Langston Hughes News

This is the time of year when your shorts and flip-flops are parked next to your snow boots and parka.

JACK has announced the nine artists selected for residencies at JACK. Chosen from an open call that drew 169 submissions, the artists include theater-makers Carolina Đỗ, Kedian Keohan, Drew Drake and Jadele McPherson, designers Itohan Edoloyi and Tuçe Yasak, composers Jaime Lozano and Sugar Vendil, and dance artist Nora Alami. 

San Francisco Opera's Department of Diversity, Equity and Community (DEC) announced new Opera Aficionado virtual conversations from April through June.

Signature Theatre has announced the full cast and creative team for After Midnight, the fourth production in the Signature Features 2021 Season. Featuring a cast of 12, headlined by Christopher Jackson and Nova Y. Payton, After Midnight showcases 28 of the big band era’s most famous songs, all framed by the poetry of Langston Hughes. 

The Drama League has just announced the 2021 Nominees and Special Recognition Honorees for The 87th Annual Drama League Awards. Keeping in the tradition of honoring the outstanding accomplishments of the theatrical community, as they have since 1935, this year the organization has established five unique categories to honor the extraordinary achievements of artists across the nation who created digital and socially-distanced theatrical productions during this challenging year of suspension for live arts.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has been a national leader in the development and production of free, virtual programming.

For the 112th Kritzerland show, it's All the Weill, a celebration of the brilliant music of Kurt Weill, along with his equally brilliant lyricists, Bertolt Brecht, Ogden Nash, Langston Hughes, Ira Gershwin, Alan Jay Lerner, and Maxwell Anderson.

The New York Choral Society, New York's pioneering symphonic chorus that explores unique collaboration and dynamic repertory, presents the fourth installment of their virtual season, Our Voices with the premiere of Undine Smith Moore's Mother to Son.

Pittsburgh Opera will be broadcasting a free concert celebrating works by women composers on its YouTube Channel, on Friday, March 26th at 7:00PM. Called “Women’s March”, the 55-minute concert spans 900 years of classical music composed by women.

Hartford Stage Women are Part of a New Slate of Theater Leaders in Connecticut and talk about making history.

Pittsburgh Opera will be broadcasting a free concert celebrating works by women composers on its YouTube Channel, on Friday, March 26th at 7:00PM.

The Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) presents Betye Saar: Call and Response, the first exhibition examining the relationship between Saar’s found objects, sketches, and finished works, thereby shedding new light on her distinctive practice.

Westport Country Playhouse will present “Cocktails with Mark,” a virtual conversation hosted by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director, on Thursday, March 11, at 7 p.m.  Lamos' guest will be Melia Bensussen, Hartford Stage artistic director. The free-of-charge event will be streamed on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), and YouTube (WestportPlayhouse), running approximately 20 minutes.

Based on the original book of the 1921 musical revue Shuffle Along, the story focuses on the challenges of mounting the original production of Shuffle Along and its effect on Broadway and race relations.

Today, baritone Will Liverman has released Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers with pianist Paul Sánchez on Cedille Records. Liverman says, “Right now, it is more important than ever to celebrate the contributions of Black composers, and I’m honored to give voice to the art songs on this album.'

On the evening of February 10, 2021, The Broad Stage presented Breathing Free, an auditory and visual online love letter to freedom produced by Heartbeat opera to tell the stories of those who who have experienced various versions of its absence. Through an inquisitive collaborative process with a diverse community of artists, Heartbeat breaks down traditional barriers to reimagine opera for artists and audiences of the twenty-first century.

Today we celebrate Black History Month by taking a closer look at After Midnight. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, it played for 273 performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The revue is based on Cotton Club Parade, which ran in concert at Encores! in 2011 and 2012. The revue takes place 'after midnight' in New York's Harlem.

Visit our list of the best musicals & shows you can watch from home! We've got you covered with all the must-sees on streaming sites including Tony-award winners, favorite stars and top performances.