Nate Jacobs News

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will present the eighth year of its annual Young Artist Program, through which Troupe members are able to showcase their talents with self-produced, one-person shows.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's Stage of Discovery musical theatre summer  camp students will present two performances of 'The Technicolor Musical' to culminate its 2021 camp program. The young artists will sing numerous uplifting songs and send a message of love, understanding, peace and harmony to a world that needs it now, more than ever.

The four critically acclaimed productions were curated by Olivier Award-winning producer, James Seabright, and filmed last month before socially distanced audiences at Wilton's Music Hall, the oldest surviving Grand Music Hall in the world.

In an effort to share knowledge and resources, and strengthen the infrastructure of the Black theatre landscape in the United States, seven of the country’s freestanding, independent Black theatres – including Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe – have forged a new alliance.

 In an effort to strengthen its education outreach program, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has hired Jim Weaver as its new education director/artistic associate. WBTT patrons may recognize Weaver’s name – he has directed productions including “Caroline or Change,” “Raisin,” “In the Heights,” “Fences” and “Purlie,” to name a few.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT) has announced its 22nd anniversary 2021-2022 season, with the Maya Angelou-inspired theme, “And Still We Rise.”

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is thrilled to continue its “Light Up the Night!” open-air concert series with “Sistas in the Name of Soul.” This celebration of the female soul and R&B artists of the '70s (and some from the late '60s) will run from Saturday, May 8 through Sunday, June 6.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will reinvigorate its WBTT Voices program with a special offering, “Telling Our Stories in the Black Theatre,” on May 4.

‘Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope’, a glorious, truthful and uplifting celebration of a genuinely unique human being, multi award-winning cabaret-musical ‘A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)’ and acclaimed play ‘Black Is The Color of My Voice’ will be presented.

In a one-hour, one-session class presented by Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe on April 27, participants will explore August Wilson’s background, his ten-play cycle, known as “The American Century Cycle,” and his 4 B’s (the Blues, Jorge Luis Borges, Amiri Baraka and Romare Bearden).

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will be back onstage – albeit with a limited cast and for the purpose of filming rather than presenting live – for the pandemic-delayed production of Dominique Morisseau’s noted work, “Pipeline.” WBTT is currently rehearsing the show, which it will film, present during one week of outdoor screenings.

For more than a decade, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has offered the lively and music-filled fundraiser, the April Fools Fête, to support its education programs. This year, with social events cautiously returning to the scene, WBTT has moved the event outdoors to its theatre arts center for a socially-distanced live audience on April 5. It will also offer a livestream option so the rest of the community can join the party virtually while supporting the Troupe.

There have been few times in recent memory when people were as in need of a laugh as they are right now. To help lift the spirits of community members as well as theater fans wherever they may be, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is offering streaming video of “Aunt Rudele’s Family Reunion.”

WBTT will take to its outdoor performance area once more, starting Friday, February 12 and running through Sunday, March 14.

For 35 years, area visitors and residents have cultivated their passion for learning at the Longboat Key Education Center. The Center offers a rich range of programs, including lecture series, performing arts series, film festivals, book clubs, concerts, theatrical performances, and more.

In April, the day after John Prine died, renowned folk singer – and recent transplant to Sarasota – Janis Ian wrote a new song, “Better Times Will Come,” and then posted it online.

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe invites the community to celebrate the rich legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with “MLK: Celebrating His Legacy in Spoken Word and Song.” The production, which will be available for free streaming on WBTT’s website from January 16-18, features re-enactments of Dr. King’s speeches, song and dance.

Earlier this year, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will be featured on an episode of WEDU PBS' “Arts Plus” program; this segment received a 2020 Suncoast Regional Emmy nomination from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. This month, WBTT will be featured in an hour-long documentary on WEDU/WEDQ, titled “This Light of Mine, The Making of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.”

Due to community response, the streaming video of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and Key Chorale collaboration, “American Roots: The Gospel Experience,” is being held over. The presentation – which is available in open-captioned and non-captioned format – will now be available through November 30.

While its freshly renovated theater remains empty due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is determined to keep its artists working and the community entertained safely.