Raymond O Caldwell News

Imagination Stage's Zomo The Rabbit: A Hip-Hop Creation Myth, directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, brings back old school hip-hop for a fun, interactive show for kids and adults.

Tonight, at a celebration honoring theatre excellence on stages across the Washington area, theatre artists, administrators, patrons, and special guests gathered in the National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery for theatreWashington's announcement of nominees for the 36th Annual Helen Hayes Awards, which will be presented on Monday, May 18 at an event at the Anthem.

Continuing Theater Alliance's mainstage theater season, THIS BITTER EARTH by Harrison David Rivers, investigates who is allowed to participate in social causes, whose participation seems expected, and what happens when both contradict the purpose of a given movement.

Theater Alliance has been approved for a $20,000 Art Works grant to support this spring's World Premiere production of The Blackest Battle, written by DC theater artist Psalmayene 24. This is the first time Theater Alliance will have received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Just as African-American artists have sought to reclaim the racist imagery of the past to confront contemporary viewers, the entryway to the Theater Alliance's performance of 'Day of Absence' at the Anacostia Playhouse is decorated with oversized posters advertising blackface minstrel shows.

The first production of Theater Alliance's mainstage theater season, DAY OF ABSENCE by Douglas Turner Ward, confronts the troubled origins of American theatre head-on in a feisty, stereotype-bashing evening of comedy, music, and performance. The production opens on October 11, 2019, following a week of previews beginning October 5. It is the first professional production of this play to appear on a Washington, DC stage.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays, in association with the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and Stanford University's National Center for New Plays, announce the 14th Annual MFA Playwrights' Workshop. The Kennedy Center will host more than 60 theater-makers from July 27-August 4, 2019 as part of the week-long Workshop featuring new works by graduate students or recent MFA graduates from the University of California, San Diego, Iowa Playwrights' Workshop, Boston University, National Theatre School of Canada, and Brown University. 

Rorschach Theatre returns to KLECKSOGRAPHY, an annual event that brings together six theatre companies and more than forty artists (including six filmmakers) to make something unimaginable. Inspired by the ink-blot test for which Rorschach Theatre was named, all participating artists will be shown a single, distinctive piece of visual art.

It would have been interesting to hear the 1953 conversation between author Richard Wright and the upstart man of letters James Baldwin at the ex-pat literary nexus of Les Deux Magots in Paris.

Richard Wright's iconic novel, Native Son,  streamlined into a blazing 90 minute adaptation by actor/playwright Nambi E. Kelley, will run in repertory with Les Deux Noirs: Notes on Notes of A Native Son, inspired by James Baldwin's blistening critique of Wright's controversial work. Award-winning director and playwright Psalmayene 24's stages the innovative take on Wright's masterpiece while authoring a modern reimagining of Wright's real-life meeting with Baldwin in 1953 Paris.

From the second we step through the doors of Anacostia Playhouse, we're asked to join the world of Dominique Morisseau's Blood at the Root - not just as observers but participants. Every corner of the lobby has been decked out like the hallways of a high school - in this case, Cedar High, located somewhere north of New Orleans. We glance upward and see a banner prominently featuring their mascot, the Pelican. There's a bulletin board littered with flyers and posters - Keep Calm and Wear Your Uniform. And just next to the entrance of the theater is a pair of lockers covered with real-life photographs of the young cast in their natural habitats - school, church, family reunions, summer camp. There's a lot to explore.

Theater Alliance continues Season 16 with Blood at the Root by MacArthur Award-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau. Inspired by the Jena Six case, which roiled tensions in Louisiana in 2006, the play probes the complexities of race, individual freedoms, and what justice means when biases have been normalized. When a black student disrupts the status quo at her high school by occupying space typically reserved for white students, her community erupts in hate speech, violence, and chaos. Moving, lyrical, and bold, Blood at the Root scrutinizes the intrinsic links between justice, bias, and identity.

Actors Theatre of Louisville announces two opportunities for theatre professionals and new play supporters to participate in the 43rd Humana Festival of New American Plays. Practitioners working in small budget theatres or as a freelance artists are encouraged to apply for the Theatre Professionals Grant, a complimentary weekend at the upcoming Festival. Additionally, Actors Theatre invites guests to take the stage with Share the Spark, a curated program of short, energetic presentations centered on new and exciting visions for the future of American theatre.

Raymond O. Caldwell has been hired as Theater Alliance's next Producing Artistic Director. Caldwell currently serves as Theater Alliance's Associate Artistic Director. He succeeds Colin Hovde, who announced his departure in July 2018 after seven years at Theater Alliance's helm.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater and producer Brian A. Moreland have partnered on a two-week intensive workshop of playwright Keenan Scott II's Thoughts of a Colored Man. Directed by Taye Diggs, with choreographer Jenny Parsinen, associate director Shannon Stoeke, and music and vocals by Madison McFerrin, the piece takes a raw and honest look at the limitations, stereotypes and obstacles that the world attempts to place on men of color through their discussions of love, race, education, family, and history.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater and producer Brian A. Moreland have partnered on a two-week intensive workshop of playwright Keenan Scott II's Thoughts of a Colored Man. Directed by Taye Diggs, with choreographer Jenny Parsinen, associate director Shannon Stoeke, and music and vocals by Madison McFerrin, the piece takes a raw and honest look at the limitations, stereotypes and obstacles that the world attempts to place on men of color through their discussions of love, race, education, family, and history.

Theater Alliance launches Season 16 with the WORD BECOMES ACTION FESTIVAL. Building on the success of last year's inaugural festival, this second annual festival explores themes from upcoming productions and bringing together performances, readings, and workshops to illuminate divergent perspectives. The festival is made possible thanks to the support of The Revada Foundation and DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

 Theater Alliance's 16th Season tackles the pressing issues of our American moment - gun violence, the bitter battles around identity politics, and a patriarchal system that simultaneously benefits from and undervalues the contributions of women. These essential conversations will gain further exploration through the company's annual Word Becomes Action Festival and Hothouse Play Development Series.

THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS PROJECT is an innovative and ambitious world premiere musical commissioned by Solas Nua. The production blends two fresh and significant dramatic voices, each with a unique perspective on the same time and themes. Staged on a pier jutting into the Anacostia River, the production gains added resonance in the shadow of Douglass' historic home at Cedar Hill and the bridge that bears his name. The site-specific staging heightens the drama and creates a memorable theater experience.

Put your hands in the air and wave them up high; it's time to talk about (say it with me!) All the Way Live! The Kennedy Center and B-Fly Entertainment co-commissioned this high-energy and well-crafted show and I can truly say it is a match made in hip-hop heaven.