Negro Ensemble Company News

On February 27 at Paris Blues, 2021 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. (at 121st St.), The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. will hold a comedy benefit to support its production of 'A Soldier's Play,' to be presented February 14 to March 4 at Gene Franbkel Theatre, 24 Bond Street.

Signature Theatre (Paige Evans, Artistic Director; James Houghton, Founder) will host several special events at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues) this winter, the company announced today.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women playwrights writing in the English language. Chosen from over 150 nominated plays, the Finalists are:

To reach an expanded audience, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) will re-mount its 2017 revival of 'A Soldier's Play' by Charles Fuller, directed by Charles Weldon, from February 14 to March 4, 2018 at Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street. The piece is historically NEC's most famous and successful play. It was produced last fall at Theatre 80 St. Marks as the culminating event of NEC's landmark 50th season, playing to full houses and glowing notices. The cast of that revival will return intact for the Gene Frankel Theatre run.

Victory Gardens Theater continues its 43rd season with BREACH: a manifesto on race in america through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate, written by Antoinette Nwandu and directed by Lisa Portes. BREACH runs February 9 March 11, 2018, with the press performance on Friday, February 16, 2018 at 7:30pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

To reach an expanded audience, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) will re-mount its 2017 revival of 'A Soldier's Play' by Charles Fuller, directed by Charles Weldon, from February 14 to March 4, 2018 at Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street. The piece is historically NEC's most famous and successful play. It was produced last fall at Theatre 80 St. Marks as the culminating event of NEC's landmark 50th season, playing to full houses and glowing notices. The cast of that revival will return intact for the Gene Frankel Theatre run.

At a time when the USA is waffling on its commitment to honor Harriet Tubman with her image on the 20 dollar bill, Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre will present 'Harriet's Return: Based Upon the Legendary Life of Harriet Tubman,' written and performed by Karen Jones Meadows. The production takes audiences on a deeply personal, high energy journey into the private and public life of this famed Underground Railroad conductor, spiritual icon, revolutionary, and entrepreneur, whose life spanned nine decades and still influences the consciousness of people throughout the world. The production is directed by Clinton Turner Davis and will take stage February 8 to March 4 at Castillo Theatre, 543 West 42nd Street.

This summer, LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater will produce the New York premiere of PASS OVER, a new play by Antoinette Nwandu, directed by Danya Taymor, at the Claire Tow Theater (150 West 65 Street). PASS OVER will begin performances Saturday evening, June 2 and run for six weeks only through Sunday, July 15. Opening night is Monday, June 18.

At a time when the USA is waffling on its commitment to honor Harriet Tubman with her image on the 20 dollar bill, Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre will present 'Harriet's Return: Based Upon the Legendary Life of Harriet Tubman,' written and performed by Karen Jones Meadows. The production takes audiences on a deeply personal, high energy journey into the private and public life of this famed Underground Railroad conductor, spiritual icon, revolutionary, and entrepreneur, whose life spanned nine decades and still influences the consciousness of people throughout the world. The production is directed by Clinton Turner Davis and will take stage February 8 to March 4 at Castillo Theatre, 543 West 42nd Street.

At a time when the USA is waffling on its commitment to honor Harriet Tubman with her image on the 20 dollar bill, Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre will present 'Harriet's Return: Based Upon the Legendary Life of Harriet Tubman,' written and performed by Karen Jones Meadows.

Theater for the New City (TNC) presented a highly successful developmental production of 'Josh: The Black Babe Ruth' by Michael A. Jones last Spring in its small Cabaret Theater. In honor of Black History Month, TNC will re-mount the drama February 8 to 25, 2018 in its larger Cino Theater. Bette Howard directs. The play dramatizes the life, loves and ultimately the tragic decline of Josh Gibson, who was perhaps the greatest slugger of the Negro leagues and who, some say, died of a broken heart in 1947.

Casting is confirmed and tickets are now on sale for the Signature Theatre (Paige Evans, Artistic Director; James Houghton, Founder) production of Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo: Homelife & The Zoo Story. This new production, directed by Drama Desk Award-winner Lila Neugebauer (Signature Plays, Everybody), honors Legacy Playwright Edward Albee, who was in residence at Signature during the 1993-94 Season and returned to the company for four more productions. Albee passed away in 2016.

New York's most exciting theatre companies will be taking to the stage this February to celebrate Black History Month. See full listings below!

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting, in partnership with The Billie Holiday Theatre at RestorationART, today announced the first-ever Black Arts Theater Winter Immersion course, which will be taught by a world-class faculty in Brooklyn, New York, home to the largest Black community in the nation.

Victor Vauban Junior captivates with 'IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WOMEN'- the premiere of the play by the Brazilian playwright Victor Vauban Junior has created such a buzz in the theatre world.

The 45th Annual AUDELCO Awards were held Monday, November 20th, at Symphony Space on 95th Street and Broadway. Scroll down for the winners of Black Theatre's most prestigious awards!

Student rush tickets will be offered for the extension performances of the critically acclaimed Signature Theatre production of Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, by Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Obie Award-winner Mark Brokaw, the company announced today.

Renowned actress, Kate Mulgrew, known for her work in ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, STAR TREK: VOYAGER, TEA AT FIVE, EQUUS and The Vineyard's SOMEWHERE FUN, hosted Vineyard Theatre's Annual Emerging Artists Luncheon on Thursday, November 9 at the National Arts Club in Manhattan. Antoinette Nwandu (PASS OVER) received Vineyard Theatre's 2017-2018 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. Paula Vogel spoke at the event.

Today's subject Kolby Kindle is currently living his theatre life on the road in the ensemble of the national tour of the juggernaut hit The Book of Mormon. The show is now playing at the Kennedy Center through November 19th.

Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announced today that Antoinette Nwandu (PASS OVER) is the recipient of Vineyard Theatre's 2017-2018 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award.