2015 National Black Theatre Festival Souvenir Journal by Nigel Alston

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 36 40 42

Greetings from the Mayor Greetings from the Executive Producer Greetings from the Artistic Director Memories Photo Collage Greetings from Debbi Morgan Greetings from Darnell Williams Special Thanks to Our Sponsors Schedule of Events Festival Highlights Performance Locations and Map Youth Events

Performing Companies 44 North Carolina Black Repertory Company 46 Aion Productions 48 The Billie Holiday Theatre 50 Black Ensemble Theater 52 Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. 54 Crossroads Theatre Company 56 Cultural Odyssey 58 Dam Entertainment 60 Daniel Beaty Productions 62 Diversity Youth Theatre 64 Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre 66 The Ensemble Theatre 68 Jazz Lion Productions & Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Arts Company 69 Kedron Productions, Inc. 70 Kosmond Russell Productions 71 Lange Productions 72 The Layon Gray American Theatre Company 73 New Federal Theatre 74 One Pearl and a Sphinx (OPAS) 75 THE POINTE! Studio of Dance & Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble 76 Project& 77 R.H. Orman Productions 78 Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art 79 The Robey Theatre Company 80 SOULOWORKS, Andrea E. Woods & Dancers 81 Sparkling City Entertainment 82 Spirit Sister Productions 83 Teatro Vila Velha 84 Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida, Inc. LLH Solo Performance Series 85 Kansas City Theater Foundation 86 National Black Touring Circuit, Inc. 87 Pulse Ensemble Theatre

August Third through Eighth

NBTF Fringe

88 Norfolk State University 89 North Carolina Central University Department of Theatre and Dance 90 Workshops Schedule 92 International Colloquium Schedule 93 Film Fest Schedule 2015 National Black Theatre Festival Honorees 94 Sidney Poitier Lifelong Achievement Award Bill Cobbs 94 Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award Nate Jacobs 95 Emerging Producer Award Erich McMillan-McCall 96 August Wilson Playwright Award Katori Hall 96 Lloyd Richards Director Award Clinton Turner Davis Living Legend Award 97 A. Peter Bailey 98 Maurice Hines 98 Robert Hooks 99 Grace Jones 100 Hattie Winston 100 Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design ESOSA 101 Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design Allen Lee Hughes 102 Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design Harlan Penn 102 Theatre Longevity Award The Carpetbag Theatre, Inc. 103 Special Recognition Award Karamu House 103 Special Recognition Award Rachel P. Jackson 104 Marvtastic Philanthropy Award The Millennium Fund 105 Theatre Arts & Humanitarian Award Warren Dell Leggett 106 Logo Designer—LaVon Van Williams, Jr. 107 Fundraising Committee 108 North Carolina Black Repertory Company BOD 109 North Carolina Black Repertory Company Guild Board 110 2015 Marvtastic Society Members 111 2015 National Black Theatre Festival Staff 112 In Memory

Two Thousand and Fifteen

GREETINGS Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, NBTF Executive Producer Friends, welcome! I’ve been waiting in anticipation to see you again. Purple and black adorn Winston-Salem and our home is ready just for you! This is the fifth National Black Theatre Festival® (NBTF) over which I have served as Executive Producer. Over the years, it has grown into a multi-million dollar contributor to the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County economies. Also, the National Bus Association and the Southeastern Tourist Society have identified NBTF as one of the Top 100 Summer Destinations in the United States. During this ‘Marvtastic’ week, elite artists from all over the world will dazzle you with unparalleled performances in more than 40 plays and musicals. From South Africa, Gogo and Big Sister explores the challenges female singers face through the talents of three generations. From New York, a family battles the ravaging affects of Alzheimer’s in Maid’s Door. A troupe from sunny Florida will belt out the unforgettable melodies of the ‘70s in Soul Crooners 2. Meanwhile, a California company delves into the fragile secrets of a father who must face the music after abandoning his family 25 years earlier in The Homegoing. All this and so much more, including the amazing talent featured in the Larry Leon Hamlin Solo Performance Series. In the mornings, enjoy the riveting discussions about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity In Black Theatre during the International Colloquium. Readers’ Theatre will take you on a journey filled with hilarious wit, somber realities and devious shenanigans as well as the celebrity reading, Front Porch Society. Youth and teens will have their own venue featuring national artists and star-studded events. Award-winning films from across the country will screen at a/perture Cinema, while our workshops will unveil new talents. Then we all can ‘kick-it’ with some of the nation’s talented urban poets at the Midnight Poetry Jam. I continue to be amazed by the remarkable creativity displayed by NBTF’s staff and core team. Based across the country, this very special group of people produces the many components of this biennial event. Along with them, I am so proud of our volunteers who faithfully help us solidify final details, spread the word about NBTF and promote our exciting lineup. I would also like to thank their families who graciously loan to us their loved ones for weeks and months. Finally, it is my pleasure to announce the North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC), which produces NBTF, is launching a new venture; a capital campaign for the National Black Theatre Hall of Fame and Museum. NCBRC/NBTF founder Larry Leon Hamlin dreamed of honoring the cultural contributions of African American actors, playwrights, directors, technicians and others in a distinguished place. Unfortunately, my beloved husband Larry Leon died before making his vision a reality. But now it is time to complete his dream. Producing and managing a festival of this magnitude is daunting and along the way there have been challenges. They are far outweighed, however, by the wonderful support and prayers showered upon me by so many who love theatre. I am humbled, and reminded I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin NBTF Executive Producer

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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GREETINGS Mabel Robinson, NCBRC Artistic Director North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC) continues to scintillate brightly as it celebrates 36 years of artistic adventures and growth. Aspiring young artists are being groomed as the next generation in our industry, as well as creating a strong stomping ground for professional artists. I am also honored to celebrate more than three decades of honing my craft with this company. Eight years ago, I was stretched in a way I never imagined, being appointed as Artistic Director upon the passing of NCBRC’s founder and my close friend, Larry Leon Hamlin. His vision was to unite remarkable Black performers, technicians, playwrights, and directors from all over the world and to bring them here to Winston-Salem, N.C. for the greatest family reunion on earth. Every time we come together at the National Black Theatre Festival, we honor Larry Leon and further secure the longevity of his vision. Also, this biennial event has contributed to distinguishing Winston-Salem as the City of Arts and Innovation. Built on a solid foundation in 1979, NCBRC continues producing insightful, educational and spirited plays faithfully supported by audiences from across the Triad and North Carolina. We are also inviting more guest artists to showcase their talents on our stage and lead Master classes. Meanwhile, community support for our annual staple productions – Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, Kwanzaa and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration – continues to grow, resulting in sold-out houses. We are also furthering our youth through our Teen Theatre Ensemble (TTE). Their creative season resulted in a number of productions: Samm-Art Williams’ Excelsior, the story of poet, teacher and anti-slavery activist Charlotte Forten Grimke; and Messed Up, a play about underage drinking, created in collaboration with Theatre Delta, an interactive theatre for social change. TTE toured Messed Up to three Winston-Salem high schools. Also this year, national award-winning playwright Samm-Art Williams has chosen to mentor these youth in the art of character and story development. With his support, they have completed the oneact play Bullying, exposing the complexity of what many youth face in today’s society. As I observe the artistic and personal maturity of our youth, I am enthusiastically optimistic about the future of Black Theatre. Many of our protégées are studying and successfully pursuing their craft in North Carolina, across the country and overseas. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Black Theatre Holy Ground and Reunion of Spirit. I am so glad the family is together to enjoy this glorious week of Marvtastic theatre. May you be stimulated to create works of excellence. Yours in the Arts,

Mabel Robinson NCBRC Artistic Director

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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A MESSAGE FROM THE CO-CHAIR Debbi Morgan, NBTF Co-Chair There was Bogie and Bacall…Tracy and Hepburn…Burton and Taylor…and Jesse and Angie…I am so honored to be co-chairing the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival along with my one of my dearest friends, Darnell Williams. We might be a long way from Pine Valley, but not from the legacy Darnell and I left on daytime television, portraying those beloved characters for almost three decades. Those characters will forever be a part of soap opera history. So many people loved Jesse and Angie, especially black folks…“Hey, Angie! Where’s Jesse?! Why you wanna do Jesse like that, Angie?!” Finally they had characters with whom they themselves could identify. When we watch television and go to the movies, we want to somehow be able to see ourselves and connect with the characters we are watching; identify with them, have some familiarity. We are certainly moving a bit forward in that regard as we have seen lately in primetime television. As far as films go, not so much, which is why we saw no representation of black actors, black directors, or black producers in the nominations at the 2015 Academy Awards. Simply put and yet again…a travesty. But now we come to one of the most prestigious, historical, and important events that does give enormous pride and recognition, and pays tribute to so many of our African American artists, and to our culture – the National Black Theatre Festival®, founded in 1989 by Larry Leon Hamlin, better known as Mr. Marvtastic, a true visionary. At the Festival, we have a wealth of black artists showcasing new productions, educational workshops and seminars, and panel discussions focusing on preserving black theatre and its revitalization. Theatergoers travel far and wide to see some of the most stupendous productions. With all that being said, it is also just a wonderful coming together of a lot of down-to-earth, groovy, fabulous actors, directors, and producers, who get to mingle and enjoy one another’s work! Here’s to another incredible and outstanding year in celebration of this year’s 2015 National Black Theater Festival!

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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SHEERS

TIGHTS

LEGGINGS

A MESSAGE FROM THE CO-CHAIR Darnell Williams, NBTF Co-Chair Outside of theatre, most people associate me with the ABC daytime drama All My Children, as Jesse Hubbard. It was a good experience, earning me two Daytime Emmy Awards and an NAACP Image Award. But my roots are in theatre. At 13, I performed in school plays and decided then I wanted to act. In 1975, I got my equity card with the national tour of the critically acclaimed play Selma. One of my first dance jobs was in the chorus of Guys and Dolls in Las Vegas. For almost ten years, I have been an active member of the Cell Theatre Company in New York City. It is a place where playwrights can develop their work and artists can expand their craft in experimental productions; fittingly dubbed a 21st Century Salon. I am proud to be a part of this theatre community. Theatre is where I go to re-charge. It is exciting to spend a solid week at this Festival with fellow artists who devote their lives to the pursuit of performance excellence. With focused precision, we break down a character; build a backstory; integrate direction, dance, and voice; and come together to create a dynamic rhythm. Then we set foot on stage and the most amazing thing happens…we connect with strangers. Each performance is a one of a kind live interaction that infuses the performers and audience with a zealous energy. Mastering the craft of theatre broadens your ability to express what you have learned while also deepening your foundation from which to build your characters. One gleans a sense of security in theatre because you must be on your toes all of the time. Theatre equips you to adjust in live situations…a valuable tool in any profession. It is a wonderful honor to be the Co-Chair of the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival®. Being part of this auspicious event is made all the more exciting because it brings me together again with one of my favorite people on this planet Earth, Debbi Morgan. On All My Children, she brilliantly portrayed Angela Baxter, Jesse’s love interest, and we had the distinct honor of being the first African American super couple in daytime television. Now we are united yet again, to help open this one-of-a-kind theatre festival. I welcome each of you and invite you to savor every minute of live performances, readings, films, workshops, poetry jams and youth events. Let’s turn it out during this Marvtastic week, have a great time and do some amazing art from the heart.

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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SPECIAL THANKS Sponsors

Contributors

Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County City of Winston-Salem The Millennium Fund Reynolds American Wells Fargo Bank National Endowment for the Arts Visit Winston-Salem Novant Health, Inc. Forsyth County Hanesbrands, Inc. (Formerly Sara Lee Branded Apparel— Sponsor since 1989) Winston-Salem State University Josh Howard Foundation Twin City Quarter Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T) Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center North Carolina Arts Council Truliant Federal Credit Union University of North Carolina School of the Arts Duke Energy Foundation Ford Winston-Salem Credit Union

Allegra Printing & Imaging Carolina’s Vineyards & Hops Excalibur Direct Marketing First Tennessee Bank Flow Automotive Foreign Cars Italia Forsyth County Public Library Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP New Winston Museum NewBridge Bank Nissan North America, Inc. North Carolina Central University Pepsi Bottling Ventures Reynolda House Museum of American Art Salem College Salemtowne Retirement Community Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art Summit School Wake Forest Innovation Quarter Wake Forest University Winston-Salem Transit Authority Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

...and “The Marvtastic Society”

…and the many others who have contributed to make the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival® possible.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The North Carolina Black Repertory Company is supported by the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

National Black Theatre Festival

NBTF logo design by LaVon Van Williams

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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SCHEDULE Monday 5:30pm OPENING NIGHT GALA (M.C. Benton Convention Center)

9:00pm BLACK STARS OF THE GREAT WHITE WAY—A Chapman Roberts Concept Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art (New York, NY) A soaring music and dance celebration of the glorious 100 year history of African Americans on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall, this Gala All Broadway Star Production is specifically designed to honor NBTF luminaries past and present. (Musical – General Audience) (University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center)

6:30pm CELEBRITY PROCESSION With NBTF Co-Chairs, Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams 6:45pm AWARDS PRESENTATION Sidney Poitier Lifelong Achievement Award Bill Cobbs Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award Nate Jacobs Emerging Producer Award Erich McMillan-McCall August Wilson Playwright Award Katori Hall Lloyd Richards Director Award Clinton Turner Davis Living Legend Award A. Peter Bailey Maurice Hines Robert Hooks Grace Jones Hattie Winston Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design ESOSA Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design Allen Lee Hughes Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design Harlan Penn Theatre Longevity Award The Carpetbag Theatre, Inc., Knoxville, TN Special Recognition Award Karamu House (100 years old), Cleveland, OH

Black Stars of The Great White Way in Times Square, New York City. Photo by Carmen DeJesus.

Special Recognition Award Rachel P. Jackson

10:30pm CELEBRITY RECEPTION Mix and mingle with the honorees, celebrity guests and other theatre patrons. (Marriott Hotel)

Marvtastic Philanthropy Award The Millennium Fund Theatre Arts & Humanitarian Award Warren Dell Leggett

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Tuesday THE MAGNIFICENT DUNBAR HOTEL The Robey Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Wake Forest #1 – The Mainstage Theatre

3:00pm THE BROTHERS SIZE Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA) WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center

ACCEPT “EXCEPT” LGBT NY New Federal Theatre (New York, NY) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre

THE MAGNIFICENT DUNBAR HOTEL The Robey Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Wake Forest #1 – The Mainstage Theatre

FETCH CLAY, MAKE MAN R.H. Orman Productions (Edgewater, NJ) UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre

THE DEALERSHIP & THE HOMEGOING Kosmond Russell Productions (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre

IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE: A Dance Adaptation of “Annie” THE POINTE! Studio of Dance & Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble (Greensboro, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium LETTERS FROM ZORA: In Her Own Words OPAS (Los Angeles, CA) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium

GOGO AND BIG SISTER Spirit Sister Productions (Cape Town, South Africa) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall

ADAM: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. National Black Touring Circuit (New York, NY) & BARBARA JORDAN: A Rendezvous with Destiny Kansas City Theater Foundation (Kansas City, MO) Reynolda House Museum of American Art

UNIVERSES Live! From the Edge Cultural Odyssey (San Francisco, CA) Salem College – The Drama Workshop Theatre

8:00pm BLACK STARS OF THE GREAT WHITE WAY—A Chapman Roberts Concept Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art (New York, NY) University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center

THE JOURNALS OF OSBORNE P. ANDERSON Lange Productions (Torrance, CA) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites

SWEET TEA: Black Gay Men of the South Project& (Chicago IL) Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

EXCELSIOR North Carolina Black Repertory Company M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

LETTERS FROM ZORA: In Her Own Words OPAS (Los Angeles, CA) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium

THE EVE OF JACKIE: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. (New York, NY) Arts Council Theatre

12:00 midnight MIDNIGHT POETRY JAM M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

THE BROTHERS SIZE Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA) WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Wednesday 3:00pm THE JOURNALS OF OSBORNE P. ANDERSON Lange Productions (Torrance, CA) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts SWEET TEA: Black Gay Men of the South Project& (Chicago IL) Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

FETCH CLAY, MAKE MAN R.H. Orman Productions (Edgewater, NJ) UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre THE DEALERSHIP & THE HOMEGOING Kosmond Russell Productions (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre GOGO AND BIG SISTER Spirit Sister Productions (Cape Town, South Africa) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE: A Dance Adaptation of “Annie” THE POINTE! Studio of Dance & Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble (Greensboro, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium LETTERS FROM ZORA: In Her Own Words OPAS (Los Angeles, CA) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium ADAM: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. National Black Touring Circuit (New York, NY) & BARBARA JORDAN: A Rendezvous with Destiny Kansas City Theater Foundation (Kansas City, MO) Reynolda House Museum of American Art FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites

THE EVE OF JACKIE: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. (New York, NY) Arts Council Theatre

EXCELSIOR North Carolina Black Repertory Company M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

THE BROTHERS SIZE Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA) WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center

8:00pm THE JOURNALS OF OSBORNE P. ANDERSON Lange Productions (Torrance, CA) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

THE MAGNIFICENT DUNBAR HOTEL The Robey Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Wake Forest #1 – The Mainstage Theatre

SWEET TEA: Black Gay Men of the South Project& (Chicago IL) Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

ACCEPT “EXCEPT” LGBT NY New Federal Theatre (New York, NY) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Wednesday continued THE EVE OF JACKIE: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. (New York, NY) Arts Council Theatre

THE DEALERSHIP & THE HOMEGOING Kosmond Russell Productions (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre

AT LAST: A Tribute to Etta James Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago, IL) K.R. Williams Auditorium - WSSU

GOGO AND BIG SISTER Spirit Sister Productions (Cape Town, South Africa) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall

THE BROTHERS SIZE Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA) WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center

UNIVERSES Live! From the Edge Cultural Odyssey (San Francisco, CA) Salem College – The Drama Workshop Theatre IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE: A Dance Adaptation of “Annie” THE POINTE! Studio of Dance & Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble (Greensboro, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium LETTERS FROM ZORA: In Her Own Words OPAS (Los Angeles, CA) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium ADAM: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. National Black Touring Circuit (New York, NY) & BARBARA JORDAN: A Rendezvous with Destiny Kansas City Theater Foundation (Kansas City, MO) Reynolda House Museum of American Art FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites EXCELSIOR North Carolina Black Repertory Company M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

THE MAGNIFICENT DUNBAR HOTEL The Robey Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Wake Forest #1 – The Mainstage Theatre ACCEPT “EXCEPT” LGBT NY New Federal Theatre (New York, NY) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre

10:30pm AN EVENING WITH VIVIAN REED Kedron Productions, Inc. (New York, NY) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites

FETCH CLAY, MAKE MAN R.H. Orman Productions (Edgewater, NJ) UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre

12:00 midnight MIDNIGHT POETRY JAM M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Thursday 10:00am STORYTELLING FESTIVAL North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers Gaines Ballroom - Lower Level - Embassy Suites

THE MONKEY ON MY BACK! (An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan) Dam Entertainment (Bowie, MD) Reynolda House Museum of American Art

Noon NATIONAL YOUTH TALENT SHOWCASE M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites

