Fela Kuti News

Olney Theatre Center announced its 84th season today, unveiling plans for seven theatrical productions that will serve as the tentpoles for an increasingly diverse slate of cultural offerings.

Following a transformative season of performances—including three regional premieres, the inaugural year of the National Capital New Play Festival, and the world premieres of Tim J. Lord's “We declare you a terrorist…” and Charly Evon Simpson's “it's not a trip it's a journey”—Round House is excited for audiences to return and experience a celebration of live theatre, with a slate of shows designed to remind them of the power, joy, and necessity of this art form.

The new-look Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival – produced by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on the streets and inside venues of downtown's Cultural District – will be a block party on a grand scale. Guests from Pittsburgh and visitors from around the country can continue to expect high-quality arts attractions that have made the festival a destination ranked among the nation's premier free arts experiences.

Olney Theatre Center and Round House Theatre will produce the Broadway musical Fela! (July 7, 2023 - August 13, 2023) on the Olney Mainstage and will mount James Graham’s Tony-nominated play Ink on Round House’s Bethesda stage during the 2023-24 season.

Montgomery County’s two leading theatre companies are teaming up again to co-produce a pair of shows in 2023. Olney Theatre Center and Round House Theatre will produce the Broadway musical Fela! (July 7, 2023 - August 13, 2023) on the Olney Mainstage and will mount James Graham’s Tony-nominated play Ink on Round House’s Bethesda stage during the 2023-24 season. The two organizations last collaborated in 2016 and 2017 to produce both parts of Angels in America at Round House, followed by In the Heights at Olney Theatre, the latter of which went on to win the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.

The Joyce Theater Foundation welcomes the return of Brooklyn-based Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE with open arms for the company’s 2022 home season.

The first lyrics Amayo wrote & sung from the GRAMMY nominated “Fu Chronicles” Antibalas album for the song “Fist of Flowers” (Best Global Music Album of the Year 2020) begin with 'the end is a new beginning.' That is true with his 23-year run as the Lead Singer and Face of the band Antibalas. He conceptualized, composed, performed on, and illustrated the latest Antibalas album “Fu Chronicles” earning the band its first GRAMMY nomination.

This March, Carnegie Hall continues its Afrofuturism citywide festival that explores the thriving aesthetic and cultural movement that looks to the future through a Black cultural lens, intersecting music, visual art, literature, politics, science fiction, and technology.

On February 11th and just in time for Valentine’s Day, Grammy-nominated vocalist SOMI will release her new single, “Love Tastes Like Strawberries,” featuring two-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter and vocalist Gregory Porter. The track is from Somi’s fifth studio album, Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba. Pre-save the new album now!

Returning to The Joyce for their 2022 home season, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE offers a compelling program, bringing a spiritual awareness that touches the human heart.

Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, a staple and supporter of the South Florida arts ecosystem, continues to push boundaries by offering a platform and space for creatives.

Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville today announced it will present performances from acclaimed choreographer Ronald K. Brown and dance company EVIDENCE from February 10-12, 2022, in OZ Arts' expansive creative warehouse. The program will feature three original works by Brown titled Grace, Mercy and his latest piece titled The Equality of Night and Day: First Glimpse featuring text by Angela Davis and a score by Jason Moran.

On March 4, 2022, Grammy-nominated vocalist, and songwriter Somi will release her new album, Zenzile: The Reimagination Of Miriam Makeba, a celebration of the late Makeba’s invaluable musical contributions and messages of social justice. The album, which will be released on the artist’s Salon Africana label, features Somi’s renditions of some of Makeba’s best-known songs—both Makeba’s own compositions and covers.

The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs has announced the recipients of the 2021/22 City of Los Angeles Individual Artist Fellowships. These nine Fellows will each produce a series, set, or singular new artwork with a grant of $10,000.

he Joyce Theater Foundation announced today the full lineup of U.S. and international talent that will grace The Joyce’s storied stage for its Spring/Summer 2022 season. Nearly two dozen companies and dance creators will bring their unparalleled creativity and astounding artistic innovation to the iconic, intimate home for dance in New York City.

Visitors will be dancing, singing, playing, cooking and making throughout December at the Staten Island Children's Museum.  The month will culminate in a week full of activities because the museum will be open for Winter Break from Sunday, December 26 through to Friday, December 31 when they will host a “Noon Year's Eve” celebration.  

German musical polymaths Fazer release the new single “Cuentro” accompanied by a video, alongside news of their forthcoming album, Plex, which is being released on January 14, 2022. Watch the new music video now!

Curated by Greta Mendez MBE, new cross-genre festival A Time To Breathe (26th – 31st October) will span Batuke, contemporary dance, Calypso, choreo-poem, Lover's Rock and more.

Hailed as a “modern dance savior” by the New York Times, Ronald K. Brown returns to fuse the form, rhythm, and history of African dance with contemporary and urban dance styles. In Mercy, a Kennedy Center co-commission (the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, Carolina Performing Arts, UNC Chapel Hill, and The Joyce Theater’s Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for New York), Brown finds an ideal collaborator in visionary vocalist, composer, and bassist Meshell Ndegeocello.

Harlem Stage today announced the return of its fall 2021 season. Featured artists in Harlem Stage’s 2021 fall season include choreographer/dancer Drew Dollaz (a Harlem Stage WaterWorks Emerging Artist); jazz prodigy and pianist/organist Matthew Whitaker; and more.