National Black Theatre to Honor John Legend at Inaugural Fall Fête

National Black Theatre (NBT) has announced its star-studded inaugural Fall Fête, taking place Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at Current at Pier 59 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. The celebratory evening will honor a distinguished group of artists, cultural leaders, and visionaries whose work reflects NBT's longstanding commitment to advancing Black art, culture and community.

The inaugural Fall Fête will honor John Legend, Mike Jackson (Get Lifted Film Co.), Margaret Anadu, Sanford Biggers, and Nona Hendryx, recognizing their individual and collective contributions across arts, entertainment, culture and philanthropy.

Hosted by Bevy Smith, this festive evening will begin with a 6:00 PM reception, followed by dinner, special performances, and more at 7:00 PM.

'The Fall Fête is an opportunity to gather in joy and celebrate the extraordinary artists, cultural leaders and community who continue to imagine what is possible alongside us,' said Sade Lythcott, Chief Executive Officer of National Black Theatre. 'For nearly six decades, NBT has believed in the transformative power of Black artists and Black storytelling, and in creating spaces where our community can see the fullness of ourselves and the futures we want to inhabit. As we step into this next chapter, it feels especially meaningful to honor visionaries who embody that spirit while investing in the artists, stories, and radical imagination that will carry us forward.'

Serving as Co-Chairs for the inaugural celebration are Andi Bernstein and Sonja Warfield. The Host Committee includes Debra Martin Chase, Sherrese Clarke, Tonya Lewis Lee, Dasha Zhukova Niarchos, Denise Bradley Tyson, and Reginald Van Lee.

"As a young adult, my mother would bring me to the International Black Theatre Festival in North Carolina every summer,' said Sonja Warfield, co-showrunner, writer and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated The Gilded Age. 'Serendipitously, this is where I first encountered National Black Theatre's work and was so inspired by their visionary founder, Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. She made me fall in love with Black theater, and what it means to tell OUR stories. All these years later, I couldn't be more proud to support NBT's essential work onstage and off, and the enduring legacy of Dr. Teer."

'National Black Theatre is creating some of the most exciting, bold, and imaginative work in theater today. NBT reminds us of the power of art to bring people together, inspire, and strengthen communities. With its remarkable new building, NBT is creating not just a home for great art, but a place where community, creativity, and connection can flourish for generations to come. I'm incredibly proud to support NBT and to co-chair its gala at such an exciting moment in its history,' said Andi Bernstein, founder and CEO of Beach Walk Media.

The evening will feature a special performance by John Legend, along with additional performances, presentations, and moments celebrating NBT's legacy and the inaugural class of Fall Fête honorees. The night will also feature Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Somi.

Proceeds from the Fall Fête will support National Black Theatre and its continued work to develop, produce, and amplify transformative Black theatrical experiences and nurture the next generation of Black artists and cultural leaders.

ABOUT National Black Theatre

National Black Theatre (NBT) is a Tony Award and Emmy Award-nominated institution founded in 1968 by the late visionary artist Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. The nation's first revenue-generating Black arts complex, NBT is the longest-running Black theatre in New York City, is one of the oldest theatres founded and consistently operated by a woman of color in the nation, and has been included in the permanent collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. NBT's core mission is to produce transformational theatre that helps to shift the inaccuracies around African Americans' cultural identity by telling authentic stories of Black lives. As an alternative learning environment, NBT uses theatre arts as a means to educate, enrich, entertain, empower, and inform the national conscience around current social issues impacting our communities. Under the leadership of Sade Lythcott, Chief Executive Officer, and Jonathan McCrory, Executive Artistic Director, NBT helps reshape a more inclusive American theatre field by providing an artistically rigorous and culturally sensitive space for artists of color to experiment, develop, and present new work. nationalblacktheatre.org