George Faison News

Ebony Jo-Ann, a 'Blackgold' acclaimed Blues vocalist, multiple award winning Broadway, Film and television actress and social activist, is in residence during the month of April at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, 254 W. 72nd St. in New York, for the first time since 2011, to reprise Nuttin' But the Blues, the Sugar Bar's weekly Blues series, which she co-created with the late Nick Ashford.

NYC Parks and Summer on the Hudson (SOH) today announced the 2016 schedule of festival events. Free to the public, SOH events, held in Riverside Park and West Harlem Piers Park, bring alive the western stretch of Manhattan greenspace from 59th Street to 181st Street. With more than 200 events this summer, New Yorkers of all ages can enjoy outdoor activities spanning music, film, dance, health and wellness and so much more. 

The cast of The York Theatre Company Musicals in Mufti presentation of DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE welcomed the great Maurice Hines, as well as original Broadway company members Ben Harney, Maria Thomas and George Faison, to performances over the weekend. The show played its performance on March 6 at The York Theatre at Saint Peter's. Scroll down for photos of Hines and company with the cast!

BroadwayWorld.com continues our exclusive content series, in collaboration with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, which delves into the library's unparalleled archives, and resources. Below, check out a piece by Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Ph. D., Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg Curator of Exhibitions for the Shelby Cullom Davis Museum, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on: Finding The Wiz at The Library for the Performing Arts.

Project Protest: The Art of Revolution, presented by The Center for Arts & Culture at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration), takes an unflinching look at how people and communities of African descent have responded to issues of inequality and social injustice through protests. 

UP IN THE AIR, a tribute to dance legend Louis Johnson, will take place Monday, October 5, 2015 at 7:00 pm in the Peter Norton Theater at Symphony Space located at 2537 Broadway in New York City. The event has two purposes: to honor the life and work of Johnson and to raise funds to complete a feature length documentary about the renowned dancer entitled UP IN THE AIR.

Several original cast members from the iconic Broadway premiere production of THE WIZ convened last night in honor of the show's 40th anniversary in a series of special performances. Phylicia Rashad, Andre De Shields, Dee Dee Bridgewater and more will joined to celebrate the musical in Central Park and Marcus Garvey Park with a series of special outdoor celebrations featuring song, story and dance titled THE WIZ: A CELEBRATION IN DANCE & MUSIC. Check out photos below!

Ease on down to Central Park this week!

Multiple award-winning theatre, film and television actress, Ebony Jo-Ann releases her new Blues CD, Please Save Your Love for Me on her independent label, Blackgold Production on Friday, September 18th.

Ease on down to Central Park this August!

Tony Award winner, George Faison taps multi-genre recording artist Damien Sneed as the musical director and conductor for the CityParks Foundation's Central Park's SummerStage production of "The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance & Music" on Wednesday, August 12 at Rumsey Playfield, located on East 72nd Street, off Fifth Avenue in Central Park. The event is free, doors open at 7:00 p.m. and show time is 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. On Thursday, August 13, and Friday, August 14, the production will be held at Marcus Garvey Park at 120th Street and Fifth Avenue in Harlem, show time is 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance & Music will be produced, directed and choreographed by George Faison and Timothy Graphenreed is the musical supervisor and dance arranger for the production.  

Using the power of dance to create community, Dances For a Variable Population (DVP), will present three performances of 10027, a celebratory and immersive project that links the residents of three distinct West Harlem communities who share a single zip code.

Cornish Dance Theater, the performing ensemble of the Dance Department at Cornish College of the Arts, will feature choreography by Iyun Ashani Harrison, Jose Limon, Vivian Little, Michele Miller, and Amy O'Neal at its Fall 2014 Concert, which takes place at the Cornish Playhouse this weekend, Nov. 21 and 22. Many of the pieces, including one world premiere from Harrison, focus on issues relevant to the dancers and today's college students.

Cornish Dance Theater, the performing ensemble of the Dance Department at Cornish College of the Arts, will feature choreography by Iyun Ashani Harrison, Jose Limon, Vivian Little, Michele Miller, and Amy O'Neal at its Fall 2014 Concert, which takes place at the Cornish Playhouse on Nov. 21 and 22. Many of the pieces, including one world premiere from Harrison, focus on issues relevant to the dancers and today's college students.

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre kicks off its 45th season with Karima's Accept 'Except' LGBT NY, which will begin performances tonight, October 23rd and continue through November 23rd with opening night set for November 6th. Tony Award winner George Faison directs a cast that features Tuluv Maria Price and Tyree Young. The design team includes Chris Cumberbatch (scenic design), Ali Turns (costume design), Thurston Reyes (lighting design), and Ralph Gentry (sound/visual design). Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre kicks off its 45th season with Karima's Accept 'Except' LGBT NY, which will begin performances October 23rd and continue through November 23rd with opening night set for November 6th. Tony Award winner George Faison directs a cast that features Tuluv Maria Price and Tyree Young. The design team includes Chris Cumberbatch (scenic design), Ali Turns (costume design), Thurston Reyes (lighting design), and Ralph Gentry (sound/visual design). Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre kicks off its 45th season with Karima's Accept 'Except' LGBT NY, which will begin performances October 23rd and continue through November 23rd with opening night set for November 6th. Tony Award winner George Faison directs a cast that features Tuluv Maria Price and Tyree Young. The design team includes Chris Cumberbatch (scenic design), Ali Turns (costume design), Thurston Reyes (lighting design), and Ralph Gentry (sound/visual design).

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With several weeks until the craziness begins, there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters . BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's The Lion King below!

Nevada Ballet Theatre (NBT) announced today that it will honor dancer, choreographer, actress, producer, director and author Debbie Allen as Woman of the Year for the 31st Annual Black & White Ball. The recipient of numerous awards, including a Tony Award, Golden Globe and three Emmy Awards among others, Allen's many contributions to the performing arts and entertainment industry will be celebrated on Saturday, January 24, 2015 at ARIA Resort & Casino, CityCenter.

New York Live Arts will present Urban Word's Journal to Journey: Ascension - Asylum called Life Personified, a four-month program that culminates in a showcase performance of new solo works created by young poets, December 14 & 15 at 1:00pm.