Obsidian Theatre Festival Releases New Streaming Content

The Obsidian Theatre Festival, having just announced the line-up for their 4th Annual Season this summer, has announced the additional release of streaming content from the first three seasons. With a mission to uplift emerging Black voices, last season saw a pivot from live-streaming events to a Video-On-Demand model as content from the first two seasons was released on the festival website.

"Accessibility has been at the core of our model.", says Obsidian Producing Artistic Director John Sloan, III. "And that also means creating a platform where new and expansive work can have an opportunity to be seen, shared, and celebrated."

Beginning on Friday, March 22nd, over 30 individual pieces will be available for streaming. These pieces include original plays, musicals, cabaret performances, interviews and panel discussions. Each month two featured pieces will be highlighted and shared on the festival's website. Subscribers can visit obsidianfest.org/watch and subscribe to any one of our three streaming packages. Slate, Noir and Black Pearl. Subscribers can enjoy Free access to all Featured and Educational Content with Slate. Noir is available for $1/ week with access to Featured and Educational Content plus a Free Gift. Noir+ is the annual version with a Discounted rate of $50/year. A Monthly subscription option is available with Black Pearl for $10/month. It includes advance invitations to Special Events and a Free Gift. Black Pearl+ is the Annual option at $100/year.

"We realize that there are barriers that make it difficult for some people to attend the Obsidian Theatre Festival in person, says David Carroll, Co-Executive Producer and Founder, Nicely Theatre Group. By streaming, we open the festival so that everyone can watch our presentations from the comfort of their own homes..."

Streaming audiences can find work from internationally renowned artists like poet Jessica Care Moore (a Detroiter) as part of the festival, with her poem, "Obsidian Stone"] which opened the inaugural festival in 2021. Detroit residents and Kresge Fellows Ann Eskridge and Shawntai Brown were part of the 2nd Season in 2022. Brown's play, "We Own Everything" began as a 10-minute play in the Harlem9 and Detroit Public Theatre, "48Hours in...Detroit" in 2019. The 3rd season included Germono Toussaint, one of the founding playwrights of the Obie Award-winning Fire This Time Festival, and his piece, "The Last Gatekeeper" as the featured Musical Theatre Showcase, along with the winner of the 2023 Black Broadway Men's Playwrighting Initiative, Cris Eli Blak, with his play, "The Underground Color Wheel".

"Fresh and innovative theatre doesn't have to be hyper-localized anymore. If Broadway can invite you in via a stream, then you can also watch our work", says Detroit Native, and Obsidian Senior Creative Producer/Co-Associate Artistic Director, Garlia Cornelia Jones, Former Director, Innovation and New Media at New York's Public Theater. Jones has worked closely with award-winning flimmaker Toni Cunningham (Co-Director for the festival's film department) preparing streaming in anticipation of this release.

Since 2021, original content from Obsidian Theatre Festival and GhostLight Arts Initiative has received over 220,000 views worldwide including viewership in 48 states and 28 countries. New plays,. Cabaret performances, panel conversations, artist interviews, and behind-the-scenes videos round out the content that continues to be featured on the website. "This industry is changing.", says Sloan. "The events of 2020 reminded us that inequity exists everywhere. Streaming content isn't about a marketing push, it's a powerful and effective way for us to level the playing field and create true equity for artists and audiences whose stories have long been ignored."

As in previous seasons, the 4th annual festival will include both in-person and streaming offerings from three locations in Downtown Detroit:

Each of the 4 plays will have two performances at The Boll Family YMCA, while the Musical Theatre Showcase will perform twice at The Chrysler Black Box inside the Detroit Opera House. Performances begin Thursday, June 27th, and end on Sunday, June 30th. General Admission tickets are free of charge and will be made available in May.

The weekend begins with an Opening Night Cabaret and fundraiser, for one night only at the GEM Theatre on 333 Madison St, Detroit, MI 48226 on Thursday, June 27th.

This year also brings a new offering as The GhostLight Arts Initiative (the non-profit arm of GhostLight Creative) presents the Detroit IMPACT Arts Conference, June 24-26, featuring panels, workshops, and guest speakers in advance of OTF '24.

This year's programming is made possible with support from The Mellon Foundation, The Song Foundation and The Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan along with support from numerous individual donors.

Pre-registration for Festival Passes is now available on our website. Once available, each tier will include access to our streaming platform, which includes festival content from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd seasons, priority seating, and access to special gifts and events. Please register via our website at www.obsidianfest.org.

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