Martin Luther King, Jr. News

Solidarity and service in the face of political turmoil was the recurrent theme of NJPAC's Living the Dream awards ceremony on Jan. 12, held as part of the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. The gathering concluded with a spirited, faith-affirming concert by Mary Mary and Tasha Cobbs-Leonard.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is pleased to welcome the return of world renowned dancer and choreographer Ronald K. Brown and his groundbreaking contemporary dance company, EVIDENCE, from February 6-11 at The Joyce Theater. The mixed-bill program will include the world premiere of Den of Dreams, performed by Brown with Arcell Cabuag, and the company premiere of Dancing Spirit. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$46, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

On Today, January 20, 2018 at 8:00 pm at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, Grammy Award-winning conductor Lucas Richman and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will premiere Kathryn Bostic's August Wilson Symphony.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, celebrate a day of community with your friends and neighbors as the Anzanga Marimba Ensemble returns for it's 6th annual appearance at BPA to perform the lively and beautiful melodies of Southern Africa, one night only on January 19. Anzanga celebrates 30 years performing throughout the Northwest and globally. This Seattle-based ensemble brings the electrifying and energizing music of African marimba to the national and international stage with regional appearances at the Northwest Folklife Festival and Bumbershoot as well as performances in South Africa and China. The troupe's repertoire is primarily from Zimbabwe, with influences from throughout Africa, in addition to original compositions. This special public performance is part of BPA's Cultural Outreach Program.

Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, presented by Art Miami and hosted by the City of West Palm Beach, returned for its second edition from Thursday, January 11th through Monday January 15th where it was immediately recognized as a leading international contemporary and modern art fair. Attendance of prestigious art collectors, connoisseurs, advisors and notable museum professionals surged through the weekend, while galleries reported significant six and seven figure sales of investment quality blue chip, contemporary and Post-War works.

Brooklyn Public Library and Theater of War Productions will present a dramatic reading and reenactment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final sermon, The Drum Major Instinct on February 4, 2018, 50 years to the day that King originally delivered the speech, just two months before his assassination. The free performance, staged at the Central Library, will feature actor Samira Wiley reading King's sermon, with a live gospel choir singing original and arranged music composed for the production. The dramatic staging will provide a starting point for a guided community discussion exploring themes of social justice and racial inequality.

Motown the Musical will embark on a major UK and Ireland tour opening at the Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre on 11 October 2018 where it will play until 3 November 2018 before visiting Leeds Grand Theatre (6 17 November 2018), Edinburgh Playhouse (20 November 8 December 2018), Bristol Hippodrome (10 January 2 February 2019), Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin (5 - 23 February 2019), Manchester Opera House (26 February 23 March 2019) and Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff (26-March - 6 April 2019). Further dates and casting to be announced soon.

Miss your chance to snag 2-for-1 tickets to Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom? Producers The Center at West Park, The Loire Valley Theater Festival and Miranda Barry are excited to announce that Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom, the stage adaptation of the acclaimed, multi-award-winning memoir, by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, will be EXTENDING its 2-for-1 ticket offer through Saturday, January 20th. Remaining performances available are Friday, January 19 at 8:00 PM and Saturday, January 20 at 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM. The critically acclaimed singers of the Riverside Church Inspirational Choir will open the weekend performances.

Motown the Musical will embark on a major UK and Ireland tour opening at the Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre on 11 October 2018 where it will play until 3 November 2018 before touring the UK and Ireland.

Parallel to the 50th Anniversary of the activist and entertainer, Eartha Kitt's, notorious visit to the White House in January 1968, Vincent Victoria's new play The Disappearance of Eartha Kitt will be making its world premiere in Houston. The play will detail the whereabouts and life of Eartha Kitt from 1968-1978, as she moved her career to Europe, later returning to Broadway ultimately to be nominated for a Tony Award in her musical comeback Timbuktu .