3:00pm THE JOURNALS OF OSBORNE P. ANDERSON Lange Productions (Torrance, CA) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

DUTCHMAN & THE LAST REVOLUTIONARY Jazz Lion Productions (North Hollywood, CA) Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF GRACE MAY B. BROWN SOULOWORKS, Andrea E. Woods & Dancers (Durham, NC) M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall 8:00pm THE GLORY OF GOSPEL North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC) University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center

THE DEALERSHIP & THE HOMEGOING Kosmond Russell Productions (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre

SWEET TEA: Black Gay Men of the South Project& (Chicago IL) Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts THE EVE OF JACKIE: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. (New York, NY) Arts Council Theatre

IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE: A Dance Adaptation of “Annie” THE POINTE! Studio of Dance & Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble (Greensboro, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium

National Black Theatre Festival

AT LAST: A Tribute to Etta James Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago, IL) K.R. Williams Auditorium - WSSU

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Thursday continued THE BLUEST EYE North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC) WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center

UNIVERSES Live! From the Edge Cultural Odyssey (San Francisco, CA) Salem College – The Drama Workshop Theatre MR. JOY Daniel Beaty Productions (New York, NY) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium MAID’S DOOR Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn, NY) Summit School – Loma Hopkins Theatre

REPAIRING A NATION Crossroads Theatre Company (New Brunswick, NJ) Wake Forest #1 – The Mainstage Theatre ACCEPT “EXCEPT” LGBT NY New Federal Theatre (New York, NY) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre SASSY MAMAS Sparkling City Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre

THE MONKEY ON MY BACK! (An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan) Dam Entertainment (Bowie, MD) Reynolda House Museum of American Art

GOGO AND BIG SISTER Spirit Sister Productions (Cape Town, South Africa) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall

10:30pm AN EVENING WITH VIVIAN REED Kedron Productions, Inc. (New York, NY) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites 12:00 midnight MIDNIGHT POETRY JAM M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Friday THE OLD SETTLER The Ensemble Theatre (Houston, TX) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre

Noon NATIONAL YOUTH TALENT SHOWCASE M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall 3:00pm KINGS OF HARLEM The Layon Gray American Theatre Company (New York, NY) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts SOJOURNER TRUTH, A LEGACY North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC) & W.E.B. DU BOIS: A MAN FOR ALL TIMES Pulse Ensemble Theatre (New York, NY) Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

THE MOVEMENT Diversity Youth Theatre (Orange, NJ) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall

SOUL CROONERS 2 Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Sarasota, FL) Arts Council Theatre

THE CLOTHESLINE MUSE Aion Productions (Durham, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium HANDS UP Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites DUTCHMAN & THE LAST REVOLUTIONARY Jazz Lion Productions (North Hollywood, CA) Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF GRACE MAY B. BROWN SOULOWORKS, Andrea E. Woods & Dancers (Durham, NC) M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall 8:00pm THE GLORY OF GOSPEL North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC) University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center

BODY OF A WOMAN AS BATTLEFIELD Teatro Vila Velha (Salvador, Brazil) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Friday continued KINGS OF HARLEM The Layon Gray American Theatre Company (New York, NY) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

THE CLOTHESLINE MUSE Aion Productions (Durham, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium

SOJOURNER TRUTH, A LEGACY North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC) & W.E.B. DU BOIS: A MAN FOR ALL TIMES Pulse Ensemble Theatre (New York, NY) Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts SOUL CROONERS 2 Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Sarasota, FL) Arts Council Theatre AT LAST: A Tribute to Etta James Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago, IL) K.R. Williams Auditorium - WSSU

MR. JOY Daniel Beaty Productions (New York, NY) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium

THE BLUEST EYE North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC) WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center

MAID’S DOOR Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn, NY) Summit School – Loma Hopkins Theatre

REPAIRING A NATION Crossroads Theatre Company (New Brunswick, NJ) Wake Forest #1 – The Mainstage Theatre

THE MONKEY ON MY BACK! (An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan) Dam Entertainment (Bowie, MD) Reynolda House Museum of American Art

BODY OF A WOMAN AS BATTLEFIELD Teatro Vila Velha (Salvador, Brazil) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre

HANDS UP Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites

SASSY MAMAS Sparkling City Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre

10:30pm AN EVENING WITH VIVIAN REED Kedron Productions, Inc. (New York, NY) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites

THE OLD SETTLER The Ensemble Theatre (Houston, TX) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre THE MOVEMENT Diversity Youth Theatre (Orange, NJ) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall

12:00 midnight MIDNIGHT POETRY JAM M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

UNIVERSES Live! From the Edge Cultural Odyssey (San Francisco, CA) Salem College – The Drama Workshop Theatre

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Saturday BODY OF A WOMAN AS BATTLEFIELD Teatro Vila Velha (Salvador, Brazil) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre

3:00pm THE GLORY OF GOSPEL North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC) University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center

SASSY MAMAS Sparkling City Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre THE OLD SETTLER The Ensemble Theatre (Houston, TX) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre THE MOVEMENT Diversity Youth Theatre (Orange, NJ) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall THE CLOTHESLINE MUSE Aion Productions (Durham, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium MR. JOY Daniel Beaty Productions (New York, NY) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium

KINGS OF HARLEM The Layon Gray American Theatre Company (New York, NY) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts SOJOURNER TRUTH, A LEGACY North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC) & W.E.B. DU BOIS: A MAN FOR ALL TIMES Pulse Ensemble Theatre (New York, NY) Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

MAID’S DOOR Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn, NY) Summit School – Loma Hopkins Theatre THE MONKEY ON MY BACK! (An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan) Dam Entertainment (Bowie, MD) Reynolda House Museum of American Art HANDS UP Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites DUTCHMAN & THE LAST REVOLUTIONARY Jazz Lion Productions (North Hollywood, CA) Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites

SOUL CROONERS 2 Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Sarasota, FL) Arts Council Theatre AT LAST: A Tribute to Etta James Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago, IL) K.R. Williams Auditorium - WSSU

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF GRACE MAY B. BROWN SOULOWORKS, Andrea E. Woods & Dancers (Durham, NC) M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall

THE BLUEST EYE North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC) WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center REPAIRING A NATION Crossroads Theatre Company (New Brunswick, NJ) Wake Forest #1 – The Mainstage Theatre

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SCHEDULE Saturday continued BODY OF A WOMAN AS BATTLEFIELD Teatro Vila Velha (Salvador, Brazil) Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre

8:00pm THE GLORY OF GOSPEL North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC) University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center

SASSY MAMAS Sparkling City Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA) UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre

KINGS OF HARLEM The Layon Gray American Theatre Company (New York, NY) Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts

THE OLD SETTLER The Ensemble Theatre (Houston, TX) UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre THE MOVEMENT Diversity Youth Theatre (Orange, NJ) Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall

UNIVERSES Live! From the Edge Cultural Odyssey (San Francisco, CA) Salem College – The Drama Workshop Theatre THE CLOTHESLINE MUSE Aion Productions (Durham, NC) R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium

SOUL CROONERS 2 Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Sarasota, FL) Arts Council Theatre

MR. JOY Daniel Beaty Productions (New York, NY) SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium

AT LAST: A Tribute to Etta James Black Ensemble Theater (Chicago, IL) K.R. Williams Auditorium - WSSU

MAID’S DOOR Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn, NY) Summit School – Loma Hopkins Theatre HANDS UP Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre (New York, NY) Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites DUTCHMAN & THE LAST REVOLUTIONARY Jazz Lion Productions (North Hollywood, CA) Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Company (Los Angeles, CA) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites 10:30pm AN EVENING WITH VIVIAN REED Kedron Productions, Inc. (New York, NY) Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS The founder of the National Black Theatre Festival® (NBTF), Larry Leon Hamlin, coined the word “Marvtastic” which means there is nothing greater or better than. “Marvtastic” describes the 2015 NBTF. This historic event illuminates the powerful theatrical spirit and extraordinary talent of Black performers, designers, directors, producers and technicians from across the country and abroad. During the next six life-impacting days, you will experience electrifying performances, informative workshops, riveting films and insightful spoken word poetry that will open your eyes to a new perspective on our culture’s artistic endeavors. Every evening culminates with a Celebrity Reception, Midnight Readers’ Theatre and the Midnight Poetry Jam. The 2015 NBTF will open with a vibrant parade of powerful African drummers and dancers followed by a grand and royal procession of more than 50 celebrities of television, film and stage. Broadway comes to Winston-Salem in the second part of this exciting evening with a production of Black Stars of The Great White Way – A Chapman Roberts Concept. Get your tickets now for this marvtastic show.

Larry Leon Hamlin

The third part of the evening ends with a star-studded reception and festive dancing until the last beat of the African drums.

Theatrical Productions The 14th biennial NBTF will offer a wide range of theatrical performances including dramas, comedies, musicals, choreoplays and multimedia. Choose from more than 130 performances of new works and Black classics performed by professional Black theatre companies from across the country and abroad. Shows are presented at multiple venues throughout Winston-Salem. Tickets range in price from $6-$48. Celebrity performances abound at this year’s Festival. Stars include Debbi Morgan in The Monkey on My Back! An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan, Vanessa Bell Calloway in Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words, Rain Pryor in Fried Chicken and Latkes, Roscoe Orman in Fetch Clay, Make Man, South African star Thembi Mtshali-Jones in Gogo and Big Sister, Aloma Wright, Dorien Wilson and Tommy Ford in The Dealership, Hawthorne James in The Homegoing, Nnenna Freelon in The Clothesline Muse, and Vivian Reed in An Evening with Vivian Reed. Artists Networking Showcase This showcase provides an opportunity for artists, including actors, directors, playwrights, and designers (costume, lights, set, sound) to interview with arts presenters, casting directors, and theatre companies from across the United States. The showcase will be held on August 6-7. Sign-up begins on Tuesday, August 4. Coordinated by Darsell B. Brittingham. (Marriott Hotel) Celebrity Receptions Don’t miss the chance to mingle with the stars! NBTF will continue the tradition of the nightly celebrity reception. (Marriott Hotel)

National Black Theatre Festival

Encore Performances Productions performed on the mainstage at previous Festivals are invited to return. This year’s encore performances include: The Monkey on My Back! An Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan; Adam: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.; Barbara Jordan: A Rendezvous with Destiny; The Dealership and The Homegoing; Fried Chicken and Latkes; and The Eve of Jackie: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson. International Colloquium The International Colloquium is a collaborative effort between the NBTF, Winston-Salem State University, and Black Theatre Network (BTN). The theme for the 2015 Colloquium is Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Black Life. Marcus Gardley will deliver the keynote address on August 4. The four-day forum (August 4-7) is facilitated by international theatre professionals and academicians. LGBT-themed plays presented at this year’s festival include: Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South and Accept “Except” LGBT NY, and The Brothers Size. Coordinated by Dr. Olasopé Oyelaran. (Embassy Suites Hotel) International Vendors Market Discover wonderful treasures from all cultures, especially the African Diaspora. This shopper’s paradise has something for everyone, including the Authors’ Pavilion. Coordinated by Rhonda Caldwell, The Main Event, Inc. (M.C. Benton Convention Center) Larry Leon Hamlin Solo Performance Series Conceived by Ella Joyce, this specialized series, named after the Festival’s founder, presents historical biographies of known and unknown African Americans. Historical figures spotlighted this year are Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Barbara Jordan, Sojourner Truth, and W.E.B. DuBois.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS Midnight Poetry Jam The art of “spoken word” explodes in dynamic rhythms as aspiring and professional poets express themselves to an over-capacity audience for five nights. Helena Lewis is joined by celebrity guests as they co-host this popular festival attraction. Coordinated by Weusi Baraka. (M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall) NBTF Film Fest Celebrating independent filmmakers for their enormous contributions to the industry. Among the work presented during the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival, That Daughter’s Crazy starring Rain Pryor, daughter of actor/ comedian Richard Pryor. This social commentary explores ethnic, racial and cultural diversity within her family, parent/child relationships and her roller coaster journey into the world of comedy. Home is a documentary exploring The Great Northern Migration of Southern African Americans to The Civil Rights Movement shaping this country’s present-day society. It features interviews with poet, social activist and educator Maya Angelou; actor, director and narrator Morgan Freeman and Grammy award winning jazz vocalist Gregory Porter. In Stanford & Son, a narrow minded son attempts to squash the dreams of his eccentric father. But in the wake of almost losing everything, he discovers he can’t stop ‘the beat’. Coordinated by Kathryn Mobley. National Black Theatre Hall of Fame and Museum An exhibition preview of the National Black Theatre Hall of Fame and Museum, envisioned to permanently preserve the cultural contributions of black actors, playwrights, directors and others of significance. The museum will become a new anchor in downtown Winston-Salem and will serve as a dynamic, interactive space that puts the visitor in the middle of the excitement and energy of live theatre while bringing to life the giants of the genre. (New Winston Museum, 713 S. Marshall Street, Winston-Salem, NC) National Youth Talent Showcase Youth from across the country take center stage and showcase their extraordinary and diverse talents before a panel of celebrity judges. Coordinated by Dr. Stephanie ‘Asabi’ Howard. (M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall) NBTF Fringe In its continued effort to cultivate the next generation of Black theatre professionals, the Festival highlights collegiate productions. The Bluest Eye will be performed by the North Carolina Central University Department of Theatre. Norfolk State University will present The Brothers Size.

National Black Theatre Festival

TeenTastic (Collaborative Teen Initiative) TeenTastic, a collaboration with the City of Winston-Salem, and Winston-Salem Parks & Recreation Department offers programs to entertain teens from ages 15 – 19. A special reading will be performed by the NCBRC Teen Theatre Ensemble. American Idol’s Qaasim Middleton will make a special appearance during the latter part of the week. Coordinated by Demetria Dove Nickens. (Education Annex, Winston-Salem Fairgrounds) The Readers’ Theatre Approximately 25-30 original works written by renowned and aspiring playwrights are showcased. Professional actors will read for an audience of theatre professionals, scholars and the general public. The first component, New Plays at High Noon, begins Tuesday, August 4 at 11:30 am. The original component of the series, Theatre Conversations at Midnight begins later that evening at 11:30 pm. Seating is limited at midnight readings. Coordinated by Garland Lee Thompson, Jr. of the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop. (Marriott Hotel) Workshops & Seminars Theatre professionals, scholars and celebrities will conduct an array of workshops and seminars. Learn how to navigate the business side of entertainment presented by Luther Goins with Actors Equity Association, discover how to conduct research into African American Genealogy, and challenge your theatrical talents in a Master Acting Class for stage and film conducted by renowned coach Vera Katz. Coordinated by Kathryn Mobley. (Marriott and Embassy Suites Hotels) Youth/Celebrity Project Over 6,000 youth of all ages from across the country interact with celebrities and theatre professionals. Additions to the Youth/Celebrity Project will be a children’s talent show, a storytelling festival and selected productions. Coordinated by Cleopatra Solomon. For additional information, call 336-723-2266. (Embassy Suites Hotel) A Celebration of Life Salute for Garland Lee Thompson, Sr. An afternoon of music, ritual salutes, dance, monologues and celebrity guests, celebrating the life and legacy of Garland Lee Thompson Sr., Founding Executive Director of the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop, producer, playwright, actor, stage manager, and dramaturge. Free and open to the public. Coordinated by Aduke Aremu. Thursday, August 6, 2015 - 3:00 pm - 6:30 pm. (M.C. Benton Convention Center - Main Level)

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS 1 2

Arts Council Theatre 610 Coliseum Drive, W-S, NC 27106

Embassy Suites Hotel Reese Theatre in the Pavilion Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level 425 N. Cherry St., Downtown W-S, NC

Hanesbrands Theatre Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts Mountcastle Forum Black Box 209 N. Spruce Street, W-S, NC 27101

M.C. Benton Convention Center North Main Hall 301 West Fifth St. Downtown W-S, NC 27101

Reynolda House Museum of American Art 2250 Reynolda Rd. W-S, NC 27106

R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium 301 N. Hawthorne Rd. W-S, NC 27104

Salem Academy and College Fine Arts Center The Drama Workshop Theatre Shirley Recital Hall 500 E. Salem Ave., W-S, NC 27101

SECCA Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium 750 Marguerite Drive, W-S, NC 27106

Summit School Loma Hopkins Theatre 2100 Reynolda Road, W-S, NC 27106

University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center (UNCSA) 4th & Marshall Streets Downtown W-S, NC 27101

University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) UNCSA #1-The Gerald Freedman Theatre UNCSA #2 - Catawba Arena Theatre 1533 S. Main Street, W-S, NC 27127

Wake Forest University (WFU) Scales Fine Arts Center WFU #1-The MainStage Theatre WFU #2-The Ring Theatre 1834 Wake Forest Drive, W-S, NC 27106

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) K.R. Williams Auditorium Dillard Auditorium – Anderson Center 601 MLK, Jr. Dr., W-S, NC 27110

Festival Transportation Information Transportation will be available to theatre venues from designated Festival hotels.

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

MAP TO PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS

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August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

YOUTH EVENTS

(A) Events open to all youth, (T) Teen events, ($) Ticketed events

Monday, August 3 Gala Night Welcoming Rally — 5:30 pm (A) Gather outside the MC Benton Convention Center and give a grand salute to our ‘Stars’ as they enter NBTF’s opening night gala. MC Benton Convention Center

Sessions with the Stars — 10:00 am–Noon (A) Motivational messages shared by celebrities and storytellers along with youth entertainment. Garden Terrace, Embassy Suites Hotel /Downtown Winston-Salem

Tuesday, August 4 Youth “Celebration” Parade — 10:00 am (A) Young celebrities will be highlighted during this special event in downtown Winston-Salem. Grand Marshal, rising star Colby Christina. Downtown Winston-Salem

National Youth Talent Showcase — Noon (A)($) Youth from across the country and of all ages compete in a talent showcase. MC Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall Admission: $11.00 Teentastic SPOTLight — 7 pm–Midnight (T) Showcasing a range of talented teens. Featuring “Inspire The Fire,” from the popular TV Show, America’s Got Talent. Winston Salem Fairgrounds

Friday, August 7 Sessions with the Stars — 10:00 am–Noon (A) Motivational messages shared by celebrities and storytellers along with youth entertainment. Garden Terrace, Embassy Suites Hotel /Downtown Winston-Salem

Wednesday, August 5 Sessions with the Stars — 10:00 am–Noon (A) Motivational messages shared by celebrities and storytellers along with youth entertainment. Garden Terrace, Embassy Suites Hotel /Downtown Winston-Salem

National Youth Talent Showcase — Noon (A)($) Youth from across the country and of all ages compete in a talent showcase. MC Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall Admission: $11.00

Teen Talk Forum — 10:00 am–Noon (T) Young people can “speak-out” on current issues affecting them and their peers. Featuring Colby Christina. MC Benton Convention Center Sponsored by Winston-Salem Urban League

Teentastic Fashion Show — 7 pm–Midnight (T) Stylish clothes, hair and makeup by teens who know how to ‘hook it up’! Winston-Salem Fairgrounds

Youth Day at the Theatre — 3:00 pm & 8:00 pm (A)($) It’s A Hard Knock Life: A Dance Adaptation of Annie A red carpet event for youth ages 5-18. R.J. Reynolds Auditorium Admission: $20.00 (Group Rates Available)

Saturday, August 8 Teentastic Explosion of Arts — 7 pm–Midnight (T) “DubSmash” Battles, art trivia, Spoken Word, dance contests, and more. Celebrity guests; Qaasim Middleton from American Idol, and Interscope Records rapper, KCamp. Winston-Salem Fairgrounds

Thursday, August 6 Storytelling Festival — 10:00 am (A)($) Storytellers from across North Carolina skillfully weave tales of cultural history, fiction, humor and life lessons through this age-old tradition. Gaines Ballroom, Embassy Suites Hotel. Admission: $8.00

FAMILY ORIENTED, MUST SEE PLAYS Excelsior It’s A Hard Knock Life: A Dance Adaptation of Annie The Amazing Adventures of Grace May B. Brown The Movement (Group Rates Available)

Man Talk — 10:00 am–Noon (11 and up) Males, age 11 and up, will participate in an open dialogue with male celebrities who are positive role models. Agencies that provide services to “at risk” males are invited to participate. Knollwood B, Marriott Hotel. Sponsored by Maximum Enterprise, Inc.

