Carlton Molette

The Black Theatre Network has announced Black Theatre Week: A Virtual Event.

The 50th season of The Negro Ensemble Company, a year-long retrospective of some of the troupe's signature works, continues May 24 to June 10 at Theatre 80 St. Marks with 'Daughters of the Mock' by Judi Ann Mason.

This Spring, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. continues the celebration of its 50th Anniversary season, in which it is remounting classic plays of the company's past.

Afrocentric Theatre by Carlton W. Molette and Barbara J. Molette updates their ground-breaking Black Theatre: Premise and Presentation that has been required reading in Black theatre courses for over twenty-five years. Afrocentric Theatre describes the nature of a theatre with roots in Africa that embraces and disseminates African American culture and values. The Molettes contend Black theatre is a culture-based art form, not a race-based one. They further assert culture and values shape perceptions of such concepts as time, space, heroism, reality, truth, and beauty. They say the nature of theatre is an outgrowth of a culture and its values and that culture and values form the framework for understanding theatre and govern the way theatre, film, and video drama is perceived. They identify standards for evaluating and analyzing Afrocentric theatre and posit an appropriate perspective for interpreting and evaluating its individual works.

Last night was the premiere of FADE TO BLACK, an innovative 10 minute play festival promoting and supporting original works created by African-American artists. This showcase is the creative brainchild of Denise O'Neal of WMGE, LLC and Leighza Walker of LeighzaLand Productions, and it is a true first for the Houston theater community. Thankfully, these extraordinary women have already placed FADE TO BLACK on next year's calendar with the intentions of creating an annual event that centers around encouraging and producing new works written by African-American playwrights.

The Kennedy Center hosts its 11th annual Page-to-Stage new play festival from today, September 1, 2012 to Monday, September 3, 2012, featuring more than 40 theaters from the D.C. metropolitan area, all with a mission to produce and support new work. The three-day, Center-wide event offers a series of free readings and open rehearsals of plays and musicals being developed by local, regional, and national playwrights, librettists, and composers.

The Kennedy Center hosts its 11th annual Page-to-Stage new play festival from Saturday, September 1, 2012 to Monday, September 3, 2012, featuring more than 40 theaters from the D.C. metropolitan area, all with a mission to produce and support new work. The three-day, Center-wide event offers a series of free readings and open rehearsals of plays and musicals being developed by local, regional, and national playwrights, librettists, and composers.

Eighteen new provocative and engaging plays will be presented in groups A and B of 9 plays each. The plays, directed by innovative directors, are produced by a select team of New York's finest designers. Each performance is a well-orchestrated production, with smooth transitions between each polished segment in a string of works from the 8 MINUTE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL 2011.

Eighteen new provocative and engaging plays will be presented in groups A and B of 9 plays each. The plays, directed by innovative directors, are produced by a select team of New York's finest designers. Each performance is a well-orchestrated production, with smooth transitions between each polished segment in a string of works from the 8 MINUTE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL 2011.