A Raisin in the Sun, the seminal work of playwright Lorraine Hansberry, tells the story of Walter Lee Younger and his family. Their dreams and plans have been thwarted and yet a ray of hope remains in the form of a life insurance check which could provide a new future for all of them. The Indiana Repertory Theatre is producing the play just in time for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History month.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Pays Homage to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With Production of The Mountaintop

Dr. King's assassination on April 4, 1968 sent shockwaves worldwide and was a touchstone for extraordinary change in America and across the globe. His ascension from the world, intent on undermining his vision and thwarting his efforts, to a another dimension provides a platform for thought leaders and change agents to step forward. Will you be in that number? Where are we now? On April 4, 2018 Harlem Stage will present Ascension: A Lifting of Dr. Martin Luther King's Legacy on the 50th Anniversary of his Assassination.

On January 14 at 7:00 p.m., The Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Franz Welser-M st, performed its 38th annual concert in celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The sold out concert featured the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus prepared by William Henry Caldwell, soloist Ryan Speedo Green, and narrator James Pickens Jr. The concert was broadcast live on radio stations WCLV (104.9 FM) and WCPN (90.3 FM). It will air in a delayed television broadcast on WVIZ/PBS on Friday, January 26, 2018 at 9:00 p.m.

Get ready for 'DC in D.C.' During the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Warner Bros. Television Group, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will team up for 'DC in D.C.,' a landmark pop culture event that brings together the worlds of entertainment and public service to illuminate the story of America and current issues through the lens of comics and Super Heroes. Events will take place Friday, January 12, and Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Newseum, and will culminate with the world premiere screening of the upcoming DC series Black Lightning - based on the first African-American DC Super Hero to have his own stand-alone comic title - in the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, with a party to follow at the National Museum of African American History and Culture????.

On January 13 and 14, 2018, the Auditorium Theatre presents the 13th annual performance of Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah. Traditionally held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend, Too Hot celebrates Dr. King's message of 'beloved community.' The show features acclaimed soloists Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke, and Karen Marie Richardson; legendary Detroit pianist Alvin Waddles; a choir of over 100 members led by Bill Fraher, director of concert choirs at Old St. Patrick's Church; a chamber orchestra conducted by Suzanne Mallare Acton, the assistant music director at Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit, MI; and a world-class jazz band featuring electric bass, electric guitar, string bass, and more. Too Hot, which was originally conceived by conductor Marin Alsop and arranged by Bob Christianson and Gary Anderson, puts a twist on George Frideric Handel's classic oratorio, infusing the music with jazz, gospel, rock, and blues.

The Broadway musical, I Have a Dream, first debuted in 1976 with Billy Dee William playing Dr. King. The play portrays the life of Dr. King and important moments of the civil rights movement through song and dance. Written by Josh Greenfield and directed by veteran actor Herman LeVern Jones of TheatreSouth, the production has toured internationally. It includes many gospel songs from the Civil Rights Movement, including We Shall Overcome and Free at Last to be performed by professional soloists and the Fresh Start Church Gospel Choir of Glen Burnie. Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks praised the show when they saw it in the 1980's. Order tickets at www.mlkjrmd.org. The two act musical begins at 7:00 pm Saturday, January 13 at the Key Auditorium of St. Johns College, 60 College Avenue, Annapolis. For more information, call 301-904-3690. Saturday-night theater tickets are $35 for general public and $20 for students (with ID) and seniors (over 65).

Broadway in the H.O.O.D continues with the third installment of its Resilience Personified season at The Smith Center with the Las Vegas premiere of Lorraine Hansberry's classic Tony Award-winning masterpiece, A Raisin in the Sun, January 12-14, 2018 in the Troesh Theatre.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Gospel Shows: The Rebel, The Soul & The Saint Tour - an evening of inspirational, feel-good music featuring gospel powerhouse Kirk Franklin, sultry soulstress Ledisi and Special Guest PJ Morton on Sunday, November 26, 2017 at 7pm. And GRAMMY Award winners Mary Mary and Tasha Cobbs join forces for NJPAC's annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Today, January 12, 2018 8:00 PM.