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES North Carolina Black Repertory Company

In 1979, the late Larry Leon Hamlin founded the North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC), the first professional Black theatre company in North Carolina. Hamlin was nationally and internationally known for his profound contributions to Black theatre in the United States. Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin, as Chair of the Board of Directors, has continued NCBRC’s tradition of excellence. NCBRC’s mission is to electrify multicultural audiences through artistic presentations that invite participation, strengthen commitment and keep Black Theatre alive. Its vision is to transform lives through the power of Black Theatre. NCBRC is widely recognized for its artistic and administrative achievements and its international outreach program, the National Black Theatre Festival® (NBTF). Seeing a need to take action to secure the future of Black Theatre, Larry Leon Hamlin founded the NBTF in 1989. It continues to empower Black theatre as a whole to maintain its momentum, find its center, and successfully move forward. Held biennially, it brings professional Black Theatre companies and audiences of up to 60,000 people from across the United States and other countries to Winston-Salem NC for the only six-day festival of its kind. In addition to the biennial Festival, the NCBRC regular season of productions includes professional stage productions, staged readings and theatrical holiday presentations. A highlight of the 2014-2015 season was NCBRC’s participation in Project1Voice, a national event involving theatre companies across the country holding staged readings of the same play at the same time. The 2015 featured play was Home, by Tony-nominated playwright Samm-Art Williams. Williams attended NCBRC’s reading and discussion afterward. Additional season highlights included Artistic Director Mabel Robinson’s rousing The Glory of Gospel and Sandra Jones’ one-woman show, Sojourner Truth, A Legacy. NCBRC’s Teen Theatre Ensemble (TTE) is a community outreach to youth between 13-18 years old. Its mission is to serve as an immersive training and mentoring program that exposes youth to professional knowledge, productions, careers and hands-on training in the performing arts industry. Led by Artistic Director Robinson, TTE participants interact with and learn from professional artists, choreographers, playwrights and designers. In 2015, TTE performed Samm-Art Williams’ Excelsior. Williams has partnered with NCBRC to become a professional mentor to the group. NCBRC is also working toward achieving Larry Leon Hamlin’s long-held dream to create the National Black Theatre Hall of Fame & Museum. Working with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Arts Council, NCBRC is well on its way to making its Founder’s dream a reality.

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Based on the true story of Charlotte Forte, one of the first African American teachers, Excelsior explores the issues she experiences when she is sent to educate newly freed Gullah-Geechee teens and adults during the Port Royal Experiment on St. Helena Island, SC. Presented by the NCBRC Teen Theatre Ensemble. Written by Samm-Art Williams. Directed by Mabel Robinson. (Drama – General Audience) Excelsior M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall) Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday August 5, 8:00pm

The Glory of Gospel is a spiritual, musical experience that illuminates the history and origin of Gospel music through soulful songs and dance. Written, directed and choreographed by Mabel Robinson. (Musical – General Audience) The Glory of Gospel University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center  Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

Sojourner Truth, a Legacy presents a journey through the life and legacy of one of the most astonishing women of history. Written and performed by Sandra Jones. Directed by Mabel Robinson. (Larry Leon Hamlin Solo Performance Series) Sojourner Truth, a Legacy Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts  Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES Aion Productions The Clothesline Muse is a multi-disciplinary devised theater work lovingly created by three family members. Six-time Grammy nominated vocalist Nnenna Freelon plays the role of Grandma Blu, and wrote all of the original music. Maya Freelon Asante, a highly regarded young visual artist, created the beautiful tissue paper sculpture and projected visual elements. Dr. Kariamu Welsh, noted choreographer and teacher, took the mundane movements of hand washing and transformed them into powerful choreographed dance elements. The full cast includes Freelon, Tyanna West as her young granddaughter Mary Mack, and four dancers. The intergenerational tale celebrates the importance of sharing our stories and the legacy of the clothesline in African American history and world culture. The production premiered at the Painted Bride Arts Center in Philadelphia, PA in March 2014. It then toured nationally to The Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, The Edison Theater at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and the TECO Theater in Dallas, TX. The highly successful North Carolina tour included the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Davidson College, the Durham Arts Council, The Hayti Heritage Center and the High Point Theater. Aion Productions is grateful for this outstanding opportunity to be presented by the National Black Theater Festival®. Photo by Chris Charles

The Clothesline Muse was made possible with funding from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, with lead funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The production is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project, co-commissioned by the Painted Bride Art Center in partnership with St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation, Inc./Hayti Heritage Center and NPN. It also received support from many friends, family and individuals, locally and nationally, who contributed time and resources to the realization of this project. To bring The Clothesline Muse to your city, town or theater contact Pamela M. Green, PMG Arts Management, 919-813-6092, pam@pmgartsmgt.com. The Clothesline Muse explores the layered meaning of “Holding up your end of the line.” Grandma Blu and Mary are both online but live in very different worlds. Across generational lines, they rediscover ties that bind and the spiritual power of family. The everyday task of washing clothes by hand is transformed into beautiful imagery, dance and song. Each article of clothing is filled to the brim with story and memory. This is a joyous celebration of history and legacy and connects “old school” and “new school” with a humorous element. Written by Nnenna Freelon, Kariamu Welsh and Maya Freelon Asante. (Mixed genre – General Audience) The Clothesline Muse R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES The Billie Holiday Theatre The Billie Holiday Theatre, Inc. (BHT) was founded in 1972 by Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, whose mission is to be a catalyst for the progressive improvement of the quality of life for the people of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. BHT strives to do its part by producing three mainstage productions each season, along with special programming such as new play readings and developmental productions, acting and playwriting classes for children, theatre workshops for seniors, a film series, and panel discussions on topics relevant to the community. Focusing on new works by playwrights of the African Diaspora, BHT seeks to enlighten, entertain, and educate with programming that resonates across cultural and generational barriers, and challenges social perceptions. Many of today’s successful actors, writers, designers, and musicians developed their craft at BHT. Actors nurtured at BHT include Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Allen, Tichina Arnold, Bill Photo by Helen L. Collen Cobbs, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Carol Woods, Elain Graham and Ebony JoAnn. The legendary William “Smokey” Robinson had his first musical theatre production, Raisin’ Hell, produced at BHT. Other notable authors whose first plays were produced at the Theatre include Samm-Art Williams, legendary jazz musician Weldon Irvine, and John Henry Redwood. Musicians Victor Willis and Alex Briley met and performed at the Theatre eight months prior to forming The Village People, and Grammy Award winning bassist and producer extraordinaire Marcus Miller performed in the BHT pit band. The great political satirist and comic, Dick Gregory, made his theatrical comeback on the BHT stage after a 20-year absence. BHT audiences were also treated to the reunion of Good Times stars Ralph Carter and John Amos. In 1981, BHT made history when it transferred the hit play Inacent Black to Broadway with fifty percent of the financing derived from the Black community; a first in the theatre world according to The New York Times. The New York Daily News called BHT “a neighborhood jewel and one of the nation’s premier Black playhouses.” Crisis magazine declared the Theatre “(a)n unsung institution of our own distinction which produces some of the best dramatic productions in the country, a monument – more deserving than the great white way.” Winner of seven 2014 AUDELCO awards, including Dramatic Production of the Year, Maid’s Door presents a family pushed to the breaking point as they struggle to save their beloved matriarch from being robbed of a glorious present by ghosts from her past. Written by Cheryl L. Davis. Directed by Jackie Alexander. (Drama – General Audience) Maid’s Door Summit School - Loma Hopkins Theatre Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Black Ensemble Theater

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater is to eradicate racism and its damaging effects upon society through the utilization of theater arts. Black Ensemble Theater (BE), founded in 1976 by the phenomenal actress, producer, and playwright Jackie Taylor, has grown from a small community arts organization to a highly respected, nationally and internationally renowned arts institution. BE is recognized as one of the most diverse theaters in the country, providing excellent and transformative productions and educational outreach programs. On November 18, 2011, BE celebrated the Grand Opening of the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, the theater’s first permanent home, located at 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago. BE’s first performance at the National Black Theater Festival® was in 2001, premiering the phenomenal Jackie Wilson Story. BE has proudly participated in this historic celebration ever since, and continues to appreciate the opportunities that the Festival provides. AT LAST: A Tribute to Etta James traces the musical journey of Etta James, from her peak in the 60s and 70s, her struggle through the 80s, to her comeback in the 90s. Five actresses portray this legendary R&B queen at different stages of her career. Written and directed by Jackie Taylor. (Musical – General Audience) AT LAST: A Tribute to Etta James K. R. Williams Auditorium - WSSU Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Chess, Not Checkers, Inc. NAACP Theater Award winner Chester Gregory was born and raised in Gary, Indiana where at a young age he fell in love with performing. Influenced by the entertainers of his childhood, he found his own unique voice and style. Gregory studied and refined his skills in singing and acting at Emerson Visual and Performing Arts School and Columbia College, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Through dedication and hard work, he built his passion for the arts into a career, making a name for himself when he burst onto the theater scene as Jackie Wilson in the original production of The Jackie Wilson Story. He earned major acclaim, including the Jeff, AUDELCO, BTAA and Black Excellence Awards. His first ever review in The New York Times began, “There is essentially one reason — and it’s a very good one — to see The Jackie Wilson Story, and that is the star, Chester Gregory.” The award-winning role gave him the opportunity to sing for the legendary Michael “King of Pop” Jackson in 2003. Jackson has been a huge personal inspiration for Gregory, and just like the “King of Pop,” Gregory has impacted millions around the world. That night Jackson gave Gregory a standing ovation for his performance, and later that week Gregory booked his debut Broadway role as Seaweed in the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray. Gregory went on to star in the original Broadway casts of Tarzan (as Terk) and Cry-Baby (as Dupree). In 2009, he went on tour with Dreamgirls, and earned the NAACP Theater Award for Best Supporting Actor, while garnering further accolades around the world, including Japan, for his powerful performance as Jimmy Early. Gregory earned an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for originating the role of Officer Eddie Souther in the Broadway hit musical Sister Act. His hometown, Gary, IN, gave him the Key to the City in 2014 and he was named an Honorary State Representative. The following year Gregory returned to his alma mater, Columbia College Chicago, where he served as a keynote speaker for the 2015 graduating class and was presented with an honorary doctorate degree. Gregory is honored to have the opportunity to bring his career full circle by once again portraying the Legend, Jackie Wilson, in this encore presentation of a 2013 NBTF favorite. The Eve of Jackie offers a raw look at Jackie Wilson, live in concert with his band and soul back-up singers, on a night when he feels compelled to share details of his extraordinary, yet troubled life. This is Wilson’s final performance, just one night before his inevitable collapse onstage. Written by Crystal Lucas-Perry and Chester Gregory. (Musical - General Audience Some adult language) The Eve of Jackie: A Tribute to Jackie Wilson Arts Council Theatre Tuesday, August 4, 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 5, 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 5, 8:00 p.m. Thursday, August 6, 8:00 p.m.

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Crossroads Theatre Company Crossroads Theatre Company, recipient of the 1999 Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre in the United States, is the nation’s premiere African American theater. Founded in 1978 by Ricardo Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson, Crossroads Theatre Company embraces the vision that African American theater is intended for a broad-based, diverse audience. As a major force in the development of new ideas and the introduction of formerly marginalized writers, Crossroads produces works that enrich and diversify the representation of African American culture on the American stage. Recently Crossroads Theatre Company was honored with a special proclamation by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, as well as awarded the Award of Excellence from the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. Crossroads’ world premiere production of Lift by best selling novelist Walter Mosley also had its Off-Broadway run at 59E59 Theatres in fall 2014. Repairing A Nation premiered at Crossroads during the 2014-15 theater season. Obie Award winning playwright and actress Nikkole Salter completed the play as a part of NYU’s 2012-13 Writer’s Roundtable. PBS Channel 13 selected Crossroads’ production of Repairing A Nation to be filmed as part of its prestigious Theater Close-Up series, making Crossroads the first New Jersey regional theater chosen for the program. Visit www.CrossroadsTheatreCompany.org for more information about the company. In Repairing A Nation, a 2001 holiday celebration becomes tense when Lois Davis pressures family members to join a classaction lawsuit seeking reparations for the historic 1921 Tulsa race riots that destroyed the family’s livelihood. Written by Nikkole Salter. Directed by Marshall Jones. (Drama – General Audience) Repairing A Nation Wake Forest #1 – The MainStage Theatre Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES New Performance In Black Theatre Series

Cultural Odyssey Cultural Odyssey has appeared at EVERY NBTF since the beginning of the Festival in 1989. The company has collaborated with world-renowned writers and performers, including dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones, and writers Pearl Cleage, Ntozake Shange, and Ed Bullins. Over the years many of Black America’s most innovative performers have been featured in Cultural Odyssey’s New Performance in Black Theatre Series, including Ntozake Shange, Sekou Sundiata, Will Power, Rhodessa Jones, Idris Ackamoor, and Roger Guenveur Smith. Idris Ackamoor founded Cultural Odyssey in 1979 and Rhodessa Jones joined several years later. The company is one of the world’s most cutting-edge performance troupes! With recent performances and residencies in South Africa, Jamaica, and throughout Europe and America, Cultural Odyssey blazes new terrain in the performing arts landscape. New Performance in Black Theatre Series Curator Idris Ackamoor has just returned from an incredible 10 country European tour with his group The Pyramids! Co-Artistic Director Rhodessa Jones recently received the Theater Communications Group’s Theatre Practitioner Award, which recognizes a living individual whose work in the American theatre has evidenced exemplary achievement over time and who has contributed significantly to the development of the larger field. Cultural Odyssey is supported by the San Francisco Art Commission, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Grants for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Foundation, The Creative Work Fund, National Black Theatre Festival®, National Performance Network, and individual donors. For this Festival, Cultural Odyssey has changed the Series’ format by presenting one amazing company for the entire week! UNIVERSES is a national and international ensemble company of multi-disciplined writers and performers who fuse poetry, theater, jazz, hip-hop, politics, down home blues and Spanish boleros to create moving, challenging and entertaining theatrical works. The group, celebrating its 20th Anniversary, breaks the bounds of traditional theater to create its own brand, inviting old and new generations of theater-crafters as well as theatergoers to revolutionize American theater. UNIVERSES recently returned from “Universizing” selections of August Wilson’s poetry at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago as part of Goodman Theatre’s August Wilson Celebration. Live From the Edge showcases the ensemble’s special brand of fusion theater in a “best of ” evening that tracks the evolution of their poetic language from childhood rhymes and community rituals, to poetry, theater, hip-hop and gospel. Live From The Edge is a unique performance event that turns the poem into a communal act. The evening consists of excerpts from the ensemble’s plays, including the hits Ameriville, commemorating the 10-year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and Party People, celebrating the Black Panthers and the Young Lords movements of the 60s. Additionally, UNIVERSES presents a special sampling of upcoming work using the unpublished poetry of August Wilson, with the permission of Constanza Romero and the August Wilson Estate. Written and Performed by UNIVERSES. (New Performance in Black Theatre Series – General Audience) UNIVERSES’ Live From the Edge Salem College – The Drama Workshop Theatre  Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Dam Entertainment Dam Entertainment, based in Prince George’s County, Maryland, made its first entry as a production company with the debut of Debbi Morgan’s one-woman show, The Monkey on My Back!, based on her autobiography of the same name. Dam Entertainment also worked with Goldline Productions in bringing to cable television All About the Benjamins, a reality show about a family’s arduous but loving and heartfelt journey in dealing with two sons in their twenties, one with autism and one with Asperger’s syndrome. Born in Dunn, North Carolina and raised in both Harlem and the South Bronx, Morgan appeared in several commercials before joining the New Federal Theatre. Her theatrical career includes roles in the Broadway hit What the Wine Sellers Buy; the Off-Broadway production of Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie?; and the Los Angeles productions of My Sister, My Sister and Once in a Wifetime. Morgan’s film credits include The Hurricane, opposite Denzel Washington, which earned her an NAACP Image Award Best Actress nomination, and Kasi Lemmons’ critically acclaimed Eve’s Bayou, opposite Samuel L. Jackson, which earned Morgan the Independent Spirit and Chicago Film Critic’s Awards for Best Supporting Actress. Other film and television credits include Asunder, Charmed, Coach Carter, Love and Basketball and the Showtime series Soulfood. Morgan’s iconic role as Dr. Angela Hubbard on the long running daytime drama All My Children won the hearts of millions all around the country, solidifying her huge fan base and along the way earning her a Best Supporting Actress Emmy Award, three more Emmy nominations, and the prestigious 2009 Gracie Award honoring noteworthy women in media. Morgan most recently became a recurring character on the hit Stars network series Power, as “Estelle.” Shared with candor, heartache, and gut wrenching laughter, The Monkey on My Back! reveals Debbi Morgan’s journey of survival through her real-life legacy of fear and abuse, which spanned three generations of women, beginning with Morgan’s grandmother, her mother, and Morgan herself. Written and performed by Debbi Morgan. Directed by Denise Dowse. (Celebrity Solo Performance - Mature Audience) The Monkey on My Back! Reynolda House Museum of American Art Thursday, August 6, 3:00pm Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Daniel Beaty Productions Daniel Beaty Productions is the producing entity for awardwinning actor, singer, writer, and motivational speaker Daniel Beaty. His critically acclaimed plays Through the Night, Emergency (formerly Emergence-SEE!, 2005 NBTF smash hit), Mr. Joy, and The Tallest Tree in the Forest - Paul Robeson, have been performed at venues ranging from Lincoln Center to the White House, and garnered numerous awards, including an Obie award for writing and performance and three NAACP Theater Awards. A highly requested keynote speaker, Beaty has worked throughout the U.S., Europe, and Africa. Beaty has also spoken at all-staff retreats and led leadership training for a myriad of non-profits and corporations. In fall 2013, Beaty launched a nationwide initiative called I DREAM, using the tools of storytelling to help individuals and communities heal trauma, and funded by the W.K. Kellogg, Ford, and Barr Foundations, among others. He holds a BA with Honors in English and Music from Yale University, and an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre. Beaty’s feature film Chapter & Verse just completed postproduction, and he just signed a deal with Imagine TV & 20th Century Fox to create a new hour-long drama series. His poem Knock Knock became an Internet sensation, receiving millions of views. It has been transformed into a children’s book, also titled Knock Knock, published by Little Brown Books. Penguin-Random House published his empowerment book, Transforming Pain to Power, in February 2014. Follow Daniel’s work at www.DanielBeaty.com and on Twitter @DanielBBeaty. In Mr. Joy, your favorite characters from Emergence- See! are back with new stories to tell! Featuring Beaty’s signature blend of comedy, passion, poetry, and multi-character transformation, MR. JOY is a thrilling exploration of contemporary Harlem. Written and performed by Daniel Beaty. (Solo Performance – General Audience) Mr. Joy SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium  Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Diversity Youth Theater Diversity Youth Theater (DYT) is a New Jersey based company that is the creative home for performers between the ages of 7-21 years. Since 2008, DYT has been a launching pad for several young artists with an interest in stage performance, writing and theater production. With a strong commitment to social advocacy and community uplift, DYT nurtures young artists in their artistic craft, but also helps to develop a moral fiber that will carry them forward in their varied art forms. DYT was previously a resident theater company of Newark Symphony Hall, and eventually formed a residency partnership with Luna Stage Theater in West Orange, NJ. Senator Corey Booker presented the company with a City Proclamation for the company’s contribution to youth programming in Newark, NJ. Alumni of DYT have been cast in the National Tour of Sister Act and The Lion King on Broadway, while others have been accepted into notable performing arts colleges and conservatories. DYT supports the creation of new musical theater works and other original performance based projects. DYT develops works that highlight history, social issues and underrepresented voices from a youth perspective. In 2009, Kathy D. Harrison wrote The Movement for the DYT Untold Stories series. The Movement is an historical piece about school-aged children and teens who marched against racial injustice in Birmingham, Alabama. This musical honors the legacy of young people protesting peacefully during an unsettling time in history. The cast of The Movement engaged in workshops and discussions before rehearsing the script. In 2014, alumni of DYT started an adult based ensemble theatre company, Performing Artists United. DYT and Performing Artists United tour colleges and schools with their original theatre projects. Diversity Youth Theater is now located in the Valley Arts District of Orange, NJ. The Movement, inspired by the 1963 Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama, is an uplifting a cappella musical that tells the story of courageous school children risking life and limb to protest against segregation during the Civil Rights Era. Written and directed by Kathy D. Harrison.  (Musical – General Audience) The Movement Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Dr. Barbara Ann Teer’s National Black Theatre, in Association with Media at Large and The New Black Fest Currently under the leadership of Sade Lythcott, National Black Theatre (NBT) was founded by visionary Dr. Barbara Ann Teer in 1968. NBT is the oldest continuously operated Black Theatre in New York State. It has been led by a woman of color longer than only a handful of other organizations in the country. It continues to stand as a premiere cultural and educational arts institution. It is here that Dr. Teer pioneered “the healing art of black theatre as an instrument for wholeness in urban communities where entrepreneurial artists of African descent live and work.” In 1983, Dr. Teer expanded the vision of NBT by purchasing a 64,000 square foot building on 125th and Fifth Avenue, renamed “National Black Theatre Way” by local law in 1994. This was the first revenue-generating black arts complex in the country. Through the purchase, NBT began a visionary arrangement with for-profit businesses that shared NBT’s spiritual and aesthetic values by renting the retail space to subsidize the arts. NBT also houses the largest collection of Nigerian new sacred art in the Western hemisphere. NBT is a place where people can still weave their own stories and determine their own destiny. As a cultural and educational anchor in the Harlem community, NBT’s contribution for the past 47 years is not only recognized in Harlem, but globally. Visit www.nationalblacktheatre.org or follow NBT on Facebook, www.facebook.com/NationalBlackTheatre, and Twitter/Instagram, @NatBlackTheatre. Media at Large, co-presenter of Fried Chicken and Latkes, is an international boutique production company dedicated to the synergy of multi-cultural talent, diversity and technology in the performing arts. In 2008, the company was named “one of the top emerging companies nationwide” by Funding Post’s “Pitching Across America” competition, voted on by 150 angel investors and venture capitalists. The company’s Off-Broadway theatre credits include In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel and Fried Chicken and Latkes. Films include And Then Came Love with Vanessa Williams and Eartha Kitt, and the award winning films Exposed and Ariana. Current theatre productions in Canada and the Caribbean include Mama Grace, Subject 1, and OUT by Rain Pryor. Visit www.mediaatlarge.com #rainpryor #shashiatlarge #mediaatlarge #outbyrainpryor In Fried Chicken and Latkes, based on her life growing up Black and Jewish, Rain Pryor portrays eleven pivotal characters that shaped who she is today. She takes her audience on a musical journey through the late 60s, 70s and 80s, exploring her unique perspective on race, identity and the loss of her iconic father, Richard Pryor. Written and performed by Rain Pryor. Directed by Kamilah Forbes. (Celebrity Solo Performance) Fried Chicken and Latkes Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites  Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 3:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES

