Negro Ensemble Company News

In keeping with the mission and vision of The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc, the company will present 'a photograph / lovers in motion,' written by Ntozake Shange and adapted and directed by Ifa Bayeza, from February 5 to 29 at Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place. The play was first produced at The Public Theater as 'a photograph / a study in cruelty' in 1977 then revised and produced at the Houston Ensemble Theater in 1982 under its current title, 'a photograph / lovers in motion.' It was presented as a feature in NEC's annual reading series in 2015, Year of the Woman.

The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for August Wilson's Jitney, directed by one of Wilson's foremost interpreters, Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

Congo Square Theatre Company, well known for its powerful portrayal of African American classics and gripping new works, commemorates its 20th Anniversary season with a rare production of the 1965 satirical fantasy, Day of Absence, at the Richard Christiansen Theatre (housed inside Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.), February 27-March 22, 2020. Its official opening night is Monday, March 2, 2020, at 7:30pm.

With Anupama Chandrasekhar's When the Crows Visit playing its final week and Mike Bartlett's Snowflake in rehearsals, Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham, today announces the full cast for her production of the UK première of Antoinette Nwandu's Pass Over. Joining the previously announced Paapa Essiedu (Moses), are Alexander Eliot (Mister/Ossifer) and Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (Kitch). The production opens on 19 February 2020, with previews from 13 February, and runs until 21 March.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) has just announced complete casting for the first Broadway production of Charles Fuller's award-winning drama A Soldier's Play, directed by Kenny Leon.

James Duke Walker, who won a string of acting awards for his film debut in the independent short thriller Roadside Assistance, will play the leading role of NYPD police office Val Johnson in the staged reading production of Dennis McIntyre's controversial police drama Split Second which comes to the New Vibe Lounge, Rockville Centre on Sunday November 17 at 7pm.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??A controversial police drama that triumphed Off Broadway nearly forty years ago but seems more timely than ever before, is coming to Rockville Centre's New Vibe Lounge.

Collective Consciousness Theatre (CCT) presents the Regional Premiere of 'Pass Over' by Antoinette Nwandu, October 24-November 10

With her production of the world première of Anupama Chandrasekhar's When the Crows Visit in rehearsals, Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham today announces Pass Over, A Museum in Baghdad and The Glee Club which will be staged at Kiln Theatre in 2020, following the previously announced Snowflake by Mike Bartlett.

Yesterday evening in New York City, Broadway's SLAVE PLAY and its creator, playwright Jeremy O. Harris hosted BLACK OUT during the show's previews. BLACK OUT dedicated the 804 seats of 45th Street's Golden Theatre to an audience of black identified artists, writers, activists, creatives, and students in celebration of the critically-acclaimed, Robert O'Hara directed play and in recognition of Broadway's rich, diverse, and fraught history with black work. The event was followed by a Talk Forward moderated by VULTURE Staff Writer Hunter Harris and Author Casey Gerald, during which playwright Jeremy O. Harris discussed the work, buzz, and questions around this play - as well as Broadway's history of work created by black artists.

Playwright Samuel Harps discusses the story behind his latest play CLOVER

Roundabout Theatre Company will present A Soldier's Play, directed by Kenny Leon starring David Alan Grier (Porgy and Bess) as a?oeSergeant Vernon C. Watersa?? and Blair Underwood (A Streetcar Named Desire) as a?oeCaptain Richard Davenport.a??

The Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio of New York presents a staged reading of Starr Street (July 26 & July 28), a new, work-in-progress play written by Jesse Regis and directed by Pat Golden, as part of the Rehearsal Space Residency project.

Theatre for a New Audience announces a second and final extension of Soho Rep.'s production of Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview, staged by Sarah Benson and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly.

Moses and Kitch stand around on the corner - talking smack, passing the time, and hoping that today a miracle will come. The Echo Theater Company presents theWest Coast premiere of Pass Over, the 2019 Lucille Lortel award-winning play by Antoinette Nwanduthat mashes up Waiting for Godotwith the Exodus saga - a rare piece of politically charged theater by a bold new American voice.Deena Selenow directs for a July 13 opening at Atwater Village Theatre. Pay-what-you-want previews begin July 10, and performances continue through Aug. 19.

Theatre for a New Audience has announced a four-week extension of Soho Rep.'s production of Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview, staged by Sarah Benson and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly. The original cast has reunited for the June 2 June 30 engagement and will now continue for the extension, July 2 July 28, 2019, on the Samuel H. Scripps Mainstage at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, TFANA's state-of-the-art home in the Brooklyn Cultural District.

Dorothi Fox and Arthur French will star in the premiere of 'Imminently Yours' by Karimah, to be presented by The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) from June 17 to 30 at Theatre 80, 80 St. Marks Place. The play deals with the socio/philosophical issues of expropriation of their land and history by eminent domain in today's politics.  A secret mountain enclave has been inhabited for centuries by descendants of slaves. When its tradition of secrecy is breached by a millenial resident, the remote hamlet is discovered by the state's governor, who aims to evict its elderly residents by eminent domain for nonpayment of taxes, but underestimates the savvy community there. The play depicts an antagonistic society pitted against elders who are peacefully reliving their history. Generations ban together as they learn the past, teach the present and fight for their legacy. Count Stovall directs.

Dorothi Fox and Arthur French will star in the premiere of 'Imminently Yours' by Karimah, to be presented by The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) from June 17 to 30 at Theatre 80, 80 St. Marks Place.

A moving voyage through the sounds of the Black American experience returns to Aaron Davis Hall as City College Center for the Arts (CCCA) presents "A Soulful Music Celebration" on Saturday, April 6, at 3 p.m. The event, featuring Marvin Lowe and Friends and narrated by Obie-award winning actress Barbara Montgomery will take audiences on a journey through the music created by Africans and African-Americans in response to their trials and triumphs over the centuries. The soulful trek also seeks to inspire contemporary listeners to use their own voices to create change and help unite all people in these trying times.

Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) Acting Commissioner Anne del Castillo today announced the first round of grant recipients of the "Made in NY" Women's Film, TV & Theatre Fund. Funds were awarded to 63 film, TV, theatre and digital media projects made by creative entrepreneurs who identify as women. This is the first round of a $5 million, three-year program funded by MOME and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).