Kelvin Roston News

Out of the 330 total Chicagoland high school students who entered the 13th annual August Wilson Monologue and Design Competitions, Demi Davis from Senn High School prevailed, taking the first-place prize at the Chicago finals earlier this month for her 2-3-minute monologue performance.

Rehearsals are underway for the world premiere musical Skates! American Idol favorites Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young lead the incredible cast of the new musical featuring Adam Fane, Kelly Felthous, Cory Goodrich, Emma Lord, Jason Richards, Kelvin Roston, Jr., Michelle Lauto, Zach Sorrow, Trey Deluna and Adia Bell. 

America’s next big musical sensation has its cast! American Idol favorites Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young will lead the incredible cast of the new musical, Skates.

ABC7 recently profiled Goodman Theatre's Gem Of The Ocean. 'It's teaming with good Black history because it tells the story of coming over from Africa, living in slavery,' Smith said. 'You're talking about individuals who experienced slavery.' Check out the video.

In celebration of Black History Month, Goodman Theatre presents its first-ever on-site art expo—Hidden Gems: A Celebration of African American Artists & Art—in conjunction with the major revival of Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith.

Goodman Theatre kicks off the new year with a major revival of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean—nearly two decades after the play premiered on the same stage.

Resident Director Chuck Smith, who served as the original production's dramaturg, directs a cast of seven—featuring Sharif Atkins (Citizen Barlow), Sydney Charles (Black Mary), Lisa Gaye Dixon (Aunt Ester), Gary Houston (Rutherford Selig), Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Caesar), A.C. Smith (Eli) and James A. Williams (Solly Two Kings).

Disco diva Deloris Cartier and the Sisters of Our Mother of Perpetual Faith are getting into the Christmas habit at Mercury Theater Chicago with the final weeks of performances of the hit musical Sister Act. The critically acclaimed production, perfect for the whole family, must close on January 2, 2022, at Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue. 

Congo Square Theatre Company will present the second season of its popular Hit 'Em on the Blackside sketch comedy series. The cast and crew up the ante in season two by bringing back memorable characters from season one for an exciting crossover story that spans 12 new episodes.

Due to popular demand, Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, extends the first show of its 2021/2022 Season, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, by William Shakespeare. Specifically conceived for a smaller audience and co-directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell and Gabrielle Randle-Bent, Othello features Kelvin Roston Jr., in the titular role. 

The League of Chicago Theatres has announced the 2022 Samuel G. Roberson Jr. Resident Fellowship, an annual grant awarded to a Black Artist to fund a residency with a Chicago area theatre. This year the award will go to a director.

Congo Square Theatre Company (Congo Square), one of the nation’s premier African American theater companies, has announced its 2021-22 season, a robust and dynamic mix of online and in-person programming, running the gamut from laugh-out-loud sketch comedy to an interactive, thought-provoking ‘community ritual’ touring Chicago neighborhoods.  

Court Theatre has announced a return to live theatrical programming with its 2021/22 Season. The 2021/22 Season has Court returning to the stage with The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice which will now open the 2021/22 Season in October, specifically conceived for a smaller audience.

Sydney Chatman and Congo Square Theatre Company were announced this week as recipients of the Joyce Foundation's 2021 Joyce Awards. Since 2003, the Joyce Awards have supported the creation of new work by emerging and mid-career artists of color to foster more culturally vibrant, equitable, and sustainable communities in six Great Lakes cities.

With NEW FACES SING BROADWAY 1961, Porchlight Music Theatre has put together a program that will satisfy the cravings of those who desperately miss live musical theater.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces its next virtual offering, the latest edition of its New Faces Sing Broadway series, New Faces Sing Broadway 1961 hosted by Kelvin Roston, Jr., directed by Brianna Borger and with music direction and arrangements by Tom Vendafreddo.

Today (April 16) in live streaming: an Assassins reunion, Ana Villafañe in concert, and more!

Northlight Theatre announces plans for outdoor musical events this summer, including Felicia P. Fields and E. Faye Butler in Lettin' the Good Times Roll with Fe and Faye! on July 9 and 10, 2021 at the NorthShore Center for the Performing Arts.

Court Theatre has announced further revisions to its 2020/21 Season. The newly-revised season has Court postponing its production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and pushing back dates of Owen McCafferty’s Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912) and Shakespeare’s Othello.

Congo Square Theatre Company (Congo Square), one of the nation's premier African American theatres, announces its Festival on the Square, a three-day virtual festival celebrating the arts, February 4-6, 2021.