The New Black Fest, Curator of Hands Up, was formed in 2010. As a theater organization it is committed to celebrating important voices and shining a light on the diverse African Diaspora. The New Black Fest is a gathering of artists, thinkers, activists and audiences who are dedicated to stretching, interrogating and uplifting the Black aesthetic as well as global theater in the 21st century. Visit thenewblackfest.org Hands Up: 6 Testaments, 6 Playwrights explores the state of black males in America through the voices of 12 talented Black males— six playwrights and six actors. Audiences will hear about compelling events from Ferguson to Flatbush and feel empowered to create change. Directed by Jonathan McCrory. Post-show discussion. (Mixed Genre - General Audience) Hands Up: 6 Testaments, 6 Playwrights Reese Theatre in the Pavilion – Embassy Suites  Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES The Ensemble Theatre Influenced by the African American Theatre movement of the 1960s and 70s, George Hawkins founded a black theatre company in 1976 in Houston, Texas. He observed that professional roles were few and far between for black actors, and his frustration led him to create his own company, then known as The Black Ensemble Company. Hawkins later renamed the company The Ensemble Theatre and continued his goal to establish a ‘place and space’ where artists and the larger community could receive theatrical training and have expanded employment opportunities while providing a theatrical education for Houstonians and residents in surrounding counties. Hawkins made his transition in 1990, but his dream, drive, and passion continue under superb leadership and community support. Photo by Henry Edwards, Jr

Under Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris’s leadership, The Ensemble Theatre is one of a few professional theaters in the region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience. It is the oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, and one of the nation’s largest African American theatres, owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. Board President Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble’s $4.5 million building renovations. The Ensemble Theatre is the anchoring arts institution in Midtown, an area of Houston experiencing rapid economic development with an influx of new residents, businesses, and other arts organizations. Morris is the Cultural Arts Chair for the Midtown Management District board, which applied for and received the state designation for Midtown Houston as the city’s third Cultural Arts and Entertainment District. The programs and operations of The Ensemble Theatre benefit a multicultural audience that is diverse in age, income, ethnicity, and culture. The Ensemble produces a Mainstage Season of six contemporary and classical works devoted to the portrayal of the African American experience by local and national playwrights and artists. The Ensemble’s Performing Arts Education program provides educational workshops, artist-in-residence experiences, and live performances for students both off-site and at the theatre. The Young Performers Program offers intensive spring and summer training for youth ages 6 to 17, encompassing instruction in all disciplines of the theatre arts. Through its varied programs, The Ensemble reaches over 65,000 people annually. The Ensemble Theatre has surpassed the vision of its founder and continues to expand and create innovative programs to bring African American theatre to myriad audiences, and is truly one of Houston’s finest historical cultural institutions. The Old Settler gets comical and heated when secrets are revealed, and the close relationship of two middle-aged, churchgoing sisters in 1943 Harlem is threatened when one sister is romanced by a younger man fresh from the Deep South. The Old Settler UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre Friday August 7, 3:00pm Friday August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

SAVE THE DATE IN 2017!

National Black Theatre Festival®

July 31–August 5, 2017

PERFORMING COMPANIES Jazz Lion Productions & Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Arts Company In 2006, actor, writer, director, and teacher Levy Lee Simon founded Jazz Lion Productions as a theatrical production company for theatre, film and television. The company’s mission is to produce and create entertaining theatre and film productions that are socially and politically relevant to the world community at large and the African American community in particular. Focusing on historical and contemporary works, Jazz Lion Productions is dedicated and committed to telling new and provocative stories about the African American experience that have not been told, and stories that many companies find too controversial to produce. It is also dedicated to keeping the works of classic Black plays and stories alive through its co-production with Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Arts Company, Keeping Our Legacy Alive (KOLA). The Lion’s Den is the teaching, creative and educational division of Jazz Lion Productions. The Lion’s Den focuses on teaching acting and writing to new and seasoned professionals. Actor Lincoln Kilpatrick and director Edmund Cambridge founded Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theater Arts Company in 1972. The mission then was to create an African American performing arts platform for the continuing insurgence of east coast actors, writers and directors merging to the west coast. It was also designed to teach acting, writing and directing. Erik Kilpatrick, son of Lincoln Kilpatrick, continues to carry the banner in honor of these Artists. Dutchman explores two characters, a young middle class Black man and a bohemian White woman with suspect intentions. Their meeting, flirtation, intellectual discourse and sexual dance lead to a struggle for life and death. Written by Amiri Baraka. Directed by Levy Lee Simon. (Drama – General Audience) In The Last Revolutionary, revolutionary Mac Perkins is preparing to stop anti-Obama sentiment when former friend Jack Armstrong shows up and confronts him about his use of 70s tactics in today’s world. Secrets are exposed that lead to a life and death confrontation. Written by Levy Lee Simon. Directed by Erik Kilpatrick. (Drama – General Audience) Dutchman & The Last Revolutionary Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites Thursday, August 6, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Kedron Productions, Inc. Multi-award winning singer, actress, and entertainer Vivian Reed has a career that spans theatre, film, television and concert venues worldwide. Her many honors include two Tony nominations, and Drama Desk, Theatre World, Outer Critics Circle, Dance Educators and NAACP Theatre Awards. Reed began formal voice training at eight years old at the Pittsburgh Musical Institute, later continuing at New York’s Juilliard School of Music, followed by years of extensive dance training. She became a polished performer under the guidance of Honi Coles and Bobby Schiffman of the Apollo Theater. She went on to perform to great acclaim in many musicals, including Damn Yankees; Show Boat; Marie Christine; Sophisticated Ladies; Blues in the Night; Tintypes; Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd; Bubbling Brown Sugar; High Rollers; More than a Song, as Lena Horne; One For My Baby; Countess of Storyville; as well as Three Mo’ Divas, the follow-up to Three Mo’ Tenors. She has also appeared in plays, including Blues for an Alabama Sky, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Cookin’ at the Cookery, The Second Tosca, and Pork Pie. Her films include L’Africaine with Catherine Deneuve; Le Rumba as Josephine Baker; and Headin’ for Broadway. She recently produced and starred in a short film, What Goes Around, written by Angela Gibbs. Reed was invited to be a part of the Sondheim Unplugged concert series at 54 Below in New York City, where she later returned with her one woman show, enjoying four successful, critically acclaimed sold-out shows. She has taken her nightclub act to major gatherings of organizations and dignitaries, including Mercedes Benz, IBM, Top Fashion Designers Gala at the Theatre Champs Elysees and the American Film Festival in Deauville. She appeared at the Festival del Vina in Chile, along with other top performers, including Sting, Mister Mister and Jon Secada. Her many TV variety and talk show appearances include The Tonight Show, The Today Show and the former ABC-TV daytime drama, One Life to Live. Besides her international success as a performer, Reed has also been featured in the world’s most read and influential news and fashion magazines, such as Vogue, Elle, Paris Match, Ebony, Jet (cover) and Time. People Magazine selected her as one of the “25 Most Intriguing People of the Year.” Reed taught nearly three years at Berklee College of Music in Boston, creating a class on the many aspects of performing, and establishing a yearly concert event, “Singer’s Night.” She is also on the staff of Marymount College in New York City as one of their Celebrity Vocal Teachers. An Evening with Vivian Reed showcases Reed’s passionate and powerful vocal stylings in unique arrangements of an eclectic lineup of R&B, jazz, gospel and musical theater songs. Through selections from her critically acclaimed theatrical performances and her celebrated concert and international nightclub appearances, Reed pays tribute to the people who have had a profound effect on her career. Created and performed by Vivian Reed. (Musical – General Audience) An Evening with Vivian Reed Gaines Ballroom – Lower Level – Embassy Suites  Wednesday, August 5, 10:30pm Thursday, August 6, 10:30pm Friday, August 7, 10:30pm Saturday, August 8, 10:30pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES Kosmond Russell Productions Kosmond Russell established Kosmond Russell Productions in 1997. His theater career began at Bowling Green State University in 1972 when he performed in his first play, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men. After going on to win several national collegiate acting awards, he discovered that he had a passionate love affair with the art of acting and decided to pursue a career in theater. Moving to Los Angeles in 1978, Russell joined several theater groups, including The Watts Players, The Working Stage Theater Company, Thousand Oaks Playhouse, Estelle Harman’s Actors Institute, The Stella Adler Theater Company, The Inglewood Playhouse and The Beverly Hills Playhouse. After working as a stage actor and standup comic for several years, he produced and wrote his first play in 1997, The Visit. Based on a true story about his younger brother and the Russell family, the play won eleven combined Drama Logue, Backstage West and NAACP Theater Image Awards, including Best Produced Play and Best Playwright. In 2000 The Visit became a feature film, starring Billy Dee Williams, Marla Gibbs, Hill Harper, Obba Babatunde, Rae Dawn Chong, Phylicia Rashad, Glynn Turman and Talia Shire. Russell co-executive produced the film, which was nominated for NAACP Image and Independent Spirit Awards in 2001, and won several awards from national film festivals, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Russell’s next play, The Marriage, starring Dawnn Lewis (A Different World), was nominated for eight NAACP Theater Image Awards. He won Best Playwright and Dawnn Lewis won Best Lead Actress. Since then Russell has become producer/playwright extraordinaire, producing over thirty plays in the Los Angeles area and throughout the country, and garnering over twenty-five additional awards. He has written a total of thirteen plays, including The Cubicle People, Heavyn’s Song, The Sermon, and Let them Eat Cake. Russell founded and produced Kosmond Russell’s 1st Annual Hollywood Summer Theater Festival in July 2011 at the historic Barnsdall Gallery Theater in Hollywood, showcasing five of his original plays to critical acclaim, while working with some of Hollywood’s top talent, including Antonio Fargas, LaVan Davis, Ted Lange, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Dawnn Lewis, Hawthorne James, Marla Gibbs, James Pickens, Jr. and Obba Babatunde. Russell’s impeccable eye for talent, charismatic management style, and “impossible is nothing” philosophy have made him one of the most sought after and respected theater producers in the nation. In The Dealership, the wife in a Black Mississippi couple in their early 80s thinks her Deacon husband is “cheating because he’s tweeting.” But social media has connected the husband to a White auto dealer who arrives at the couple’s home for an exorcism. Written and directed by Kosmond Russell. (Comedy - Celebrity Performance - General Audience) The Homegoing examines what happens when a deserting husband and father returns after 25 years to attend the funeral of his abandoned wife. His adult daughter confronts him and demands that he justify his abandonment. Can he possibly have a valid reason? Written by Kosmond Russell. Directed by Denise Dowse. (Drama - Celebrity Performance - General Audience) The Dealership & The Homegoing UNCSA #2 – The Catawba Arena Theatre Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 3:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Lange Productions

Founded in 1972, Lange Productions has produced twenty-four of Ted Lange’s plays in California and across the country for over twenty years. These include Born a Unicorn, the story of Ira Aldrich; The Heart of Biddy Mason, a musical based on the life of Biddy Mason; Four Queen’s, No Trump, (2011 NBTF) NAACP Best Play; and his historical trilogy, George Washington’s Boy (2007 NBTF), The Journals of Osborne P. Anderson, and Lady Patriot (2013 NBTF). With Ted as writer, director, actor, and his wife, Mary as producer, publicist, and artist, Lange Productions is truly a family production team. The Journals of Osborne P. Anderson is told through the eyes of the only African American survivor of John Brown’s 1859 attempt to free Virginia’s slaves with a raid on Harper’s Ferry, the freeman Osborne P. Anderson. Written and directed by Ted Lange. (Drama - General Audience) The Journals of Osborne P. Anderson Hanesbrands Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts  Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 3:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES The Layon Gray American Theatre Company

Layon Gray American Theatre Company is comprised of professional artists who explore ensemble-based theatre. They create from traditional and contemporary theatrical traditions with a vision to push artistic boundaries through an ensemble based performance style. They are a New York based company but work in Los Angeles as well, with members on both coasts. The company provides professional actors, directors and creatives an open platform to explore their creative minds with no judgment, while also offering emerging artists the opportunity to work on world premiere plays. Works focus on the social and political issues that shape America. The company develops and produces new plays that tell human stories of all races revealed through thought provoking story telling. For more information log on to www.LGATCO.com. Kings Of Harlem is inspired by the 1939 Harlem Rens basketball team, formed five years before the Harlem Globetrotters. Never officially accepted professionally or socially, the team overcame adversity to win more than 2,000 games while barnstorming throughout segregated parts of the country. With the most impressive winning streak in Basketball history, the Harlem Renaissance Big Five was one the most successful and renowned all-Black professional basketball teams in the 1920s and ‘30s, and added grace and style to the game of basketball. In 1963, the entire team was inducted into the Professional Basketball Hall of Fame. Kings Of Harlem was performed for the Legends of the NBA in New York for All-Star Weekend 2015. Written and directed by Layon Gray. (Drama – General Audience) For more information on the show, log on to www.KingsOfHarlem.com Kings Of Harlem Hanesbrand Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts  Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES New Federal Theatre Woodie King, Jr. founded New Federal Theatre (NFT) in 1970. Specializing in minority drama, NFT has brought the joy of the living stage to many minorities who live in its surrounding community as well as the greater New York metropolitan area. NFT has provided emerging playwrights with the opportunity to have their works produced; it has brought minority actors, directors and designers to national attention and sponsored a variety of ethnic theatre groups and events. It provides the multi-ethnic Lower East Side as well as New York metropolitan area audiences with first-rate theatre relating to the interests of different cultural groups. Forty-five years after its founding, NFT’s alumni list reads like a Who’s Who of American theater, film and television: Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Debbie Allen, Phylicia Rashad, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jackée, Laurence Fishburne, Glynn Turman, Dick Anthony Williams, Taurean Blacque, Debbi Morgan, Robert Downey, Jr., Garrett Morris, Lynn Whitfield, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Ruby Dee, Leslie Uggams, Samuel L. Jackson and many more.

