, IT

Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants

Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/Claudia Kaufman, Insurance

Dwight Johnson Design, Gala

G&A Partners, Human Resources

Madison Consulting Group, Matt Lawrence

Manchester Benefits, Greg Martin

Nina Flowers, Public Relations

Squire Media & Management, Public Relations

Hollis King, Photography

Ncheng, LLP

Walker International Communications Group

HARLEM STAGE FAMILY OF SUPPORTERS

Endowment

Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation

Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund

Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Public

National Endowment for the Arts—Chair, Maria Rosario Jackson,PhD

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

Manhattan Borough President– Mark Levine

Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone

Foundations

Altman Foundation

Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc.

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Columbia Community Service

Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts

The Leonard and Sophie Davis Fund

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 Jerome Foundation

Jewish Communal Fund

The Diana King Memorial Fund Presented by the Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation

Lambent Foundation/Tides Foundation

Lucille Lortel Foundation

MacMillan Family Foundation

(Foundations

continued)

Mellon Foundation

Mertz Gilmore Foundation

Metzger-Price Fund

Miranda Family Fund

The Pierre and Tana Matisse Charitable Foundation

Pilot House

Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Ruth Foundation for the Arts

The Scherman Foundation, Inc.

SHS Foundation

The Shubert Foundation

The Thompson Family Foundation

The Leonard and Robert Weintraub Family Foundation

Corporations

BET Networks

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids

JoAnn Chase Company

Consolidated Edison Company

The Interpublic Group of Companies

Manhattan Beer Distributors

SESAC

West Harlem Development Corporation

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT

Randy Adams

Lisa Arrindell

Bernard Aronson

L. Kelly Atkinson Jr.

Roland Augustine

Neal Baer

Catherine Baker-Pitts

Stephany and Simon Bergson

Robert D. Bielecki Foundation

Angela Glover Blackwell*

Patricia Blanchet

Richard Buery

Mary Schmidt Campbell

Gayle Capozzalo

Geoffrey Canada

William and Patrice Cannon

Jamie Cannon*

JoAnn Chase*

Barry Cohen

Paul and Caroline Cronson

Hugh Dancy* and Claire Danes*

Indira Etwaroo, PhD*

Joni Evans and Susan Bird

Laura Flanders and Elizabeth Streb

Alex Gansa

Stuart and Karen Gelwarg

Laura Greer

Sharon Hall

Ruth and Stephen Hendel

Leon Henderson

Kinshasha Holman Conwill

William Holtzman

Winnie Holzman

Debra James

John Josephson and Carolina Zapf

Simon Kahn

Jenette Kahn

Michael Kantrow

Michael Kenny

James King

Steven Kirkpatrick

Daniel Klaus

Brad Learmonth and Jon Gilman

Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell*

Kenny Leon

Paul Levitz and Jeanette Cusimano

Jim Lewis

Loida Lewis

Jeanine Liburd

Karen Lipkind

Carey Lovelace

Richard Massey

Gay McDougall

Sherman and Chris Meloni

John Metzner

Kelly Myers

Lynn Nottage

Estelle Parsons

Richard D. Parsons

Marguerite Pitts

Will Pitts

Stan Ponte

Maxine and John Potts

Adam Richman

Dee Dee Ricks

Golda Rosheuvel

Terri Prettyman Bowles

Rebecca Robertson*

Gretchen and Jamie Rubin

Judy Rubin

Ted Snowdon and Duffy Violante

Beth and Jason Spector

Mark Thomas*

Teri & Lloyd Trotter

Tamara Tunie

Reginald Van Lee

Blair Washington*

Carrie Mae Weems

Fran and Barry Weissler

Greg Williamson

Carol Wood Moore

Michael Young*

*Board Members

The above list reflects gifts received between July 1, 2024 and January 23, 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

MAJOR GIFTS

Altman Foundation

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Ford Foundation

The Hearst Foundations

Howard Gilman Foundation

Jewish Communal Fund

The Diana King Memorial Fund Presented by the Charles and Lucille King

Family Foundation

Lambent Foundation/Tides Foundation

Mellon Foundation

Pilot House

The Thompson Family Foundation

The Leonard and Robert 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 Individual and Foundational Giving, Julianna Friedman at jfriedman@harlemstage.org

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