National Black Theatre Sets 47th Season

Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE, the oldest continually operating black theater in New York, will present its 47th Annual Season of theatrical productions beginning in October. During the 2015 - 2016 season, the institution will present two New York City Premieres and a workshop production under the timely theme of "The Policing of the Black Body." Season Passes are $99 ($149 for VIP) and guarantee seats to all 3 productions and other special events happening within the 47th Season. NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE is located in the heart of Harlem at 2031-33 National Black Theatre Way (at the corner of 125th Street and Fifth Avenue -- accessible from the 2,3,4,5,6 trains at 125th Street). For tickets and information visit www.nationalblacktheatre.org.

"From police brutality to health disparities and beyond, the Black Body in this country is in a defining moment," notes Jonathan McCrory, Director of Theatre Arts Program. "Housed within our community is a diverse array of people under assault. This season's selections are geared toward the reclamation of the Black Body. Join us on the journey to Celebrate, Liberate, and Participate in the building of a new future."

Highlights of the 2015-2016 season at the NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE include:

October 28 - November 23, 2015:
DEAD AND BREATHING
A New York City Premiere by Chisa Hutchinson, directed by Jonathan McCrory.
Cranky old broad, Carolyn Whitlock, has been in hospice for far too long and just wants to die already. When she tries to convince a loud, oversharing, and very Christian nurse to assist her suicide, she has to work harder than she ever has in her privileged life to end it. Through surprising humor and persistent questioning, Dead and Breathing investigates morality, mortality and the intense tug-of-war between the right to die with dignity and the idea of life as a gift.

February 24 - 28, 2016:
ZOOHOUSE
Workshop Production (conceived within the I Am Soul - Playwright Residency) by Aurin Squire, directed by Ebony Noelle Golden.
Set in a dystopic future in an asylum for the criminally insane, Zoohouse is a twisted tale about who has narrative authority, where we keep history, and whose lives matter.

April 19 - May 15, 2016:
BLOOD AT THE ROOT
A New York City Premiere by Dominique Morisseau, directed by Steve H Broadnax III. A co-production with Hi-Arts.
In December of 2006, six black teenagers were convicted in the beating of a white high school in Jena, Louisiana. Playwright Dominique Morisseau uses the "Jena Six" incident as the inspiration for this fictitious story about a group of high school students desperately trying to define themselves.

In celebration of almost a half a century of nurturing Black playwrights, National Black Theatre has expanded its I Am Soul - Playwright Resident program to support two Black playwrights during the 2015 - 2016 season: Dennis Allen and Nambi E. Kelley. The playwrights will each develop a new play during their residency, which will culminate in a Workshop Production in NBT's 48th Season.

In addition, NBT will continue its Keep Soul Alive Mondays - Reading
Series, which will showcase the works of twenty Black Playwrights;
offer robust programming through its Communication Arts Program; and
support organizations and individual artist to work within the
community through its Entrepreneurial Artist Program. To learn more
about these programs or for a full schedule of events, visit
www.nationalblacktheatre.org.