Photo by Gerry Goodstein

Under Woodie King, Jr.’s stewardship, NFT has presented over 280 productions. Writers first presented at NFT are now part of the literary mainstream of American playwrights. Many plays have reached national significance and much wider audiences through having been showcased at NFT. Productions have included For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; What the Winesellers Buy; Reggae; The Taking of Miss Janie; The Dance and The Railroad; and Knock Me a Kiss (2011 & 2013 NBTFs).

Accept “Except” LGBT NY is part of the Accept “Except” series of five plays exploring the 13th Amendment’s one exception, which transforms the context of slavery and involuntary servitude from plantations to penitentiaries. Each play in the series explores the exception’s affect on a particular group, such as males, females, LGBT persons and others. Accept “Except” LGBT NY tells the story of two twenty-year olds brought together after being chased by angry mobs: a male from the 18th Century plantation era and a female from the 21st Century penitentiary era. The two present a moving comparison of the painful battles against slavery and the contemporary struggle for gay rights. Written by Karimah. Directed by Tony Award winner George Faison. (Drama – General Audience) Accept “Except” LGBT NY Wake Forest #2- The Ring Theatre Tuesday, August 4, 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 5, 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 5, 8:00 p.m. Thursday, August 6, 8:00 p.m.

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES One Pearl and a Sphinx (OPAS) In March 2012 acclaimed novelist and playwright Gabrielle Pina premiered her play, Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words, at the University of Southern California to a sold-out crowd of over twelve hundred people. The play went on to sold-out shows at the Pasadena Playhouse in 2013 and was brought back to the Playhouse by popular demand the following year for eight shows. In October 2014 Letters from Zora opened the season to rave reviews at the Tony award-winning Crossroads Theater. Anita Dashiell-Sparks, actor, director and Associate Professor of Theatre Practice for the USC School of Dramatic Arts, directed both the Pasadena Playhouse and Crossroads Theater productions. In June 2015 Letters from Zora opened the DC Black Theater Festival to rave reviews. Rachel Frazier Johnson, Associate Producer, is dedicated to presenting high quality and creative productions, bringing to life characters that will long remain in the memories of theatre patrons. She is committed to artistic works that are thought provoking, yet entertaining. Her devotion as a producer is the result of her tenacity, passion for the arts, and commitment to excellence. Collectively, these characteristics create a fertile environment for exemplary theatrical productions. Through the exploration, analysis, and dramatization of approximately fifteen letters from Zora Neale Hurston’s impressive body of work, Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words explores Hurston’s controversial views on integration, segregation, and social justice and showcases a life that was filled with artistic triumphs as well as abject poverty and self-doubt. This provocative multimedia production, performed by veteran actress Vanessa Bell Calloway, features live music composed by Ron McCurdy and archival images collected by Margie Labadie. Written by Gabrielle Denise Pina. Directed by Anita Dashiell-Sparks. (Celebrity Solo Performance – General Audience) Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words SECCA – McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium  Tuesday, August 4, 3:00pm Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES THE POINTE! Studio of Dance & Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble THE POINTE! Studio of Dance promotes a program of superior dance instruction and training of students of all ages in a variety of dance forms at the highest professional level. Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble operates from a dramatic culture that incorporates the experiences of acting, directing, and producing reputable productions for professional and community theaters. Together they have joined forces to provide children with exceptionally high-level performance opportunities that further develop each student’s versatility. Their students have performed in a broad repertory of dance and fully mounted productions including The Fantasy and Adventure of Oz, an all dance adaptation of THE WIZ; Cindy and The Glass Slipper, a dance adaptation of Cinderella; and IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE – A Dance Adaptation of ANNIE. Their next production in spring 2016 will be Pride Land – A Dance Adaption of The Lion King. With its predominately all-kids cast, IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE – A Dance Adaptation of ANNIE is unique. Described as a “Theatrical Ballet,” this interpretation of the beloved story uses dance, acting, creative movement and pantomime. A dance interpretation of the popular 80s film written by Carol Sobieski, the storyline has been re-imagined by the addition of cultural music and art, and features ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop dance styles. Choreography by Gina Tate, Jeanna Askew-Hawkins and Jose Rondon Jr. (Musical –General Audience) IT’S A HARD KNOCK LIFE – A Dance Adaptation of ANNIE R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium Tuesday, August 4, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 3:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES Project& Project& is an innovative arts entity that collaborates with artists and thought leaders to produce and support original, artistic work to effect social impact around the world. Project& is committed to extraordinary collaborations with artists that encourage equitable participation across sectors and disciplines. Through artistic excellence, innovative artistic practices, groundbreaking installations and performances in unexpected and unorthodox venues and partnerships, Project& makes participation central to the work and begins from the moment of inception — as it affects the artists and creators of ideas as much as the engagement with the resulting work. Amplifying artistic voices that risk, engage, investigate and inspire, Project& highlights issues at the forefront of our time, including race, justice, access and equity, identity, gender, culture of violence, human rights and economic inequality. Project& examines and influences critical policy, social, and community discussions through collaborations with award-winning and emergent artists, such as award-winning writer and performer E. Patrick Johnson; Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lynsey Addario; acclaimed visual artist Hank Willis Thomas; MacArthur Fellow and revolutionary flutist Claire Chase; MacArthur Fellow Lynn Nottage; and award-winning filmmaker Yance Ford. Against the backdrop of both progressive and regressive legislation, racially motivated violence and the resulting #blacklivesmatter movement, Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South delves into the perceptions, triumphs and vulnerabilities of this minority within a minority. “Sweet Tea is not a show fixed in history,” says Jane M. Saks, Project& President and Artistic Director, “it is a production of this moment, lending its voice to the necessary global conversations around race, sexuality and identity.” Playwright E. Patrick Johnson is currently at work on the companion text to Sweet Tea, entitled Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women—An Oral History. Project& will develop and produce Honeypot into a national production and cast with actors and a rich creative team in 2017. For more information, visit projectand.org. Based on his award-winning book, E. Patrick Johnson stars in Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South, a one-person exploration into the southern black gay community. A fascinating, validating oral history inspired by the author’s personal journey, Sweet Tea explores identity, community, power and partnership. With complexity and raw emotion, Sweet Tea humanizes a community often forced to the outskirts of society. Poignant and often heart wrenching, Johnson reinforces the spoken-word tradition while challenging stereotypes – and finding humor, humanity and hope within. Written and performed by E. Patrick Johnson. Directed by Joseph Megel. (Solo Performance - General Audience) Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South (Mountcastle Forum Black Box Theatre – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts) Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES R.H. Orman Productions Roscoe Orman and Kimberley LaMarque Orman founded R.H. Orman Productions (RHO) in 2011. A Bronx, NY native, Roscoe Orman is widely known for his four decades as Gordon on Sesame Street. He began his acting studies at the Circle In The Square Theatre School, making his professional debut in the 1962 musical revue If We Grow Up. He toured for two years as a member of the Free Southern Theater of New Orleans, serving as the company’s artistic director for one season. A founding member of Harlem’s New Lafayette Theatre, he appeared in most of that company’s productions, including Whose Got His Own, We Righteous Bombers, The Duplex, The Devil Catchers and The Fabulous Miss Marie. In 2014, he received his second Audelco Theatre Award for his portrayal of Bill in New Federal Theatre’s The Fabulous Miss Marie, and appeared in the bi-coastal Marin/Round House Theatre production of Fetch Clay, Make Man. A passionate producer, director, actor and educator, Boston native Kimberley LaMarque Orman holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Columbia University, MFA in Acting from American Conservatory Theatre, and studied classical theatre at the National Theatre of Great Britain with Sir Anthony Hopkins. LaMarque Orman has produced and directed a myriad of productions, including Shakespeare’s Macbeth with a Matrix flavor; Jar The Floor; Julius Caesar framed in a hip-hop arena; A Street Car Named Desire; Jane Eyre; Romeo and Juliet; Respect—A Musical Journey; and The Seventh Son: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur. As a professional actress, LaMarque Orman is a theatre veteran, having performed at a host of regional theatres across the country, including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Portland Center Stage, Grove Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, and American Negro Playwright Theatre. She has also toured in Australia’s International Theatre Festivals of both Perth and Adelaide. RHO’s maiden project is the documentary film The Black Turf Project. Still in development, The Black Turf Project explores the little known history of the African American presence and influence in thoroughbred racing. RHO’s second venture is the current revival of playwright Will Power’s Fetch Clay, Make Man. RHO is currently seeking new works for its play reading series. For more information, visit RHOrman.com A powerful exploration of self and self-image, Fetch Clay, Make Man examines the surprising alliance between two iconic figures of twentieth-century America, Muhammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay) and early Black Hollywood performer Lincoln Perry (aka Stepin Fetchit). Through each of its characters and their relationships to and with each other, this fact-based account examines the dichotomy between public image versus private persona. Written by Will Power. Directed by Derrick Sanders. (Drama – Celebrity Performance – General Audience) Fetch Clay, Make Man UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre Tuesday, August 4, 3:00pm Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday August 5, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art “Black Stars of The Great White Way - A Chapman Roberts Concept started out as a seed, a dream, an ideal and manifested as a historical event at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City. The dream came to Broadway’s first Black Phantom of The Opera, Porgy and Bess, Scandal TV star and Tony nominee Norm Lewis who revealed his vision about doing a concert with all of the Black Men on Broadway at Carnegie Hall to Chapman Roberts on that fateful October day in Times Square. This was history in the making. And the stage was set.” - Ramona Maben -The Harlem Times Co-Producers Chapman Roberts, Norm Lewis, and David Greer, in association with the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art, bring this Carnegie Hall Anniversary production of Black Stars of The Great White Way to the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival®. This historic event celebrates 100 years of the contribution, influence, and legacy of African American men at Carnegie Hall and on Broadway.

Chapman Roberts, Norm Lewis, David Greer

Photo by Lisa Pacino

Founded by Hazel Bryant in 1968, the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art (RACCA) continues to afford artists, at different levels of their craft and careers, the unique opportunity to create and develop work as it runs over an extended period of time. While at the South Street Seaport, with Imani Douglas as artistic director, RACCA provided a wealth of theatrical programming that enhanced the culture, uplifted the spirit, and fostered an awareness of the historical past and booming present of the post9/11 Lower Manhattan community. Shirley Radcliffe is the Executive Producer. “The Black Stars of The Great White Way concept . . . is building momentum as a movement” - Jared McCallister- New York Daily News Black Stars of The Great White Way – A Chapman Roberts Concept is a soaring music and dance celebration of the glorious 100year history of African Americans on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall. This Gala All Broadway Star production is specifically designed to honor NBTF luminaries past and present. (Musical – General Audience) Black Stars of The Great White Way – A Chapman Roberts Concept University of North Carolina School of the Arts Stevens Center  Monday, August 3, 9:00pm Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES The Robey Theatre Company Danny Glover and Bennet Guillory founded the Robey Theatre Company in December 1994 to fill a void of opportunity for Black theatre artists. Artists of color, particularly Black playwrights, have long lacked a forum where their work can be developed in collaboration with their peers. Robey’s mission is, through the creative process, to explore and develop relevant provocative and innovative new plays written about the Black experience, as well as to reinterpret established works. Robey creates a nourishing environment of understanding and support in which multi-cultural theatre artists are compelled to take risks in the search for artistic fulfillment. It provides time, educational opportunities, and encouragement for such growth, and contributes to high standards of excellence in Black theatre in America. Come with us back to the 30s and 40s on Central Avenue in L.A., where jazz was the music of the day. Sunshine and palm trees, cruising on Central Avenue with ease; where The Duke, The Count, Dorothy Dandridge, and Lena Horne performed your favorite songs, and intellectuals debated the politics going on; and where everyday folk felt right at home. Where was this place you might ask, this place to be, that had all that pizzazz, all that jazz? Well, do tell, do tell; come with us back to The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel!!! Written by Levy Lee Simon. Directed by Ben Guillory. (Drama – General Audience) The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel Wake Forest #1 – The MainStage Theatre Tuesday, August 4, 3:00pm Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES SOULOWORKS/Andrea E. Woods & Dancers SOULOWORKS/Andrea E. Woods & Dancers collaborates to create with dance, music, spoken word, song and multimedia as contemporary African American folklore. Andrea E. Woods Valdés works with live and original text and music. The dances draw on themes such as family, nature, community, spirituality and African American history and culture. The creative process is inspired by folk traditions such as blues, jazz, folk music, African American literature, family folklore and issues reflective of the African Diaspora social and cultural experience. The works have a generous worldview while centralizing, affirming, and exemplifying a positive reflection of African American culture. In celebration of 20 years of dancemaking that began in Brooklyn, NY, and has migrated to Durham, NC, Dancer/Choreographer Woods Valdés brings to life a project in the making for more than four years. While performing in Grace May, Woods Valdés primarily wears the hat of writer, choreographer and director of a new work that moves fluidly between the worlds of dance, music and theater. This is performed folklore based in tradition, stories, legends and folk. Woods Valdés calls her projects SOULOWORKS because they are works from the heart, works from the soul. The Amazing Adventures of Grace May B. Brown is a soulful, spirit-filled, dancing, musical folk performance. Represented by her cousin sidekicks, Mercy, Indeed, Um Hm and Well, Grace retells history and folklore through dance, music and song, whispers and shouts. Storytellers Nanadwoa and Sister Seychelles, are wimmin to whom Grace entrusts her memories and her magic. Her adventures time travel in and out of generations of folk who direct her toward a sense of belonging. Grace May’s story is one of praise and laughter, kin and dust. The world opens to her lovely, sassy wings: “Who are you and where do you belong?” “I am Grace and I belong everywhere.” Music by Shana Tucker. Written and choreographed by Andrea E. Woods Valdés. (Mixed genre – Theatre for Young Audience) The Amazing Adventures of Grace May B. Brown M.C. Benton Convention Center – North Main Hall  Thursday, August 6, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Sparkling City Entertainment Production Company The husband and wife team of producer, writer, and actress Vanessa Paul, and producer, director, and actor Alex Morris founded Sparkling City Entertainment (SCE) to create, develop, produce and market high quality productions for stage, TV, and film. With a company of actors, writers, and directors committed to working together, SCE regularly conducts staged readings of original and classical works, with the intent of presenting them as fully developed productions. In an effort to promote theater to new and larger audiences, SCE gears a good portion of its production efforts towards marketing and audience development. SCE focuses on telling stories that are inspirational, entertaining and uniquely a part of the African American experience. Be it stage or screen, the Company has positioned itself as an award-winning voice and agent of change in the entertainment industry. With multiple theatrical NAACP awards, and several feature films and web series to their credit, this dynamic husband and wife team is definitely one to watch. Sassy Mamas is a delightful romantic comedy about three girlfriends of a certain age and substance, who have everything but true love. They decide to flip the script, try something new and date younger men - MUCH younger men! A rollicking, sidesplitting good time you won’t forget! Written by Celeste Bedford Walker. Directed by Iona Morris. (Comedy – Mature Audience) Sassy Mamas UNCSA #1 – Gerald Freedman Theatre Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES Spirit Sister Productions Established in 2006, Spirit Sister Productions truly epitomizes what it means to be an authentic South African entity. Providing a platform to train, develop and mentor women and youth within an industry that historically was dominated by men, the organization’s work ethic enables it to empower people who have been previously disadvantaged, nurturing their skills and providing effective training on all levels of new media art production. Spirit Sister facilitates mentorship programs and workshops in the performing arts, literary projects, business development skills, entrepreneurship and community development. Spirit Sister Productions has received numerous awards for its theatre productions and documentaries that have been broadcast both in South Africa and internationally. Combining the talents of top-class performers, Spirit Sister’s music theatre production, Gogo and Big Sister, is a recipient of a 2014 Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa. The Festival is one of the leading arts festivals in Africa. Gogo and Big Sister is an inter-generational dialogue that weaves the musical journey in three generations of a family, Grandmother (Gogo), Mother, and Daughter, who are at different stages of their music careers. A woman of color, Gogo faced discrimination and marginalization both in South Africa and abroad as she pursued her career. Not until she performed and toured with the celebrated Miriam Makeba did Gogo discover her true inspiration. The ensuing narrative celebrates the contribution of and explores some of the challenges faced by female singers, like Miriam Makeba, within the South African music industry. Written by Thembi Mtshali Jones and workshopped with the cast. Directed by Princess Mhlongo. Music arranged by Ezbie Moilwa. (Mixed Genre – General Audience) Gogo and Big Sister Salem College – Shirley Recital Hall Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

PERFORMING COMPANIES Teatro Vila Velha Teatro Vila Velha (Salvador da Bahia, Brazil) is one of the most long-lived theatrical institutions in Brazil. Founded by Teatro dos Novos, the first professional theatre group in Bahia, Teatro Vila Velha opened its doors on July 31, 1964, exactly four months after a military coup that installed a dictatorship that would last until 1985. Teatro Vila Velha quickly became a center in the struggle for freedom, a characteristic that it maintains into the present. The theatre gave birth to important groups and artists from the worlds of music, dance, and theatre, including Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, Gal Costa, and Maria Bethânia. It also provided a space that launched the repertory companies Os Novos Baianos, dance troupe Núcleo Viladança, and Bando de Teatro Olodum, who celebrate their twenty-year residency in 2015. In 2013, with the creation of universidade LIVRE de teatro vila velha, the institution systemized growth strategies developed from its experiences over the long history of its collective repertory companies. The theatre sought to stage its own productions with its own resources rather than depending heavily on ever-shrinking government funding for the arts and other cultural activities. Headed by Márcio Meirelles, the FREE university offers its participants ample training in the scenic arts, not only on-stage, but also in the various behind-the-scenes areas, including management, production, communications, and technology, among others. After a little less than two years, the actors’ training program has already staged ten productions and has participated in national and international theatre festivals. Photo by Marcio Meirelles

The play, written by Romanian playwright Matéi Visniec, originally titled The Body of a Woman as Battlefield in the Bosnian War and here, because of the sad universality of a reality that hardly seems singular, simply The Body of a Woman as Battlefield, is the fourth production based on works by Visniec undertaken by Brazilian director Márcio Meirelles. Body of a Woman as Battlefield traces the encounter between two women devastated by war: Dorra, raped by a group of enemy ethnics during the conflict in Bosnia, and Kate, a psychologist who left her family in the United States to work in the excavation of common graves in the aftermath of the conflict. Their relationship begins in an atmosphere of distrust and contentiousness; however, with time, each finds in the other the possibility of rebuilding a sense of equilibrium. Performed in Portuguese with English subtitles. Written by Matéi Visniec. Directed by Márcio Meirelles. (Drama – General Audience)  Body of a Woman as Battlefield Wake Forest #2 – The Ring Theatre Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

