Marsha Stephanie Blake News

High school best friends and science prodigies C.J. and Sebastian spend every spare minute working on their latest homemade invention: backpacks that enable time travel. But when C.J.'s older brother Calvin dies after an encounter with police officers, the young duo decide to put their unfinished tech to use in a desperate bid to save Calvin.

Based on a true story that gripped the country, When They See Us will chronicle the notorious case of five teenagers of color, labeled the Central Park Five, who were convicted of a rape they did not commit. The four part limited series will focus on the five teenagers from Harlem -- Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise. Beginning in the spring of 1989, when the teenagers were first questioned about the incident, the series will span 25 years, highlighting their exoneration in 2002 and the settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014.

The Tribeca Talks program will return to entertain and inspire audiences at the 18th annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, taking place April 24 - May 5. This year's lineup will include intimate and once in a lifetime conversations with a diverse list of groundbreaking and critically acclaimed filmmakers, artists, entertainers, and icons.

On March 9 in Brooklyn and March 16 in Los Angeles, The Billie Holiday Theatre, in collaboration with Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop, presented its third annual monologue showcase, 50IN50: LETTERS TO OUR DAUGHTERS, to honor Women's History Month.

The monologue showcase 50 in 50: Letters to Our Daughters features an all-star cast of familiar names and faces from stage and screen, including Tony award-winning Broadway star LaChanze, actress Pauletta Pearson Washington, original Hamilton cast member Jasmine Cephas Jones, and actress and comedienne Phyllis Yvonne Stickney who bring to life letters written by 50 women of color about their hopes, dreams, regrets and fears for their daughters.

On April 1, the celebrated Off-Broadway theater company The Civilians will host Civilian Disobedience, their annual spring benefit, which honors their Civilians of the Year: Emmy nominated, award-winning documentary filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (Reversing Roe, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work) as well as Marion Friedman Young for her longstanding support of The Civilians and her recent work as The Civilians partners for the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund.

The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, today unveiled its feature film lineup. Continuing its tradition of elevating exceptional storytelling rooted in today's global film communities, the 18th annual Festival will showcase debut works from emerging talent and new works from notable filmmakers. The program includes discoveries, comedies, music-centered, political and social films. The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 24 - May 5.  

In 1989, the media dubbed them the Central Park Five and they were forever linked together by that moniker. On May 31, their true story will come to Netflix as a four-part limited series from Academy Award® Nominee and two-time Emmy Award® Winner Ava DuVernay.  Now titled When They See Us, the series is based on the stories of the five men who were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit.  

The New York premiere of Ngozi Anyanwu's Good Grief, directed by Awoye Timpo, just opened at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street).

The courtroom comes to order in Ava DuVernay's Central Park Limited Series as The Affair's Joshua Jackson, Hamilton's Christopher Jackson, and 12 Years A Slave's Adepero Oduye join the cast.

Ava DuVernay's central park crime drama unveils its leading men. The actors will portray the real-life teens and adults at the center of the Central Park Five Case.

Ava DuVernay's Central Park scripted drama adds powerful female lineup to cast.  Emmy Award Nominee Niecy Nash (Claws), Aunjanue Ellis (Quantico), Kylie Bunbury (Game Night, Pitch), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Crown Heights) and Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time) join limited series in supporting roles.

Ava DuVernay's new scripted drama has added a powerful female lineup to its cast  including: Emmy Award Nominee Niecy Nash (Claws), Aunjanue Ellis (Quantico), Kylie Bunbury (Game Night, Pitch), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Crown Heights) and Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time) join limited series in supporting roles.  

The Civilians, the celebrated Off-Broadway theatre company, will host a benefit concert at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette St.) on Monday, June 4th, 2018 at 7pm. This one-night-only event will celebrate the life and legacy of founding Associate Artist, the late composer and lyricist Michael Friedman, and will raise funds for the newly created Michael Friedman Legacy Fund.

New York Theatre Workshop held it's 2018 Annual Gala last night, April 15. The gala celebrated John Tiffany, the Tony Award-winning Director of Once, which had its world premiere at NYTW, as well as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; along with Barbara Cutler Emden, who is celebrating 25 years of arts advocacy and exceptional service on the NYTW Board of Trustees.

The AUDELCO and Obie Award-winning Billie Holiday Theatre brings back the groundbreaking 50in50: Women's Voices Initiative with the Obie Award-winning Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop with a reading March 17, 2018 at 7pm in The Billie Holiday Theatre, 1368 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY. 

Playwright and comedian Lisa Lampanelli and producer Rachel Karpf announced today that STUFFED will play its final performance Off-Broadway on Sunday, November 19th at the Westside Theatre (Downstairs, 407 West 43rd Street).

Comedian Lisa Lampanelli and producer Rachel Karpf announced today that understudy Lauren Ann Brickman will star as Marty in Lampanelli's new play, STUFFED.

Comedian Lisa Lampanelli's new play, Stuffed, officially opens Off-Broadway this fall in a new production at the Westside Theatre (Downstairs, 407 West 43rd Street), following a limited NYC run last fall at WP Theater. Following the departure of Nikki Blonsky from the cast, opening night, originally scheduled for October 19, will now officially take place on October 31, 2017 at the Westside Theatre (Downstairs, 407 West 43rd Street). The company gathered last night to celebrate the special occasion.