True Colors Theatre News

Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company present Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew beginning this February.

Yale Repertory Theatre will present the world premiere of Good Faith: Four Chats about Race and the New Haven Fire Department by Karen Hartman, directed by Kenny Leon, February 1-23, 2019 at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street). Opening Night is Thursday, February 7.

The Billie Holiday Theatre at RestorationART, in association with Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company, is presenting Colman Domingo's Dot under the direction of Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon (American Son currently on Broadway starring Kerry Washington, A Raisin in the Sun and August Wilson's Fences) and starring Emmy Award-winning Billie Holiday Theatre alumna Denise Burse ('Black Mirror,' Tyler Perry's 'House of Payne') as Dotty. The production began previews on October 20th, opened on October 25th and will run through November 18th at The Billie Holiday Theatre, 1368 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11216. Scroll down for full coverage of the evening's festivities.

Steven Pasquale and Kerry Washington alongside Eugene Lee and Jeremy Jordan are gearing up to star in the new Broadway play American Son, beginning performances today, Saturday, October 6. Get to know the cast below as they begin Broadway performances!

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Executive Director), dedicated to the development of new musicals and rediscovery of musical gems from the past, presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the acclaimed new musical Midnight at The Never Get, with book, music, and lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick, co-conceived by Sam Bolen, by arrangement with Visceral Entertainment and Mark Cortale Productions.  Directed by Max Friedman, with choreography by Andrew Palermo, and music direction/arrangements by Adam Podd, the cast will feature Sam Bolen, Jeremy Cohen, and Jon J. Peterson.  Performances begin Tuesday, October 2, 2018 for a limited engagement through Sunday afternoon, November 4, 2018 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Opening Night is Thursday evening, October 11, 2018 at 6:45 p.m. 

Following the success of its world premiere commission at Park Square Theatre in 2016, NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN went on to a second production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's top regional theatres last year.

True Colors Theatre Company proudly announced today the appointment of Jamil Jude to the role of artistic director for the theater, effective at the beginning of the 2019-20 season. A champion of works by new and emerging artists, Jude, who previously served as Associate Artistic Director, is poised to continue the high level of artistic excellence and black classic storytelling for which the theater is known. Co-founder and current Artistic Director Kenny Leon is pleased to pass the torch to Jude and will transition to Artistic Director Emeritus at the end of the 2018-19 season, continuing to oversee the August Wilson Monologue Competition National Finals. 

Following the success of its world premiere commission at Park Square Theatre in 2016, NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN went on to a second production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's top regional theatres last year.

Long Wharf Theatre's Education Department, in conjunction with Yale Repertory Theatre, will launch the first in a series of events designed to encourage local students and schools to participate in the Regional August Wilson Monologue Competition.

The Suzi Bass Awards revealed nominations for the 2017-2018 Atlanta professional theatre season on Monday evening, August 27, to patrons and industry artists. The Suzi Nomination Party was generously hosted by Synchronicity Theatre, at 7:30pm, One Peachtree Pointe, 1545 Peachtree St. NE #102, Atlanta.  

Following the success of its world premiere commission at Park Square Theatre in 2016, NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN went on to a second production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's top regional theatres last year.

Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company are thrilled to present Christina Ham's Nina Simone: Four Women beginning this September. In its Atlanta debut, Nina Simone: Four Women, directed by Michele Shay, brings to life the four women from the play's namesake song, giving voice to "Aunt Sarah", "Sephronia", "Sweet Thing", and "Peaches". The day after the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, these four women find themselves in search of solace in the ruins of the church, where Nina is struggling to compose a song that can capture the pain and protest that resides in her heart. This play with music includes some of Nina Simone's most popular civil rights anthems such as "Mississippi Goddam," "Go Limp," and "Young, Gifted, and Black."

This week, Atlanta audiences get to see Kenny Leon's latest directorial work showcasing a group of talented actors bringing to life Colman Domingo's authentically relatable family drama DOT.

Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company present Colman Domingo's Dot this July. In its Atlanta debut, Dot takes a light-hearted look at an illness facing all communities. Through the interactions of widowed matriarch Dotty and her family, mental health in the Black community is explored. As Dotty struggles to hold onto her memory-a result of her Alzheimer's diagnosis-her children must fight to balance care for their mother and care for themselves. Crackling with humor, this dramedy grapples with aging parents, midlife crises, and the strength of family.

Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company present Colman Domingo's Dot this July. In its Atlanta debut, Dot takes a light-hearted look at an illness facing all communities. Through the interactions of widowed matriarch Dotty and her family, mental health in the Black community is explored. As Dotty struggles to hold onto her memory-a result of her Alzheimer's diagnosis-her children must fight to balance care for their mother and care for themselves. Crackling with humor, this dramedy grapples with aging parents, midlife crises, and the strength of family.

Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon directed numerous Broadway hits including, 'Hairspray Live' and 'Fences.' His most recent production, 'Children of a Lesser God,' is nominated for a Tony. Throughout his decades-long career, Leon's work focused on diversity, inclusion and influencing social change. Leon joins 'CBS This Morning' to discuss his new memoir, 'Take You Wherever You Go,' where he writes about his humble beginnings. Check out the clip below! 

For 15 seasons, Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company has created masterful works of theatre art that honor the African American experience, lift up diverse voices, and create cultural understanding. In honor of those that have championed True Colors Theatre Company's mission of celebrating the tradition of Black storytelling while giving voice to bold new artists of all cultures, they announce the first annual True Colors Applauds: Ovation Circle Awards Brunch - which will take place on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 11:00 AM at the Solis Hotel.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) will present the world premiere of GOOD FAITH: Four Chats about Race and the New Haven Fire Department, a new play by Karen Hartman, directed by Kenny Leon, February 1-23, 2019.