PERFORMING COMPANIES Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida, Inc. Actor, singer, director, and playwright Nate Jacobs founded the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida, Inc. (WBTT) in Sarasota in December 1999. It is the only professional Black theatre company on Florida’s west coast and one of just two in the state. WBTT’s mission has always been to produce shows that promote and celebrate the African American experience, attract diverse audiences, support and develop African American artists, and build the self-esteem of African American youth. Through the years, WBTT has presented a variety of productions locally, throughout Florida, nationally, and as far away as Switzerland and Germany. It has enjoyed tremendous growth from a grassroots organization to a successful not-for-profit, professional theatre with a five-show season at its own theatre campus. The Troupe has gained a reputation for high quality, original, thought provoking and electrifying performances, and has received numerous awards and recognitions. With many shows sold-out and an average attendance rate of 94%, WBTT has become known as having the hottest tickets in town. Since its inception, WBTT has mentored and inspired many African American youth and young adults through participation in its productions. It has provided a platform for artistic individuals who might not otherwise have had an opportunity to cultivate their interests and talents. A number of the aspiring professional artists trained in the WBTT performing arts program have gone on to work with a variety of regional theatres and in the competitive cruise ship industry. In addition, the Troupe has provided a springboard for national and international careers, with appearances from Broadway to Shanghai. WBTT has brought a powerful presence of diversity and inclusiveness to the region’s cultural landscape. It was dubbed the “miracle theatre” because of its unique ability to attract broad-based community support. A testament to that success occurred in October 2014, when 1,500 people filled Sarasota’s largest venue, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, to celebrate the Troupe’s 15-year anniversary and salute its success and impact. Soul Crooners 2 revisits the soul music of the 1970s, known for unforgettable melodies, heavenly harmonies, and great vocalists. The all-male cast masterfully croons songs from the most popular singers of that engaging era. Soul Crooners 2 is a companion piece to the original Soul Crooners, a 2013 NBTF smash hit. Once again audiences will clap, tap, move and groove, but this time to an entirely new group of musical favorites. Created, adapted, and directed by WBTT’s Founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs. (Musical – General Audience) Soul Crooners 2 Arts Council Theatre Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

LLH SOLO PERFORMANCE SERIES Kansas City Theater Foundation The Kansas City Theater Foundation, under the direction of Allan S. Gray II, CEO, was established to present inspiring theatrical productions which portray the experiences and rich heritage of African Americans. It presents provocative and meaningful stage plays at the GEM Theater in Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District. The Theater Foundation’s productions develop a strong and sustainable audience for theater throughout the community. It also focuses on strengthening student education and classroom learning through an active arts education component. The Theater Foundation’s vision is to build and cultivate new audiences for the arts, expand awareness of theater through educating youth and adults, and create a consistent, sustainable offering of African American themed theater productions to diverse audiences from throughout its community. One of the most influential and powerful women to explode onto the national political stage, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan’s dramatic entry during the Judiciary Committee hearings to impeach President Nixon garnered the attention of millions. Barbara Jordan: A Rendezvous with Destiny provides a dissection of her career, challenges and triumphs and gives an insight into a diverse and complex woman who dared to make a difference through her courage and inspiring life. A remarkable woman, her quiet dignity, pragmatism, and compassion for justice changed the political landscape of America and inspired a nation. Written and performed by Saundra McClain. Directed by Oz Scott. (Larry Leon Hamlin Solo Performance Series – General Audience) Barbara Jordan: A Rendezvous with Destiny Reynolda House Museum of American Art Tuesday, August 4, 3:00pm Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

LLH SOLO PERFORMANCE SERIES National Black Touring Circuit, Inc. New York Producer and Director Woodie King, Jr. founded the National Black Touring Circuit, Inc. (NBTC) in 1974 to make existing Black Theatre productions available to a larger audience by touring to colleges, Black art centers, community organizations and resident professional theatres. NBTC’s professionally prepared productions have performed all over the world, bringing to life historical figures such as Adam Clayton Powell, Martin Luther King, Mom’s Mabley, Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Lorraine Hansberry, Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad and great men and women of gospel music. Its presentations are educational and entertaining, keeping Black History alive all year long! For more information and bookings, contact Associate Producer Joyce Sylvester at 212-3531176 or check out the website at www.nationalblacktouringcircuit.org. ADAM: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. is an informative and historical play, highlighting the life and challenges of the Honorable Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Veteran actor Timothy Simonson stars as Harlem’s first Black Congressman and Pastor of Harlem’s famed Abyssinian Baptist Church. Set in Bimini, the House of Representatives and Abyssinian Baptist Church, the play captures the handsome and charismatic Reverend Powell’s dynamic words and thoughts, and brings him back to life as it follows his political journey representing Harlem between 1945 and 1971. Written by Peter DeAnda. Directed by Ajene D. Washington. (Larry Leon Hamlin Solo Performance Series - General Audience) ADAM: The Story of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Reynolda House Museum of American Art Tuesday, August 4, 3:00pm Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

LLH SOLO PERFORMANCE SERIES Pulse Ensemble Theatre In 1989, Alexa Kelly, Gary Garrison and Kevin Willmot co-founded Pulse Ensemble Theatre. Alexa Kelly has been the Artistic Director since that time. Pulse Ensemble Theatre is dedicated to making the Classics accessible and exciting to the youth of today. Pulse is committed to multi-ethnic casting, taking an active role in its community, being a nurturing and developing ground for audiences and actors in New York City, and providing free outreach programs. Pulse is also committed to presenting new works by or that deal with women’s experiences—particularly focusing on the mature woman. Now in its eleventh season, Pulse’s Harlem Summer Shakespeare outreach project is a full Shakespeare production presented for four weeks to the Harlem community for free. Pulse also runs a very active Playwrights’ Lab, developing new plays and readying them for production, and has an active intern training program. Pulse is very proud to have developed the original play, W.E.B. Du Bois: A Man For All Times, which Photo by Linda Grove won great critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was commissioned for a performance before Queen Beatrice of the Netherlands, performed for 20 performances at the V & A Museum, London, and has toured to universal acclaim to many colleges and schools in the United States. For booking information, see www.pulseensembletheatre.org A riveting, heart-warming drama, W.E.B. Du Bois: A Man For All Times is the story of a man who dedicated his life to the struggle for Civil Rights. Laugh, love, cry and walk with him and his peers on their journey. “A unique and amazing experience” - Time Out London. Written and directed by Alexa Kelly. Performed by Brian Richardson. (Larry Leon Hamlin Solo Performance Series – General Audience) W.E.B. Du Bois: A Man For All Times Mountcastle Forum Black Box – Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts  Friday, August 7, 3:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

NBTF FRINGE Norfolk State University Award-winning educator, actor and director Anthony Stockard proudly serves as Director of Norfolk State University’s Department of Visual & Performing Arts’ Division of Drama, and Artistic Director of NSU Theatre Company. Norfolk State University is a public, four-year coed liberal arts Historically Black University in Norfolk, Virginia. The Division of Drama offers its students concentrations in Theatre Performance and Theatre Technology. The Division produces exceptional, competitive theatre artists and technicians through its rigorous curriculum and training. It participates in KC/ACTF, NADSA, SETC and other conferences and competitions and provides financial support to its exceptional drama students. NSU Theatre Company is the presenting organization for theatrical productions on campus. The Company has garnered wide-spread audience acclaim and multiple honors and awards for excellence. It presents an annual four-show season of plays and musicals and has helped to catapult its participants into successful careers in theatre, television and film. The Brothers Size, set in the Louisiana bayou, follows the recently paroled Oshoosi Size as he seeks to jumpstart his life. Working in his brother Ogun’s repair shop was not exactly what he had in mind, so when his old friend Elegba shows up, offering a different “direction,” Oshoosi quickly finds himself torn between his brother, his loyalties, and his dreams. Flights of poetry, music and West African mythology slam together in a visceral tale that begins in ritual and evolves into a hot-blooded, tough and tender drama about the need to belong somewhere... to something...to someone. Written by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Directed by Anthony Stockard. (Drama – NBTF Fringe – General Audience). The Brothers Size WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center  Tuesday, August 4, 3:00pm Tuesday, August 4, 8:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 3:00pm Wednesday, August 5, 8:00pm

National Black Theatre Festival

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

NBTF FRINGE North Carolina Central University Department of Theatre and Dance The National Award Winning NCCU Department of Theatre and Dance (DTD) is unique because of the program’s capacity to transform a creative notion about the theatre into practical knowledge. The department is designed to satisfy the needs of a broad range of enthusiastic students; to give them the widest possible exposure to man’s accomplishments in theatre; and to provide experiences that will develop them as capable theatre practitioners. The most unique aspect of NCCU’s Theatre and Dance program is the opportunity to choose from eight different theatre concentrations: Dance Performance, Dance Theatre Education (DTE), Theatre Education, Technical Theatre, General Theatre, Performance, Theatre Administration, and Theatre Communications. Dance Performance, interdisciplinary in nature, is the newest concentration in the Department of Theatre and Dance. The Department of Physical Education provides the scientific foundation while the School of Education implements the required education component and DTD renders the artistic component of the concentration. DTE is a teacher licensure program that prepares students to teach in K-12 schools and is approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. It is the only dance teacher education licensure program at a Historically Black College and University in North Carolina. FACULTY & STAFF Dr. Asabi (Stephanie Howard), Chairperson Professor Arthur Reese, Technical Director Dr. Johnny Alston, Professor Dr. Beverly Allen, Professor Professor Nancy Pinckney, Assistant Professor Professor Mr. Irving Truitt, Adjunct Professor Professor Kenneth Hinton, Adjunct Professor Professor Kamora Avent, Adjunct Professor Professor Tara McGilberry, Adjunct Professor

Professor Kristy Johnson, Adjunct Professor Mr. Charles “Chuck” Davis, Artist in Residence Mr. James Nuss, Facility Maintenance Technician Ms. Martha McAllister, Administrative Support Associate Ms. Pamela Bond, Theatrical Wardrobe Manager Special Acknowledgements to Dr. Linda Norflett and SammArt Williams for their continual work with NCCU Department of Theatre and Dance

Adapted from Toni Morrison’s acclaimed novel, The Bluest Eye highlights the 1940s story of a young African American girl’s desire for self worth and spiritual vitality in the face of racism and abuse. It provides a perfect depiction of the incomprehensible, lower depth of existence experienced by a malnourished soul as it reveals a troublesome year in the life of the protagonist, 11-year-old Pecola. The drama, reminiscent of Morrison’s unique writing style, tells Pecola’s story through fragmentation, narration and stream-of-consciousness. Adapted by Lydia Diamond. Directed by Asabi. (Drama – NBTF Fringe - General Audience) The Bluest Eye WSSU Dillard Auditorium, Anderson Center  Thursday, August 6, 8:00pm Friday, August 7, 8:00pm Saturday, August 8, 3:00pm Saturday, August 8, 8:00pm

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

2015 NBTF WORKSHOPS Marriott

NBTF Office—Salem Room Security Office—Reynolda Room Marvtastic Room—Moravian Room

National Black Theatre Festival

NBTF Media—Corpening Room NBTF Media Interviews—Hanes Room Transportation—Winston Room

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

2015 NBTF WORKSHOPS Embassy Suites

NBTF Concessions—Garden Terrace 1 Youth Celebrity Project—Garden Terrace NBTF Tech Office—Atkins Room

August Third through Eighth

Two Thousand and Fifteen

2015 NBTF INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity In Black Theatre and Performance Session I: Opening Session — 10:00 AM-12:30 PM, Tuesday, August 4 — Marriott, Hearn C & D Keynote Address: Marcus Gardley Shade Came before Reading...Blackness in the Shadows and in the Light from a Performance Perspective Discussant: Sharon Bridgforth Facilitator: André De Shields, 2009 NBTF Living Legend Award ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Session II: Reflections of the Past — 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, Wednesday, August 5 — Embassy Suites, Ardmore 2 Discussant: Ntozake Shange Facilitator: Sharon Bridgforth Author Rogers, Dennis (Bowie State, USA)

Title Blessed Assurance in the Face of Oppression: Langston Hughes Emperor Jones… Naranjo, Julio Moracen (Brazil & Cuba) Afro – Religions and Questions of Sexualities and Genders Dike, Fatima (South Africa) Existential Condition of LGBT in South Africa ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Session III: Interrogating the Present — 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, Thursday, August 6 — Embassy Suites, Ardmore 2 Facilitator: Clinton Turner Davis, Recipient, Lloyd Richards Director Award 2015 NBTF Author Williams, Darius Omar (Lehigh University, USA)

Title Queering Blues: Black Sexuality and Gender Identity in Mississippi Born & Bred Euba, Femi (LSU / USA / Nigeria) Gendering the Genderless: Elegba in Brothers Size (Tentative) Flávio, Ângelo (Brazil) Black Theatre in Brazil and Performance of the LGBTQ Scene ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Session IV: The Way Forward: LGBTQ in Society and in Arts — 10:00 AM-12:30 PM, Thursday, August 7 —

Lecture Room, Hill Hall, WSSU

Facilitator: Kwame Dawes (Univ. of Nebraska, Jamaica/Ghana) Panelists: Valerie Curtis-Newton (Seattle, USA) Patrick Johnson (Northwestern Univ., USA) LaTanya L. Rogers (Univ. of the District of Columbia, USA) Michael Dinwiddie (New York University, BTN/US) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

2015 NBTF International Colloquium: Theme Performances ACCEPT “EXCEPT” LGBT NY New Federal Theatre, New York, NY Tuesday, August 4, 8 pm Wednesday, August 5, 3 pm & 8 pm Thursday, August 6, 8 pm

SWEET TEA: Black Gay Men of the South Project&, Chicago, IL Tuesday, August 4, 8 pm Wednesday, August 5, 3 pm & 8 pm Thursday, August 6, 8 pm

National Black Theatre Festival

THE BROTHERS SIZE Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA Tuesday, August 4, 3 pm & 8 pm Wednesday, August 5, 3 pm & 8 pm

IN FULL BLOOM: Transcending Gender Screening at a/perture Tuesday, August 4, Noon Thursday, August 6, Noon

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2015 NBTF FILM FEST a/perture cinema

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HONOREES audiences into his characters by way of his comfortable delivery and easy-going nature.

Bill Cobbs Sidney Poitier Lifelong Achievement Award

In addition to theatre, Cobbs has an extensive film and television and career. His projects include Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb; Oz the Great and Powerful; Disney’s Air Bud; Rob Reiner’s Ghosts of Mississippi; The Drew Carey Show; October Road; One Tree Hill; I’ll Fly Away; The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston; The Sopranos; Six Feet Under; The Others; JAG; The Michael Richards Show; and Tom Hanks’ That Thing You Do. He recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra’s Hip-Hop Literacy2 campaign, encouraging the reading of IceT’s autobiography. In his free time, Cobbs enjoys music, reading, and playing his drums.

Nate Jacobs Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award

Bill Cobbs was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His mother was a domestic worker and his father worked in construction. As hard-working people, they instilled in him a sense of selfreliance and humility. In his early adult life, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a radar technician. Cobbs also worked in office products at IBM and sold cars in Cleveland, but he was drawn to the stage. As an amateur actor, he starred in Ossie Davis’s Purlie Victorious at Karamu House Theater in his hometown. In 1970, at the age of 36, he moved to New York City. There he turned down a job in the NBC sales department in order to have time for auditions. He supported himself by driving a cab, repairing office equipment, selling toys, and performing odd jobs. His first professional acting role was in Ride a Black Horse at the Negro Ensemble Company. He went on to perform in small theater productions, street and regional theater, and at the Eugene O’Neill Theater.

National Black Theatre Festival® (NBTF) Founder Larry Leon Hamlin identified, nurtured and promoted the talents possessed by Nate Jacobs. Jacobs credits Hamlin’s mentoring with establishing Jacob’s path toward national professional success and personal satisfaction. “I almost lost myself and my dreams of being a performer because I spent so much time developing others,” states Jacobs. At the 2001 NBTF, Hamlin lit the stage for

He appreciates talent and easily gives praise where it is due. Some describe Cobbs as a man with gravitas. He skillfully lures

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HONOREES Project1VOICE’s signature initiative is 1Voice/1Play/1Day. It is one of the many successful initiatives that Project1VOICE has created since its inception. Hundreds of artists and more than thirty African American theatres and diverse institutions mount a staged reading of the same play. This year’s international event featured Home by Samm-Art Williams. Past staged readings presented Trouble in Mind, The Amen Corner, A Soldier’s Play, Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963, and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. “If you are a lover of theater but dismayed by the lack of people of color on the big stage, Project1VOICE is an organization you should know about,” reports Black Entertainment Television (BET) news.

Aunt Rudele’s Family Reunion, Jacobs’ one-man show featuring the feisty, funny family matriarch from the South. Aunt Rudele appeared before her first international audience and the show’s success encouraged Jacobs to continue performing. The show went on to receive rave reviews across the nation, was selected for the Zora Neale Hurston Festival in Eatonville, Florida, and has enjoyed encore appearances at subsequent NBTFs. In 1981, the Florida A&M University graduate began teaching and mentoring students. He later created opportunity for more youth to enter the performing arts by founding and serving as Artistic Director of The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT). Jacobs’ has earned many honors due to his extensive work in the community mentoring, training, and developing young aspiring performing artists. The Sarasota County Branch NAACP Youth Council recognized him as one of the 2012 Men of Valor, based on his outstanding contributions to young people. In spring 2013, he was inducted into Sarasota’s Community Video Archives “Hall of Fame” for his significant contributions to the arts and education. Most recently, Biz (941) and La Guia magazines named Jacobs the 2015 Unity Award Arts winner for being a champion of diversity.

McMillan-McCall began his New York City career in editorial fashion, working at Conde Nast Publications’ Glamour, Gourmet, GQ, Mademoiselle, Self, Vanity Fair, and Vogue magazines. After leaving his position as assistant to Vogue magazine’s Creative Director, he performed on Broadway in Chicago and The Who’s Tommy, and toured nationally, performing in Chicago, Dreamgirls, Jelly’s Last Jam, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Ragtime and Sunset Boulevard.

In addition to his work as a producer, Jacobs is an actor, singer, comedian, playwright, composer and director. As a playwright, he has created both original and adapted works such as Motown 60s Review, Marvin Gaye, Magnificent Music of the 40s, Love Sung in the Key of Aretha and Jazz Hot Mamas. He has been featured on several TV shows, including BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel Explosion, New York’s Showtime at the Apollo, Henry Porter and The Love Campaign, and Sony Records Showcase. Jacob’s success has spread to Europe, where he has toured in Germany and Switzerland. His original production, The Soul Crooners, was a sold-out hit at the 2013 NBTF, and his companion show, Soul Crooners 2, is an eagerly anticipated 2015 NBTF offering.

Through Project1VOICE McMillan-McCall has continuously cultivated partnerships with an array of organizations, such as Actors’ Equity Association, Black Theater Network, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Coalition of Negro Women, and the United Nations, as well as schools, churches, hospitals, museums and libraries, and colleges and universities both nationally and internationally. What began as a grassroots organization for survival has now developed into an international initiative committed to keeping African American theater strong, vital, alive and funded.

Erich McMillan-McCall Emerging Producer Award Erich McMillan-McCall is Founder and CEO of Project1VOICE, Incorporated. He established Project1VOICE in response to the severe economic downturn of 2008-09 that resulted in the significant reduction in arts funding that had a profoundly devastating impact upon African American theaters across the country. The organization is committed to preserving the legacy and sustaining the growth of African American theater while cultivating future generations of artists and arts patrons. It attracts new dollars through innovative audience development for a theatre’s long-term stability.

