Jackie Taylor News

Black Ensemble Theater's Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor announces its 2022 Season of Excellence: The Season of Healings. 

The African American Arts Alliance will host the 20th annual Black Excellence Awards, an evening celebrating Black artists, Black voices, and Black stories across various artistic disciplines, on December 27, 2021 at 7pm Central. 

Black Ensemble Theater announces Ladies, Living and Loving Life by Black Ensemble Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor and Rhonda Preston, directed by Jackie Taylor and starring Rhonda Preston and Arzula Gardner. 

Black Ensemble Theater will cautiously open its doors again this fall for live performances starting October 1, 2021. Black Ensemble Theater will launch its pre-opening with an exciting different kind of entertainment titled Concert Cabaret. 

Black Ensemble Theater Founder, Executive Director and CEO Jackie Taylor announces that the theater has received a generous $5 million grant from MacKenzie Scott and hopes that this gift will motivate other philanthropist and funders to also support Black Ensemble Theater and the arts.  

Black Ensemble Theater Founder and Executive Director Jackie Taylor announces Jackie Taylor's Soul of A Powerful Woman (Her To Save The World), now in its eighth year. The virtual one-night fundraising event to benefit Black Ensemble Theater will be live on May 23 at 6:00 p.m. on Facebook and Youtube.

This celebration of the philosophy of Dr. King will feature dance, music, spoken word and excerpts from some of Dr. King's most potent speeches with performances by Black Ensemble Theater Artists André Teamer, Dawn Bless, Dwight Neal and a host of others. 

The African American Arts Alliance has been awarded $240,000 by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Walder Foundation to provide salary support for its first Executive Director. The funding will be distributed over three years with the possibility of a two-year extension.

The acclaimed Black Ensemble Theater, led by Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, is celebrating the 2020 Holiday season with The Black Ensemble Virtual Holiday Extravaganza, written and directed by Producing Managing Director Daryl D. Brooks.

The African American Arts Alliance (AAAA) will host the 20th annual Black Excellence Awards, an evening celebrating Black artists, Black voices, and Black stories across artistic disciplines, on November 10, 2020 at 7pm. The 2020 virtual celebration will honor selected awardees who have exhibited artistic excellence.

The acclaimed Black Ensemble Theater, led by Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, celebrates 44 years of musical theater excellence in Chicago with an unforgettable online gala filled with joy, exuberance and pure excitement. The Legacy Continues: Together We Are the Change, A Musical Celebration Eradicating Racism will be a virtual telecast on Facebook Live, VON-TV on Apple TV and ROKU on Friday, October 16, at 7:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the African American Arts Alliance and in celebration of Black Arts Month this October, several Black theaters of Chicago will partner for a united audition for Black theater artists.

NBC Chicago has reported that Jackie Taylor, creator of the Black Ensemble Theater has spoken about about racism and the current events occurring in the US.

Black Ensemble Theater opens its 2020 Season: Season of Change with Legends the Musical: A Civil Rights Movement, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, written and directed by Black Ensemble Theater Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor. Legends the Musical will be performed February 22-April 12, 2020 at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago. The press opening is Thursday, March 5 at 7:30pm.

Black Ensemble Theater presents the 15th Annual Black Playwrights Festival as part of the company's Black Playwrights Initiative (BPI). The Black Playwrights Festival will take place January 25-26, 2020 at 3:00pm at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street.

Aisle Say had the opportunity to visit a rehearsal for First State Ballet Theatre's NUTCRACKER at The Grand on December 21 and 22.

Black Ensemble Theater's Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor announces its 44th Season: The 2020 Season of Change. The 2020 Season includes tributes to legendary heroes from throughout history, popular songs that were the B-sides of the record, the life and music of Chaka Khan, and one of the greatest bands of all time a?" Earth, Wind & Fire. All performances will be held at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago. 

The acclaimed Black Ensemble Theater, led by Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, celebrates 43 years of musical theater excellence in Chicago with an unforgettable gala filled with joy, exuberance and pure excitement. More than 500 supporters and friends of Black Ensemble Theater are expected to attend the upbeat and music-filled event with special performances by stars of the Black Ensemble Theater.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of its founding, Free Street Theater will stage "50 in 50: A City-Wide Theatrical Flash Mob," spanning Chicago's 50 wards to create a remarkable city-wide theatrical production. The company has brought together 10 multidisciplinary theater artists from across Chicago, including its own artists and ensembles, to lead teams of five to seven performers in creating short pieces to be presented as pop-up performances in each of Chicago's 50 wards.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of its founding, Free Street Theater will stage "50 in 50: A City-Wide Theatrical Flash Mob," spanning Chicago's 50 wards to create a remarkable city-wide theatrical production.