Black Theatre Troupe To Present Rousing New Orleans Jazz Musical STORYVILLE

Black Theatre Troupe concludes its 2023-24 season with a rousing musical set in the birthplace of jazz, STORYVILLE.

Featuring a 9-piece band, STORYVILLE tells the story of Butch "Cobra" Brown who falls for the torch singer Tigre Savoy at Bird Box Cabaret, the nightclub where they both headline. Storyville was the legalized red-light district of New Orleans which flourished from 1897 until 1917 and is considered the birthplace of jazz.

With a story by Ed Bullins and music and lyrics by Mildred Kayden, Black Theatre Troupe's production of STORYVILLE is directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris, with musical direction by Brenda Hankins. The cast features Frederick Alphonso as "Hot Licks Sam," the leader of the band at the Bird Box Cabaret nightclub, Rico Burton as "Countess Dolly Denger," with Andre Neal and Akira Goggins as "Butch 'Cobra' Brown" and "Tigre Savoy."

STORYVILLE features a delightful score that harkens to the early days of jazz.

Tickets

Performances of STORYVILLE are March 22 through April 7 at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 E. Washington. Tickets are $50 and are on sale at blacktheatretroupe.org.

About Black Theatre Troupe

Founded by Helen K. Mason in 1970 as a space for underserved artists to share the Black experience, Black Theatre Troupe began performing small plays, poetry readings, and musical performances in a community center in Phoenix's historic multi-cultural Eastlake Park.

The Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center is now the company's permanent home, a state-of-the-art facility located at Washington and 14th Streets in downtown Phoenix – exactly two blocks from where it all began. It features a 150-seat theatre, rehearsal space, costume shop and administrative offices. The Black Theatre Troupe's main-stage productions and educational outreach programs serve constituents from seniors to young adults and children. 

Recognized as one of the longest, continuously operating Black theatre companies in the United States, Black Theatre Troupe has become one of Phoenix's major cultural attractions, providing training, employment and performance opportunities for multi-ethnic and underserved artists for over 50 years. 

Black Theatre Troupe's productions and educational outreach programs broaden and enhance relationships within the community, from seniors and young adults to children, fostering understanding outside the Black community and bridging divisions which have too often separated people of color from the majority population.

Since its debut production in 1970 of Lonne Elder's nationally acclaimed drama of social and political consciousness, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, Black Theatre Troupe has gained a national reputation for producing powerful works with an emphasis on Black playwrights and is dedicated to delivering some of the country's most courageous theater, while illuminating our shared humanity.

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