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For more information about Project1VOICE visit www.Project1VOICE.org

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HONOREES a graduate of Columbia University, the American Repertory Theater Institute at Harvard University, and the Juilliard School. She is a proud member of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, the Coca-Cola Scholar Program, the Dramatists Guild, and the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Hall is currently a member of the Residency Five at Signature Theatre in New York City.

Katori Hall August Wilson Playwright Award

Now Hall wants to expand her reach and work in television and film. Hurt Village, which won the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, is helping her make this transition. She participated in the Sundance Screenwriters’ Lab, where the play was developed into a film, and she will make her directing debut with the film adaptation. “She wants to change the image of what people think about Black women and of Black people,” says Hall’s assistant, JaMeeka Holloway-Burrell. “Katori wants to show the world that Black people are also among some of the greatest minds in this country.” Hall is also developing Stephen L. Carter’s national bestseller, The Emperor of Ocean Park, into a television series for John Wells Productions.

Clinton Turner Davis Lloyd Richards Director Award More than a decade ago, she began as an actress…but quickly realized there were not enough strong roles reflecting the modern-day Black woman. Katori Hall decided to write those roles. She also wanted to express the sexuality, vibrancy and intelligence of Black women. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Hall draws from the lives of Southern people. She is also inspired by the lives of women in her second home, Africa. Her play, Our Lady of Kibeho, is set in Rwanda. Hall delves into the environment and people linked to her projects while shaping her characters, their language, style and mannerisms. Hall’s play, The Mountaintop, ran on Broadway and starred Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. This powerful production ran in London as well, and won the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play. Other stellar works include Children of Killers, Hoodoo Love, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, WHADDABLOODCLOT!!!, Pussy Valley and The Blood Quilt. Among her many awards are the Lark Play Development Center Playwrights of New York (PoNY) Fellowship, the ARENA Stage American Voices New Play Residency, the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, and recognition by American Theatre Magazine in 2012 as one of the number one produced playwrights in the United States.

Clinton Turner Davis has worn numerous hats throughout his theatrical career, as an Off-Broadway and regional director, dramaturge, producer, educator, playwright, stage manager and consultant. He is also a noted interpreter of August Wilson’s “20th Century Cycle of Plays,” his numerous productions earn-

Hall is an alumna of the Lark Playwrights’ Workshop, where she developed The Mountaintop and Our Lady of Kibeho, and

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HONOREES ing him multiple AUDELCO awards and regional commendations. Most recently he directed Gem of the Ocean for the 20th anniversary of the University of Louisville’s African American Theatre Program. A member of the National Black Theatre Summit “On Golden Pond” convened by August Wilson at Dartmouth College, Davis directed Joe Turner’s Come and Gone for this historic event. His Oregon Shakespeare Festival production of the play is documented in the textbook, The Creative Spirit.

A. Peter Bailey Living Legend Award He had a front row seat to Black Theatre’s cultural explosion on New York stages. For almost 20 years, journalist A. Peter Bailey covered theatre and arts for several national publications, including Ebony Magazine, Jet, Negro Digest/Black World, ESSENCE, Black Enterprise, The New York Times Arts and Leisure and The New York Daily News.

Davis’s wide-ranging work has included directing One Night by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Charles Fuller for Cherry Lane Theatre, and collaborating with Actors Theatre of Louisville and Alabama Shakespeare Festival on the world premiere of Pure Confidence, commissioned from an idea he suggested. He also directed for the Children’s Theatre of Minneapolis, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Penumbra, Young Playwrights Festival, Negro Ensemble Company, and New Federal Theatre, among many others. His productions have received Barrymore, Dallas Theatre Critics, Bay Area and Drama-Logue Critics’ Awards, and a special citation from the US Senate.

He is known for challenging playwrights in terms of the political and social messages of their work. He viewed artists through a critical lens. “I want to hear what you’re saying,” Bailey said during an interview. “Just because you say it nicely and the beat sounds good, I still want to know what the words are saying.”

A member of the Negro Ensemble Company for sixteen seasons, Davis served in many roles, including associate artistic director, literary manager, dramaturge, director of playwriting and movement workshops, and director. He was also the first Lorraine Hansberry Fellow at the University of WisconsinMadison, where he directed A Raisin in the Sun. Additional residencies include New Dramatists, and three years at the Taipei Artist Village.

Finally, the playwrights turned the table on him, challenging him to sit in their seat…and write a play. So in 2000, he wrote his first and only play, Malcolm, Martin, Medgar (MMM).

He is known for his extensive knowledge of the African Diaspora and he liberally shares this history with others. Davis also empowers those around him. As a teacher, he honors how a playwright’s words and character development impact an audience. An associate professor at Colorado College for seventeen years, he has also guest lectured at the Chinese Culture University and Taiwan National University of the Arts, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, UC-Berkeley and Ohio State, and directed productions at The Juilliard School, NYU-Tisch, Clemson, Brandeis, Fordham, and Howard universities.

In 2011, he used this work at Howard University’s Drama Department while playwright-in-residence. It became a tool with which he inspired a deeper analysis about black theatre in the United States. Theatre students performed MMM as a staged reading and subsequent groups have given life to this work in New York; Washington, DC; Hilton Head and Columbia, SC; and Dallas, TX at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters. Bailey maintains Black theatre plays an integral role in the global performance of the arts. “Black theatre between the mid1960s and the mid-1980s has provided many magical moments for theatre goers,” explains Bailey. “Despite limited financial resources, black theatre artists on every level, buttressed by talent, creativity, audacity, energy and commitment, explored the black experience on stage…. Those black theatre companies deserve to be saluted and supported as cultural warriors on an equal plane with political and economic warriors.”

Another role he enjoys is that of gourmet chef. Amid the backdrop of delicious cuisine and libation, Davis brings together experts from all facets of theatre to discuss the evolution of their craft, and how it preserves the history of our diverse culture while also capturing new stories. Future projects include Atelier Rodin, based on the life and works of Auguste Rodin, and Fault Lines, a Bunraku informed opera/music theatre production exploring the resonances of the African presence in ancient and contemporary Taiwan/Asia.

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HONOREES Coppola’s The Cotton Club, where he and Gregory amazed audiences with their synchronized tapping.

Maurice Hines Living Legend Award

Hines also directs and choreographs. His musical, Uptown… It’s Hot! played for 17 sold-out weeks in Atlantic City. He later joined the show’s Broadway cast and earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Additional directing and choreography credits include the national tours of the musicals Satchmo and Harlem Suite, in which he also starred. He has choreographed productions of Hairspray in Santo Domingo, Sophisticated Ladies at The Lincoln Theatre, and Dance, Dance, Dance, Snap. He received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography for Cool Papa’s Party at MetroStage. Hines has performed his biographical show, Maurice Hines is Tappin Through Life at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Cleveland Playhouse, and The Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills. In addition, he paid tribute to one of his idols, Nat King Cole, in his latest album on Arbor Records, To Nat “King” Cole With Love.

Robert Hooks Living Legend Award Star of stage, film and television, Maurice Hines began his career at age five. He and his brother Gregory studied tap at the Henry LeTang Dance Studio in New York City and learned at the feet of legendary tappers such as the “Copasetics.” LeTang recognized Hines’ extraordinary talents and was soon choreographing numbers specifically for him and his brother. The brothers went on to appear on Broadway and toured as the opening act for such headliners as Lionel Hampton and Gypsy Rose Lee. Their father joined the act, creating “Hines, Hines, & Dad,” and the trio earned international acclaim. Hines also trained in ballet, jazz and modern dance to increase the variegation of his tap skills. He is known for fast, close to the floor footwork and expressive style. “Maurice considers ‘Tap’ an American art form,” explains friend Mercedes Ellington. According to Ellington, Hines believes tap is wrongly stereotyped as synonymous with African Americans. “He’s spent years exploring its history and how this thread is woven into the rhythmic fabric of our human culture.” Professional highlights of Hines’ solo career include the National Touring Company of Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit; Eubie! on Broadway; Bring Back Birdie; Charles Randolph Wright’s Sophisticated Ladies; and the Hip-Hop Broadway musical Hot Feet, a collaboration with Maurice White, featuring the music of Earth, Wind, and Fire. Hines film debut was in Francis Ford

National Black Theatre Festival

When he was nine, Robert Hooks’ sister, Bernice, forced him on stage in the Pirates of Penzance. That was when he first realized theatre’s power to unite people. From that moment he has gone on to a distinguished career as an actor, producer and political

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HONOREES activist. He founded three significant black theatre companies: New York’s Group Theatre Workshop, the DC Black Repertory Company in his hometown, and the internationally recognized Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). The most important enterprise of its kind, the NEC launched the careers of many major black artists in all disciplines. Its nurturing of black playwrights over the course of three decades created a body of performance literature which provides the backbone of the African American theatrical canon.

Grace Jones Living Legend Award

Hooks’ first professional role landed him in the cast of the original Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun. Other significant roles included The Blacks, and Amiri Baraka’s provocative Dutchman, produced by Edward Albee, and followed by a series of Broadway shows. Off-Broadway, Hooks helped break the theatrical color barrier when Joseph Papp cast him in the title role of Henry V. His talents led to many roles on television and in film, including his co-starring role on N.Y.P.D., the first prime-time network drama featuring a black actor as one of the leads, Sophisticated Gents, Hurry Sundown, Tennessee Williams’ Last of the Mobile Hotshots, and the title role in the cult hit Trouble Man. Hooks’ distinctive talents have garnered him a Producing Emmy for Voices of Our People (PBS); a New York Drama Critics Circle Award for A Raisin in the Sun, a Tony nomination for the lead role in the musical Hallelujah, Baby, the NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement and induction into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. For more than thirty years, Grace L. Jones has promoted African American “mover and shakers” and their impact on global communities. Her most powerful vehicle is her production company, A Touch Of Grace & Associates, which produces her cable television program, Growing with Grace CATV: African Americans on the Move. “I started this show because I got tired of seeing young men with bracelets behind their backs,” explains Jones. Her program promotes positive images of people of color.

During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Hooks feared he was not doing enough and considered leaving the industry. According to his wife, Lorrie Marlow, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. urged Hooks to reconsider. “He told Robert, artists are an integral and vital part of the struggle for civil rights,” recalls Marlow. “What you do is just as important as marching in protest.” This mandate shaped Hook’s existence and career. His political advocacy for the arts has twice taken him to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Hooks appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives, stressing the importance of extending the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, and continues to lend his voice to furthering inclusion and artistic integrity.

When Jones was a child, she wanted to be a ballerina. Another classmate also had aspirations of dancing in the spotlight – Eartha Kitt. Years later, their paths crossed again as Jones discovered her talent was as a vocal advocate for the arts and performers. In 1964, she and Helen Waren Mayer co-founded The Double Image Theatre, Inc., a professional training school and theatre production company. She also founded Theatre for the FutureYouth Workshops, using the arts to help Inner City youngsters ages ten to seventeen improve in other academic areas. Jones is president of AUDELCO and on the AUDELCO Awards Nominating Committee for “The VIV Awards,” annually critiquing more than 100 Black theatre productions.

Hooks is most proud, not of his great roles or acting awards, but of what he has done for others; the many lives he has changed and minds he has helped to open.

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HONOREES What I Wore, directed by Jenny Sullivan at the Rubicon Theatre.

A mother of two, she credits the late Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. for instilling in her a passion for community activism. She is a highly decorated community and political activist, having received the Community Spirit Award from Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration, and a New York City Council Citation for Outstanding Citizenship. In 2012 she received the Castillo Theatre’s Aime Cesaire Lifetime Achievement Award. Jones was also honored by the Grand Council of Guardians, Inc. for service to the community through her cable television program.

Winston also entertains audiences on film and on television. Currently, she can be seen as Sister Pearlie, opposite Cedric the Entertainer and Niecy Nash in TV Land’s The Soul Man. She is perhaps best known for her role as Margaret on the CBS hit series Becker, where she was honored to have worked with Ted Danson for six seasons. Winston’s numerous TV credits include The Electric Company, Homefront, Castle, Girlfriends, ER, The Game, Scrubs, Reed Between the Lines, Cold Case, and Mike and Molly.

Jones co-founded Concerned Citizens For Community Action, Inc. and lobbied Albany to combat issues of crime and drugs, and to secure affordable housing and rights for seniors in neighborhoods from 59th Street to 110th, Columbus Avenue to Riverside Drive. “When I was a child, my father impressed two things on me. To be the best I could be,” says Jones, “and to always reach back to help someone else up. We all need help traveling Life’s roads.”

Winston has always been a nurturer with a heart for her community. Around her home, she cultivates beautiful gardens. She also invests in youth. Early in her New York City career, she began Heritage Kids, a program that exposed African American youth to their cultural heritage. Later, she moved to Los Angeles and launched Onyx Village, a club that continues her original mission and creates friendships. She is now Vice President of Bonnie Franklin’s Classic and Contemporary American Plays, bringing plays to underserved junior high and high school students. She also co-chairs, with Danny Glover, The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. Her play, A Mighty People (based on the slave narratives), is slated for production at The Board Theatre in 2016.

Hattie Winston Living Legend Award

Winston says her proudest roles are as the wife of Harold Wheeler and the mother of Samantha Wheeler.

ESOSA Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design At 14 in New York City’s South Bronx, Emilio Sosa discovered his love for costume design. This love led him to his first Tonynomination for costuming Diane Paulus’ acclaimed revival of The Gershwin’s’ Porgy and Bess on Broadway, which included dressing six-time Tony Award-winning headliner Audra McDonald in a sultry, show stopping red dress. Other Broadway credits include Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill and Topdog/Underdog. For Motown: The Musical, Sosa designed more than 300 costumes spanning almost five decades. His designs have also been seen in Off-Broadway productions, including By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Lucille Lortel Award), Trust, Crowns (2003 AUDELCO Award), Lips Together Teeth Apart, While I Yet Live, The Capeman, The Invisible Hand, Sunset Baby, Detroit 67, Sex With Strangers and The Misanthrope. Regional theatre credits include American Night; Ruined; Cuttin’ Up; Señor Discretion Himself (Helen Hayes Award nomination); Twist (2011 Ovation Award); Witness Uganda; Fences; Turandot:

Hattie Winston is an acclaimed actress, singer, producer, director and Broadway veteran whose career spans almost five decades. She is a founding member of The Negro Ensemble Company in New York City and has acted both on and Off-Broadway in many productions, including The Tap Dance Kid, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Me Nobody Knows, The Vagina Monologues, Scapino, Up the Mountain, American Menu, and Love, Loss and

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HONOREES The Rumble for the Ring; Ain’t Misbehavin’; and Sense & Sensibility: The Musical. ESOSA also received the 2006 TDF/Irene Sharaff Young Master Award.

He garners the respect of many in the industry, who call him the “world-famous Allen Hughes.” This artist is known for spending hours observing how the sun’s movement affects colors in the sky and in nature. Hughes distinguishes himself by incorporating this real-world pallet into the dramatic and fascinating light designs he creates for shows. Light designer Xavier Pierce calls Hughes his mentor and trained under him for several years in New York. “Before him, I didn’t know I could make it because I’d not seen anyone who looked like me,” explains Pierce. “But once I met him, I knew I could be a success too.” Washington D.C’s Arena Stage also honors Hughes as a mentor and for designing more than sixty productions for the company since 1969. It has named its Fellows Program after Hughes. “Allen Lee Hughes personifies the qualities we seek to instill and foster through our fellowship and internship program,” say theatre executives. “A desire to learn, strong work ethic and artistic drive and passion.”

ESOSA made history as the first person of color to design costumes for Radio City Music Hall’s New York Spring Spectacular™. He was also a fan favorite on the national TV show, Project Runway All Stars. After seeing himself on television, he quipped, “I need to smile more.” Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, his label, ESOSA, identifies his successful commercial line. “It took me a long time to realize we are put on this earth to be happy and successful,” he explains, “if we just get out of the way and allow ourselves to be.” ESOSA’s upcoming projects include On Your Feet, a musical celebrating the life and songs of Emilio and Gloria Estefan coming to Broadway in fall 2015; Marley, a musical about the life of legendary Bob Marley at Baltimore’s Center Stage; Fences and Immediate Family, both directed by Phylicia Rashad; and the national tours of both Porgy and Bess and Motown: The Musical.

Allen Lee Hughes Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design He dedicates his life to making countless performers look stunning every time they step on stage. Allen Lee Hughes’s talents have illuminated numerous Broadway productions, including Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Clybourne Park; Having Our Say; Mule Bone; Once on This Island (Tony nomination); K2 (Tony nomination, Outer Critics Circle Award, and Joseph Maharam Award); Strange Interlude (Tony nomination); Accidental Death of an Anarchist; and Quilters.

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He has received the USITT Distinguished Achievement Award in Lighting Design and is the recipient of two Helen Hayes Awards. His expertise also enhances major dance productions, including pieces for Dianne McIntyre, American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada and Pilobolus Dance Theatre.

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HONOREES ly teaches technical theatre and stage design at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, N.Y.

Harlan Penn Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design

Grateful for reaching this level in his career, Penn dedicates his 2015 NBTF Outstanding Achievement in Scenic Design Award to the memory of his parents, Herbert Penn, Jr. and Lucye Penn. Additionally, he gives thanks to his wife Claudette and his family for their constant support. Lastly, Penn also thanks everyone who helped groom him as a designer, especially his mentor and friend, Felix E. Cochren, as well as the ‘old gang’ at Florida A&M University.

The Carpetbag Theatre, Inc. Theatre Longevity Award The Carpetbag Theatre (CBT) in Knoxville, Tennessee is an African American Legacy Organization. Since 1969 it has preserved cultural heritage, provided opportunities for increased cultural understanding, education and dialogue, and trained emerging artists of color. It mounts shows giving artistic voice to the issues and dreams of people who have been silenced by all forms of oppression. CBT serves communities by returning their stories to them with honesty, dignity, and concern for the aesthetic of that particular community, helping culturally specific communities to re-define how they organize. The company works in partnership with other community artists, storytellers, leaders and activists dedicated to uplifting marginalized groups. These collaborations birth original works based on storytelling and song. Some of its significant works include Dark Cowgirls and Prairie Queens, Between a Ballad and a Blues, SWOPERA, Red Summer, and Nothin’ Nice. Such productions, combined with its programs for youth and young adults, trauma victims and women in recovery, place CBT among a unique group of artists.

Harlan D. Penn is a graduate of Florida A & M University, BS Theatre and of the North Carolina School of the Arts, MFA Scenic Design. His talents won him top honors in student design competitions. Early in his career, his work caught the eye of seasoned professionals in the industry who admired his distinctive style. His favorite scenic design credits include Gem of the Ocean, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Jar the Floor, The Piano Lesson, Jitney, Nicholas Nickleby, Blacken the Bubble, Flyin’ West, Dreamgirls, For Colored Girls, King Hedley, Chicago, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Extremities.

One of CBT’s many projects is the Salon Series, developed as a way to support emerging artists and to provide a venue for their work. CBT’s newest ensemble work, Speed Killed My Cousin, is rooted in the stories of women veterans and their struggles with PTSD, MST and Moral Injury. The performance work has expanded to include reintegration work with veterans and their families, through CBT’s Creative Arts Reintegration Project (C.A.R.). C.A.R. uses story circles, creative drama techniques, digital storytelling and other media arts to give voice to the issues and lived experiences of veterans and their families. CBT is also the only National Performance Network (NPN) Partner in Tennessee. NPN provides artists subsidies for weeklong residencies as they create and tour contemporary performing and visual arts.

