Hugh Williams

Congo Square Theatre Company, well known for its powerful portrayal of African American classics and gripping new works, commemorates its 20th Anniversary season with a rare production of the 1965 satirical fantasy, Day of Absence, at the Richard Christiansen Theatre (housed inside Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.), February 27-March 22, 2020. Its official opening night is Monday, March 2, 2020, at 7:30pm.

Racism and homophobia reign in 1950s Houston, the setting of Ricardo Pérez González's world premiere of On the Grounds of Belonging. The play begins as white drag queen Thomas Aston (Jeremiah Clapp) from whites only gay bar, The Red Room, hides from a raid at The Gold Room, a blacks only gay bar. Thomas falls head over his high heels for Russell Montgomery (Calvin Leon Smith), a quiet, erudite journalist who has a not too distant past with fellow patron Henry Stanfield (Blake Anthony Morris). But against the advice of bar manager Hugh Williams (Thomas Silcott), Thomas and Rusty begin a serious love affair. This is not a good time or place to be an interracial gay couple, but their biggest threat is Henry, who bashes Thomas in the head out of jealousy and hurt. Mooney Fitzpatrick (Craig Bockhorn), the gay and bigoted owner of the two gay bars, tells Russell that Thomas, whom he loved like a son, died of his wounds. He threatens to lynch the person who killed him. Sounds a bit like Romeo and Juliet, but neither character dies at the end. They are just separated seemingly forever. Rounding out this excellent ensemble is Tanya Starr (Tracey Conyer Lee), a torch singer at The Gold Room, who helps Henry escape. All the cast members are genuine in their roles, playing them without stereotypes. You can't help but feel their loneliness. Bockhorn is chilling as a man who, with his partner, took in a very young orphaned Thomas, yet is vindictive enough to lynch someone. Lee is a talented singer as well as actress.

Long Wharf Theatre presents the first production in the 19-20 Season, On the Grounds of Belonging, written by Ricardo Pérez González and directed by David Mendizábal.

Long Wharf Theatre announces dates, complete casting and the complete creative team for the first production in the 19-20 Season, On the Grounds of Belonging, written by Ricardo Pérez González and directed by David Mendizábal. Performances begin on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 for a limited run through November 3, 2019.

2017 marks the penultimate year of a seven-year participatory music and performing arts partnership between Chamber Made and The Venny, a communal backyard and drop-in centre for young people aged 5 to 16, some of whom are living in difficult circumstances, in Kensington and surrounding areas.

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, and RCA Records will release Elvis Presley - A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-1955 Recordings today, July 28.

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, and RCA Records will release Elvis Presley - A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-1955 Recordings on Friday, July 28.

Join us for the New-York Historical Society's inaugural Bernard and Irene Schwartz Classic Film Series, World War II and Its Legacy in Film, featuring opening remarks by notable directors, writers, actors, and historians. Produced in conjunction with New-York Historical's exhibition WWII & NYC, this selection of classic films will show a broad scope of life during and after the war and reflect many of the exhibition's themes, including life on the home front, the dispatch of troops and the struggle to readapt to postwar life.