The 46th Season Dedicated To
Black Women Playwrights
NBT TAKES US HIGHER
4 Production, 1 Festival & More...
"This season at NBT is particularly special for me as we have chosen to focus our lens on the Diaspora’s voices of the African American woman playwright. These powerful contemporary female voices both shape and hold the promise of our past, regale our present and dream the magnificent possibilities of what our future can be." said Sade Lythcott - CEO, National Black Theatre. "This is so exciting because when my mother Dr. Barbara Ann Teer created the technology that would be the foundation for NBT, the Divine Feminine principle was at its core. Now, 46 years later, we honor our founder and the cadre of powerful women both alive and in the ancestral realm, who have graced our stage, shaped our community and held this fierce loving sacred space for the 46th season to be possible."
THEATER ARTS PROGRAM
MAIN STAGE PRODUCTION:
October 21 - November 16, 2014
Opening Night Oct 25
NEW YORK PREMIERE of
written by Nikkole Salter
directed by Awoye Timpo
A year ago in Brooklyn, two young men mourned the untimely loss of their best friend. In his honor they decided then and there that, despite their differences, no matter where life took them, they would take care of his younger brother, and get together on the anniversary of his death to celebrate the life he should have had. So, on a cold day in the winter of 1996, these three twenty-somethings board a plane for Rio De Janeiro for a taste of the good life: sun, fun, and, of course, women - what better way to pay homage to a fallen friend? But what starts out as a joyride takes an unexpected turn and the three sex tourists find themselves in a situation that will change their friendships and their lives forever.
WORKSHOP PRODUCTION:
June 2 - 28, 2015
Opening Night June 11
WORLD PREMIERE of
written by Rain Pryor
directed by Kamilah Forbes
The hilariously, irreverent and poignant “Fried Chicken & Latkes” is Rain Pryor's one woman theatrical, cabaret-styled show based on her life growing up Black and Jewish. Pryor plays the 11 characters most pivotal to her life and takes her audience on a musical journey through the late 60s, 70s and 80s and some little-known family history. Along the way she offers a unique perspective on race, identity and the loss of her iconic father Richard Pryor.
CELEBRATION OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH:
MARCH 2015
During the month of March, Women's History Month, NBT will be curating a three (3) events that celebrates the impact Black Women have had on the gobal society. More information to come.
February 25 - March 1, 2015
written by Mfoniso Udofia
directed by Victor Maog
Her Portmanteau was developed during the inaurgual I Am Soul - Playwright Residency program and tells the story of legacy and forgiveness. Trapped within a small New York apartment, matriarch Abasiama Ufot and her two eldest children must construct a new definition for their family. As vaults are opened and old pains are re-lived, three women from three different generations, attempt to build the bridge across very different worlds.
February 12 - 16, 2015
6 Testaments
a benefit for Unlocking Futures
written by Nathan James, Nathan Yungerberg, Idris Goodwin, Glenn Gordon, Eric Holmes & Dennis A. Allen II
directed by Jonathan McCrory
Originally commissioned by The New Black Fest, HandsUp is a collection of 6 monologues written in response to Ferguson and the state of the black male in America.
Year-Round Programs:
Keep Soul Alive Mondays–Reading Series
Start Date: September 15, 2014
The Keep Soul Alive Mondays - Reading Series is a monthly reading series that will showcase the works of twenty three (23) Black Playwrights kicking off our 46th Season September 15, 2014. The readings take place on Mondays at 7:30 pm at National Black Theatre. Each reading is free with a suggested donation of $10. To learn more information please look on our website.
I Am Soul - Playwright Residency
In celebration of almost a half a century of nurturing Black playwrights, National Black Theatre is proud to announce the 2014 -2015 I Am Soul - Playwright Resident Aurin Squire. Through the program Squire will be supported to develop a new play during the residency, which will culminate in a Workshop Production in NBT’s 47th Season. To learn more information please look on our website. Learn More Here
COMMUNICATION ARTS PROGRAM
Year-Round Program:
TEER Spirit Awards Gala [Founder's Day]
Date: June 18, 2015
The Seventh Annual TEER Spirit Awards Gala will recognizes 47 years NBT has impacted this community, while honoring visionaties within the community that exemplify the attributes of three pioneers within National Black Theatre’s history: Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, NBT’s Founder & Visionary, Adetunde Samuel, a charismatic producer who headed NBT’s award winning Theatre Arts Program, and Fredrica L. Teer, an institution builder who conceived and organized the foundation that made the idea of National Black Theatre a reality. Outside of these awards, National Black Theatre honors a Pioneer of Black Theatre and gives Trail Blazer to individuals for outstanding contributions to their community. The Teer Spirit Awards was inaugurated in 2008 after the passing of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, the founder of the National Black Theatre. June 18th is the birth date of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer and is called Founder’s Day.
Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's
National Black Theatre
Institute of Action Arts