Penn has created designs for many theatre companies, including The Hadley Players, Black Spectrum Theatre, St. Louis Black Rep, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Paul Robeson Theatre, Classical Theatre of Harlem, and the Theatre Alliance of Washington, D.C. He founded the American-Caribbean Theatre Alliance, Inc., a Caribbean theatre company based in Jamaica, New York. After more than fifteen years as a professional set designer, he is now exploring directing, producing and playwriting. Penn current-

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HONOREES In 2019, The Carpetbag Theatre will celebrate 50 years of producing innovative theatrical performances that continue to push the envelope by exploring contemporary themes and issues.

Karamu House Special Recognition Award In 1915, two Oberlin College graduates founded the Playhouse Settlement House at East 38th Street and Central Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. Visionaries Russell and Rowena Jelliffe formed a gathering place where people of different racial, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds could create and fellowship.

al Register of Historic Places and received an Ohio Historical Marker. Led by Artistic Director Terrence Spivey, the company received the 2013 Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Award for Repertory Company of the Year. This year Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson issued a proclamation recognizing Karamu for outstanding achievement locally and nationally. For more information, go to www.karamuhouse.org

Rachel P. Jackson Special Recognition Award

The institution quickly became a magnet for many of the best African American dancers, printmakers, actors and writers. In 1917, the first theatrical productions were staged. The Jelliffes sponsored the Dumas Dramatic Club in 1920, later renamed the Gilpin Players in 1922 after the noted black actor Charles Gilpin. Five years later, a theater was acquired adjacent to the settlement and named Karamu House, Swahili for “a place of joyful gathering.” In the 1930s the Gilpin Players began a collaboration with Karamu alum Langston Hughes, premiering several of his plays. Hughes’ now-classic Black Nativity would become a Karamu favorite. Following a fire which destroyed the theater in 1939, the entire Playhouse Settlement was renamed Karamu House in 1941. A few years later, Karamu’s Early Childhood Development Center, the Preschool of the Arts, was founded. It is nationally recognized for innovative programs that motivate youth to explore, experiment and play in a challenging and supportive environment. With its one-of-a-kind arts education program, Karamu House has helped to educate generations of aspiring youth and artists to achieve their dreams. The theater was eventually rebuilt in 1949 at a new location, through the aid of Leonard Hanna, Jr. and the Rockefeller Foundation. It has two performance spaces: the 200-seat Jelliffe Theatre and the 100-seat Arena Theatre. Karamu has cultivated a well-deserved reputation for nurturing African American actors. Among the many notable performers who refined their craft at Karamu and later found success on stage, screen, and concert halls throughout the world were Ron O’Neal (Superfly), Robert Guillaume (Benson), Vanessa Bell Calloway, Bill Cobbs, Richard Brooks, and Imani Hakim (Everybody Hates Chris). With its theatrical offerings Karamu continues to launch the careers of talented actors and impact the world of the performing arts. On December 17, 1982, Karamu was listed in the U.S. Nation-

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Born in Greensboro, N.C. into a family of ten children, five boys and five girls, a teenaged Rachel P. Jackson enjoyed watching the Dudley High School Drama Club’s performances. She was fascinated as she learned and recited excerpts from Shakespearean classics like Julius Caesar, especially Mark Antony’s speech after the Roman Emperor’s vicious murder. Jackson’s passion for theatre grew over the years. Then in Winston-Salem in 1979, it transformed. She hosted Emperor Jones, one of the early living-room performances by Larry Leon Hamlin, “Mr. Marvtastic,” and James “Smitty” Smith. This unique experience lit a new fire in Jackson and she committed to supporting Black theatre. When Hamlin founded the North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC), she joined the NCBRC family and soon discovered her “pre-show” talents in welcoming and seating people. As an usher and as an usher coordinator, she is one of NCBRC’s most vibrant ambassadors to the public.

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HONOREES Her “first-touch” engages patrons, sparking their excitement and anticipation for the show. Meanwhile, her ability to execute front house operations and manage others helps to facilitate the smooth flow of patrons into the theatre.

covery. In addition, it was apparent if the community was to transition its economy to one based on knowledge industries, the center city must be strong and energetic. Downtown is the heart of the community and is the mirror of the community to outside observers looking to relocate to the city. In addition, downtown is the crossroads for all of our citizens to participate in the arts, dining and social interaction. In order to implement a new downtown plan that had been prepared, significant private sector involvement was necessary.

Since those early days, her work with NCBRC has allowed her to see excellent theatre and meet extraordinary performers from around the world. “I have six children,” says Jackson. “If they don’t find me at home…they know I’m either at the theatre working with NCBRC or running around with the National Black Theater Festival.”

Based on an analysis of needs and priorities, the Winston Salem Alliance determined that a fund of approximately $44 million would be needed to adequately address the private sector’s responsibilities in dealing with needs identified in the various revitalization plans that had been prepared and adopted.

Jackson’s professional career has centered on non-profit and community service organizations. She has been a resource coordinator for Northwest Child Development, a community organizer and house manager for Experiment in Self-Reliance, and ultimately retired from the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Public Library. Jackson is also a founding member of the Human Relations Commission in Winston-Salem, and served three terms as a commissioner.

After a successful fund raising effort, the Millennium Fund was created. Representatives from some of the funding organizations as well as members of the general public constitute its governing board. It has no paid staff.

Currently, Jackson is an Elder and Property Manager at Lloyd Presbyterian Church; president of the Concerned Women for Justice, a prison ministry; and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. She enjoys reading and visiting friends and family here and abroad.

Its focus is on these primary areas: • Creating downtown residential units • Supporting other downtown development projects and organizations • Supporting downtown events and festivals • Creation of parks and other open spaces • Economic development recruitment and site development • Creation of an economic development fund

The Millennium Fund Marvtastic Philanthropy Award

Since its inception, the Fund has been immensely successful in achieving most of its goals. In total it has raised over $53 million and supported a wide array of projects such as the Nissen Building, Innovation Quarter, BB&T Baseball Park, Children’s Museum, and Piedmont Craftsmen. It helped recruit new companies such as Dell, Caterpillar and Herbalife. The Fund has also supported many arts and community organizations such as the National Black Theatre Festival®, RiverRun International Film Festival, Hispanic League Fiesta, India Fest, the Goler and Liberty Street Community Development Corporations and many more.

The Millennium Fund, a 501(c)(3) corporation, was created in 2003 as a vehicle to assist in the efforts to rejuvenate the local Winston-Salem economy and the downtown core for the long term. The Fund also targeted supporting arts organizations and programs that clearly directly tied to the City’s rebirth. At the time the Millennium Fund was created, the community’s employment growth was lagging behind the state average and was trending even lower.

The Millennium Fund has fulfilled its role of closing the gap for many projects that would not have been implemented without the Fund’s involvement.

Significant and targeted new investments were identified by the public/private sector to enhance Winston-Salem’s economic re-

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HONOREES Warren Dell Leggett Theatre Arts & Humanitarian Award The theatre bug bit Warren Dell Leggett early in life, when he debuted in third grade as the lead in his school play. A few years later, he stepped into the spotlight again to the thrill of family and friends. But his graduation from elementary school saw the end of Leggett’s performance career. Adulthood, however, would reveal another theatrical role waiting for him in the wings. Leggett is what many would call a “numbers man”; professionally he has held numerous high-ranking positions in corporate financial analysis and accounting. In the 1980s, he contributed those talents to the North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC) in Winston-Salem. Leggett served as board member and treasurer, and was instrumental in securing charitable organization status for NCBRC and funding from arts organizations. “At first, it was hard getting funding for a Black theatre company because people just didn’t get it,” says Leggett. “But the consistent, high quality of our plays won them over and support came.”

Leggett worked closely with NCBRC’s late founder, Larry Leon Hamlin. “He was an amazing teacher,” recalls Leggett. “He took me behind the scenes and taught me the business of black theatre.” These two men formed a special partnership that sparked a unique harmony. Their cohesiveness further evolved in the mid1980s during a NCBRC Board Retreat. “Larry told the board he had a vision of producing a national theatre festival,” remembers Leggett. “My reaction was, ‘This man’s crazy.’” According to Leggett, most of the board members thought Hamlin had an impossible pipe dream. But by the end of the retreat, Leggett says everyone agreed it was a novel idea and committed to work to make Hamlin’s dream a reality. “A little later, Larry sold the idea to Maya Angelou. Now that really impressed me and others on the board. So we got to work.” Their dedication and efforts laid a solid financial foundation for the National Black Theatre Festival®, and paved the way for NCBRC to present the best of African American culture to an international audience. Leggett remains one of NCBRC’s staunchest supporters, and enjoys dramas and musicals. One of his favorites is NCBRC’s annual holiday production of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity. “I love the music, the vibrant colors in the costumes and all of the action,” says Leggett. “Black theatre is important to me because it reflects a life I understand, a life I can relate to.”

SAVE THE DATE IN 2017! National Black Theatre Festival® July 31–August 5, 2017

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NBTF LOGO DESIGNER LaVon Van Williams, Jr. The National Endowment of the Arts recognizes LaVon Van Williams, Jr. as a Master Carver. Presently, his work is on exhibit at the Artisan Center in Berea, Kentucky. In February 2007, the Kentucky Arts Council recognized Williams’ lifetime contribution to the arts by awarding him the Artist Award at the Kentucky Governor’s Awards in the Arts. He’s also exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. and created the shield for the National Black Theatre Festival at the personal request of Larry Leon Hamlin. Later this month, he’ll exhibit at the Art Festival in Atlanta Georgia. Carved into Williams’ folk art are the spirits of Song, History, Love and of Comfort. You feel the rhythmic strength of Family, Prayer, Peace and Possibilities. And you are drenched in the wisdom of Life Lessons, Fun, Power, Politics and Drama.

A resident in Lexington, KY, Williams is a self-taught artist skilled in the traditional carving style from coastal South Carolina passed down to him from his Great Uncle Luke. Over the years, Williams has refined his craft while continuing to reinterpret this heritage-rich art form. Thus, he ensures its relevance, vitality and survival in contemporary America’s cultural landscape. As an American folk artist, Williams’ background is thoroughly integrated and inseparable from his work. His art speaks profoundly of the universal through the specifics of an African American cultural tradition. The insight with which he records and interprets the world through his art enables the rest of us to share in the reverence with which he views the broader, human experience.

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2015 NBTF FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

Nigel Alston

Gayle Anderson

Betsy Annese

C. Renita Brewington

Alan Caldwell

Angela Hawkins

Linda Jackson-Barnes

Allen Joines

Christopher Leak

Ward Miller

J. Griffin Morgan

John Singleton

Jason Thiel

Patrice Toney

Cynthia Williams

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2015 NCBRC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, Chair

Dr. Eric Sadler, Vice Chair

Patrice Toney, Secretary

Robert Brown, Jr., Treasurer

Frederick B. Adams, II

Renita Brewington

Gwenn Clements

Alan Doorasamy, Sr.

Dr. Chere Gregory

Precious McCloud

Ward Miller

Donald Pearsall

John Singleton

Wanda Starke

Martha Wheelock

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2015 NCBRC GUILD BOARD

C. Renita Brewington, President Renee Andrews Pridgen Amos-Green Kevin Banks Wanda Brown

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Elsie Coleman Leonard Cain Katrina Grant Dr. Elwanda Ingram Landis Kimbrough

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Rev. Dr. Felecia Piggott-Long Ava Smith Pegues Wende Walker Felicia Williams Matt Williams

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2015 MARVTASTIC SOCIETY MEMBERS Frederick & April Adams Donald Alexander Donna D. Alexander Gayle Anderson Renee Andrews Betsy Annese Jackie & Gregory Brewer C. Renita Brewington Robert Brown, Jr./Minnie Ijames-Scott Wanda Brown Lisa & Alan Caldwell Gwenn & Michael L. Clements Betty & Aldine Cloud Elsie Coleman Michelle & Bill Cook Ninetta Crockett Luellen Curry & Carlton Eversley Sharon & Alan Doorasamy Sr. Minnie & Jakay Ervin Lawrence Evans Doris & Willie Ferguson LaVerne & Clark Gaither Maureen Geraghty & J. Griffin Morgan Elnora & William Gore Chere & Nokimis Gregory LaShonda Hairston Annie Hamlin Johnson Thelma & Wiley Harris Angela Hawkins Barbara Hayes Patricia & Tommy Hickman James Arthur Holmes Geraldine Hooper & Mabel Robinson Elwanda D. Ingram Mary & Wilbert T. Jenkins Allen Joines Donna M. Jones Sandra Miller Jones & Lafayette Jones Ellen & Richard Killens Cleopatra & Landis Kimbrough Christopher Leak Lois & Warren D. Leggett Clarence E. Lloyd Joseph Logan

National Black Theatre Festival

Paulette & Walter Marshall Avys Massey Precious & Tre McCloud Twanda & Thaddeous McCollum Reynita McMillan Carl J. Miller Vickie & Ward Miller Arnita Miles Deborah & Kenneth Mobley Kathryn Mobley Claire & James Nanton Aliesha Oaks Eileen & Olasope Oyelaran Donald Pearsall Mary & Andrew Perkins, Jr. Felecia Piggott Long Debra & Mike Pitt Gwendolyn Pryor Helene & Vernon Robinson Avon Long Ruffin Lita & Cedric Russell Brenda Latham-Sadler & Kenneth Sadler Eric J. Sadler John W. Singleton, Jr. Brenda Sloan Rose Smalls Sylvia Sprinkle- Hamlin Wanda Starke & Ron Fisher Natalie & Hershal Summers Donna Taylor John H. Taylor Bernice Toney Patrice Toney Janet & Harden Wheeler Martha Wheelock Amy & Alfred White Cynthia Williams Felicia D. Williams Gwendolyn N. Williams Samm-Art Williams Carrie & John Worsley Anonymous Donor

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2015 NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE FESTIVAL STAFF Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, Executive Producer Mabel Robinson, Artistic Director lark hackshaw, Executive Assistant to Executive Producer

ADMINISTRATIVE

Arnita Miles, PR/Audience Development Larenté L. Hamlin, Graphic Artist/WebMaster Kathryn Mobley, Special Projects Manager Gwendolyn Pryor, Office Assistant Gwendolyn Williams, Office Assistant/Box Office Assistant Dorien Gosa, Special Project Assistant, Advertising

COORDINATORS & STAFF

Lawrence Evans, Celebrities &Travel Brian McLaughlin, Media Relations Director Luellen Curry, Publications Manager & Volunteer Co-Coordinator Rhonda Caldwell/Ric Wood (The Main Event), International Vendors’ Market Coordinators Natalie K. Summers, Box Office Co-Coordinator Jerome McCoy, Box Office Co-Coordinator June Anthony, Box Office Co-Coordinator Betty Cloud, Box Office Assistant Natasha Thompson, Box Office Assistant Jaquan Hamlin, Box Office Assistant Ivan Mosley, Box Office Assistant Mpho Manye, Box Office Assistant Artisa Conrad, Box Office Assistant Basheima Sellers, Box Office Assistant J’Laney Jenkins, Box Office Assistant April Davis, Box Office Assistant Devin Singleton, Box Office Assistant Patrice Toney, Volunteer Co-Coordinator

TECHNICAL STAFF

Arthur M. Reese, Technical Director E. Felicia Douglas, Assistant Technical Director/Technical Co-Coordinator Personnel Diarra Fields, Assistant Technical Co-Coordinator Gretchen Devlin-Hall, Gala Co-Coordinator & Assistant to Technical Co-Coordinator Marissa Gainey, Executive Assistant to the Technical Director, PowerPoint Editor and Hall of Fame Coordinator C. Derek Marion, Festival Lighting Designer, Logistics Co-Coordinator and Head Moving Light Programmer

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Sean Barnave, Sound Director Leon Smith, Assistant Sound Director Olivia Garcia, Master Scenic Artist Frances Smith, Properties Master Dr. Perry Otto, Master Carpenter Kynell Davis, Master Technician Hudson Meadors, Logistics Operations Director John Kuegel, Transportation Co-Coordinator NYC Dion Walker, Workshop Technical Supervisor Julian Reese, Assistant Moving Light Programmer Kenneth Hinton, Video Co-Coordinator Malcolm Green, Pre-Build Shop Foreman Orianna Best, Assistant to Logistics Coordinator Michael Shoaf, Assistant to the Lighting Designer Maliea Ransom, Production Secretary - Day Miyanni Ransom, Production Secretary - Night Taylor Murrell, Hall of Fame/Museum Operations Coordinator Torenzo Blair, Assistant Master Carpenter Keyanna Alexander, Assistant to Logistics Operations Director and the Grizzlies

FACILITATORS

Garland Lee Thompson, Jr., Readers’ Theatre of New Works Idris Ackamoor, New Performance in Black Theatre Series Dr. Olasope O. Oyelaran, International Colloquium Cleopatra Solomon, Youth Celebrity Project Weusi Baraka, Midnight Poetry Jam Coordinator Demetria Nickens, TeenTastic Coordinator Stephanie “Asabi” Howard, Youth Talent Show Coordinator Dr. Eric Sadler, Entertainment Coordinator Darsell Brittingham, Artists Networking Showcase Coordinator

CONSULTANTS

LaShonda Hairston, Marvtastic Society Coordinator Timothy Simmons, Hotel Coordinator LaVon Van Williams, Jr., Logo Design Kristie Staton, Graphic Designer Kay Calzolari, Group Tour & Service Manager

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IN REMEMBRANCE In Memory of Apostle John Henry Heath May 28, 1958-Jan. 23, 2015 Apostle John Henry Heath was a man who felt at home on any stage. “He could spiritually connect with an audience”, says Mabel Robinson, Artistic Director of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC). They met in 1987, and Robinson first directed Heath in Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope. They became close friends and traveled nationally putting on NCBRC productions. Other shows included; The Amen Corner, God’s Trombone and Dancing with Duke. Two of their productions were featured on the main stage of past National Black Theatre Festivals, Glory of Gospel (1997) and Mahalia, Queen of Gospel (2007). Health also performed in NCBRC’s annual Black Nativity. An ordained pastor, he was usually cast as one. He founded and led Higher Ground Ministries Worldwide, Inc. in WinstonSalem, N.C. and was also a national, awardwinning gospel recording artist. “His voice was like velvet,” recalls Robinson. “A booming, silky-rich baritone he effortlessly belted out that took you to ‘church’.” Health faithfully supported NCBRC and its founder, Larry Leon Hamlin. “With a broad smile and his own little dance, he delivered in every performance,” Robinson smiles while imitating how Heath rocked from foot to foot. “He’d throw up his white handkerchief, catch it and sometimes, he’d get the Holy Spirit. Those were special moments when he took our show to a higher level.”

In Memory of Mary and Sheila Allen In memory of Mary and Sheila Allen, the Meares and McCain families have donated $1000 to the National Black Theatre Festival.

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