Aldo Billingslea News

Pear Theatre meets 2021 — a year for change — with Fairfield, Eric Coble's hilarious and somewhat uneasy contemporary comedy. Just in time for Black History Month, Fairfield will be co-directed by Aldo Billingslea and Pear Theatre Artistic Director Sinjin Jones.

Today, The Breath Project—a new theatrical initiative formed by Artistic Director and Co-Founder Gamal Abdel Chasten and Co-Founder Marieke Gaboury in response to the current global spotlight on racial injustice against Black people—announced the line-up for the inaugural The Breath Project Virtual Festival being held on at 5 p.m. both Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25.

In partnership with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and 23 other theater companies across the country, The Breath Project has announced the lineup for its inaugural virtual festival being held on October 24 and 25.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley encourages its audiences to a?oeget out the votea?? and stand up for racial justice as it launches a new online initiative entitled Voices of Democracy. Part of TheatreWorks from Home, a virtual stage for the Tony Award-winning theatre while in-person performances are on hold during the pandemic, Voices of Democracy offers digital theatrical experiences that celebrate diverse voices and build a bridge from empathy to action.

Today, The Breath Project-a new theatrical initiative formed by Artistic Director and Co-Founder Gamal Abdel Chasten and Co-Founder Marieke Gaboury in response to the current global spotlight on racial injustice against Black people-announced the lineup for the inaugural The Breath Project Virtual Festival.

Today, The Breath Projecta?"a new theatrical initiative formed by Artistic Director and Co-Founder Gamal Abdel Chasten and Co-Founder Marieke Gaboury in response to the current global spotlight on racial injustice against Black peoplea?"announced the lineup for the inaugural The Breath Project Virtual Festival being held on Saturday, October 24 (2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET) and Sunday, October 25 (5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET).

Today, The Breath Projecta?"a new theatrical initiative formed by Artistic Director and Co-Founder Gamal Abdel Chasten and Co-Founder Marieke Gaboury in response to the current global spotlight on racial injustice against Black peoplea?"announced the lineup for the inaugural The Breath Project Virtual Festival being held on Saturday, October 24 (2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET) and Sunday, October 25 (5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET).

Today, The Breath Project-a new theatrical initiative formed by Artistic Director and Co-Founder Gamal Abdel Chasten and Co-Founder Marieke Gaboury in response to the current global spotlight on racial injustice against Black people-announced the lineup for the inaugural The Breath Project Virtual Festival.

The New Year joins with Black History Month for the hilarious and somewhat uneasy contemporary comedy Fairfield by Eric Coble, presented by Pear Theatre.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will encourage its audiences to a?oeget out the votea?? and stand up for racial justice as it launches a new online initiative entitled Voices of Democracy. Part of TheatreWorks from Home, a virtual stage for the Tony Award-winning theatre while in-person performances are on hold during the pandemic, Voices of Democracy will offer digital theatrical experiences that celebrate diverse voices and build a bridge from empathy to action.

San Francisco's premier Black theatre company Lorraine Hansberry Theatre has announced the appointment of Bay Area theatre titan Margo Hall as its new Artistic Director.

AmiosWest presents a Covid-Era theatrical experience on YouTube live via Zoom.

More than 30 Bay Area theatres are joining forces to present a reading on Juneteenth, encouraging donations to support a bold Go Fund Me Campaign that aims to fundraise one million dollars for Black theatre projects in America. Spearheaded by PlayGround, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and Planet Earth Arts, these Bay Area theatres (including TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Berkeley Rep, A.C.T, Cal Shakes, and many more) are co-presenting a livestreamed Zoom reading of Vincent Terrell Durham's Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids at 7pm PT on June 19 as part of the Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project, a national theatre movement to produce this reading of Durham's play to commemorate anniversary of the freeing of enslaved Black people. BroadwayWorld spoke with Aldo Billingslea, the longstanding pillar of the Bay Area theatre community who is producing the livestream and also leads the Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project. Billingslea is well-loved throughout the Bay Area as a man of many talents, including actor, professor, producer, collaborator and mentor.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. In response to the civil uprising, a reaction to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others before them, Jobsite Theater and Stageworks Theatre have teamed up with Rory Lawrence Productions. They will join a national presentation of the Juneteenth Justice Theatre Project, a nationwide movement by American theater companies striving to 'change the world, one play at a time.'

To commemorate Juneteenth this Friday June 19th, the Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project will present Vincent Terrell Durham's POLAR BEARS, BLACK BOYS & PRAIRIE FRINGED ORCHIDS as a free, live Zoom reading. Juneteenth Theatre Justice Project has gathered groups of regional theatres in various cities to partner in this production. In the Los Angeles Theatre community, co-presenting POLAR BEARS are: IAMA Theatre Company, Celebration Theatre, DOMA Theatre Company, Echo Theater Company, Highways, The Inkwell Theater, Lower Depth Theatre, Skylight Theatre Company and the L.A. Stage Alliance.

IAMA Theatre Company is partnering with Celebration Theatre, DOMA Theatre Company, Echo Theater Company, Highways, The Inkwell Theater, Lower Depth Theatre, Skylight Theatre Company and the L.A. Stage Alliance to present a free, live Zoom reading of Vincent Terrell Durham's bold and timely new play Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids. To view the Juneteenth reading on Friday, June 19 at 6 p.m. PT, register at zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K3JA0ksmTuODKuU3bL4tsQ.

San Francisco's new works incubator PlayGround in partnership with Bay Area theatre veteran Aldo Billingslea, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Planet Earth Arts, and more than 30 leading theatres from the Bay Area and beyond team up to present a Juneteenth livestreamed Zoom reading of Vincent Terrell Durham's thrilling and timely play, Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids.

In the American theater we are guided by the principle that we can a?oechange the world, one play at a time.a?? What if it was also one day at a time with the same play? On Friday, Juneteenth, (June 19th), theatre communities around the country will provide their response to the current moment a?" the civil uprising that has come as a reaction to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others before them.

In light of curfew orders throughout the Bay Area PlayGround has moved the showtime of its Saturday, June 6 opening night performance of Genevieve Jessee's The Rendering Cycle to 5pm PT.

It's a sad scenario that has been playing out in theaters all over the world for the past several weeks. How to reach the heart-breaking decision to cancel a show, knowing that you're about to put a team of people out of work and deprive your audience of some much-needed solace at this critical time? BroadwayWorld spoke with Robert Kelley, Artistic Director of the Tony-winning TheatreWorks Silicon Valley on March 13th, the morning after the company had decided to postpone their much-anticipated production of RAGTIME until Spring 2021 and prematurely end the run of THEY PROMISED HER THE MOON. The good news, at least for now, is that TheatreWorks is still moving ahead with its final play of the season, Lauren Gunderson's THE BOOK OF WILL, set to open in early June. Kelley describes it as a love letter to the theater.