In the summer of 2017 I found out that I was pregnant. As I signed my new contracts for the Book of Mormon tour, I lamented on how disappointed the show would be in me. However, when the time came for me to tell my new management that I was having a baby, I was greeted with smiles and unadulterated joy. Joyce, my tour stage manager even asked if she could hug me. She and Shawn Moorman, our company manager, assured me my news would be treated with respect and confidentiality, which it was. I had been with the tour for one month and these two strangers treated me like family.

After I made my official announcement about my pregnancy the Broadway company, who I had only been with for 9 months, took it upon themselves to raise over $1000 to contribute to me and my new baby. The entire Jumamosi Company, who I had only been with for 4 months, gave me a card that contained another $1000. I didn’t count it until I went home but when I did, I sat and cried from their generosity.

Upon coming back to the Broadway company, my child was welcomed into the building. Karen Moore, Mike Zaleski, and Sara Bradley allowed Ezzie to take over their office twice a week. When my child care for Ezzie fell through, they offered to watch her during the show. They assured me I didn’t need to be embarrassed and that I wasn’t being unprofessional.  Instead they insisted that I was their family and that they had my back. We celebrated Ezzie’s birthday in that office because THAT office is Ezzie’s home and those people are Ezzie’s family. They are my family.

Nikki Renee Daniels, who played Nabulungi on Broadway before me, has been a constant ally in motherhood. She sends me clothing on an almost quarterly basis and because of her I rarely have to buy Ezzie anything. She has treated me like family without ever having worked directly with me.

My sisters Destinee Rea and Shanel Bailey consistently work to help me in whatever capacity they can. They both dote on my daughter as if she were their own. They watch her when I am in rehearsals and in audition rooms. They also both come from this illustrious Book of Mormon family.

I have watched this family of people navigate through the death of Maia Wilson’s mother and Darius Nichols’ husband. I have watched this family of people journey through the election of Donald Trump. I have watched them make their voice heard at the Women’s March, I have watched them dedicate their time to homelessness, and witnessed them give talk backs to students and veterans. I am so proud to be a member of this family.

I am not writing this to pretend that The Book of Mormon is perfect. It is a job where micro-aggressions happen, as they do within any white corporate structure.  What I do need to make clear is that the people at this job are my family and because we are a family, I cannot let the mic drop without letting them KNOW that I SEE them and I love them deeply. Because these people are my family, I will not let the mic drop without expressing that this is the best job I have ever had. I cannot let the mic drop without saying that the Book of Mormon is one of THE BEST companies to work for on Broadway. I will not let the mic drop without saying that it is AN HONOR to work side by side with some of the original Ugandans in the cast who created those roles with the utmost integrity and pride. I cannot let the mic drop without letting the public believe that the Black people that helped to create this piece are docile or complacent or anything EXCEPT revolutionary. They are my family. And I need you to know that.

The post My Book of Mormon Family by Kimberly Exum, Broadway’s Nabulungi appeared first on Broadway Black.

Those of us who remember staying up until midnight to watch the weekly variety show know that theme song well. But many of us only know one small part of The Apollo Theater great legacy. Now, director Lee Daniels is bringing the historic venue’s history to life.

Daniels announced that he will be directing a documentary about the theater. The acclaimed director is known for putting his raw and gritty style on “Empire”, “Precious”, and “The Butler”. Nigel Sinclair and Jeanne Elfant Festa of White Horse Pictures are producing the project.

And what’s even greater is the project needs your help. Daniels and The Apollo have already set up a website and are seeking submissions. According to the site:

“We are asking members of the community who have been to the Apollo, who may have parents or grandparents or other family members or friends who have done so, to help us find any material – audience footage, photographs, or other memories that we can use in our documentary film.  We have established a website for anyone who wants to submit. We will, of course, respect everybody’s ownership of their property.” 

So if you have any memories of being in the theater, getting a cane around your waist after you murder a rendition of Vision of Love, or whatever, check out the site, and share your past. Can’t wait for the doc and a chance to put some shine on a legendary theater.

The post Lee Daniels and Apollo Seek Submissions for Documentary appeared first on Broadway Black.

The partnership between HUMANITAS and CTG, as part of the program PLAY LA, supports the best new, unproduced play by emerging or mid-career playwrights based in Southern California. The winning playwright will receive a $5,000 cash prize and $5,000 will be given to a local theatre to subsidize a world premiere production. Additionally, two runners-up will be awarded a $2,000 cash prize.

The works of Anyanwu and Wyatt celebrate girl power with Good Grief and SHE, respectively.

Good Grief follows Nkechi, a first-generation Nigerian girl whose misadventures consist of love, loss and growing up. Anyanwu is the founder and artistic director of the 1st Generation Nigerian Project. The actress, writer and producer also is co-artistic director of NOW AFRICA’s Playwrights Festival. She holds an MFA in acting from University of California, San Diego. Anyanwu will direct She Gon’ Learn by Lisa Rosetta Strum at the Obie Award-winning The Fire This Time Festival, which will run Jan. 18 through Feb. 6, in New York.

SHE tells the story of a young girl who discovers the small town she desperately wants to flee is filled with the very people who give her wings to fly. Wyatt, a Kansas City native and magna cum laude graduate of Howard University, is a two-time recipient of the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Discretionary Grant. Her other works include: Living the Dream; Our Music, Our Spirit, Our Gospel; Blue Diamond Daddies; and Li’l Easy. After volunteering with the Los Angeles School District, Wyatt developed The Girl Blue Project in 2003. The empowerment program for teen girls uses performing arts to combat images of overly sexualized girls, violence, drug use, discrimination, poverty, and sexual and physical abuse.

According to the HUMANTIAS Prize website, the plays will be developed with CTG’s literary staff, led by CTG’s Director of New Play Development Pier Carlo Talenti, and presented in professional readings Feb. 12-14, at Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of a weekend celebration of new plays.

In fulfilling its mission to “change the world one story at a time,” the HUMANITAS Prize was created in 1974 “to honor film and television writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way which, ultimately, inspires compassion, hope and understanding in the human family.” HUMANITAS, founded by Father Ellwood Kieser (1929-2000), believes film and television writers have enormous power to break down the separating walls of ignorance, racism and hatred. The organization, under the leadership of President Ali LeRoi (“Everybody Hates Chris”, “Are We There Yet?”), exists to find common humanity by exploring the hopes and fears of diverse human beings.

The HUMANITAS/CTG Playwriting Prize awardees will be announced at the annual HUMANITAS dinner Monday, Jan. 11, at the Directors Guild.

The post Ngozi Anyanwu, Marlow Wyatt Humanitas/CTG Playwriting Prize Finalists appeared first on Broadway Black.

ProductionPro, founded by theater graduate Alex Libby, is “a mobile service that allows users to mock up visuals by assembling all the concepts and designs on one platform and sharing the most up to date version of each production at any given time.” Basically, you can see the show before the show.

Available on the App Store, with ProductionPro, users can:
-Create a new show
-Centrally access all shows – new and archived
-Create a customized visual breakdown of each scene or beat in a show
– Automatically break down a PDF of a script regardless of what format it’s written in.
– Connect ideas and designs to the breakdown of your Shows.
– Present images for each scene or beat.
– Quickly navigate to any moment in the Script simply by flipping the orientation of the iPad.
– Access an outline of the Show when a script is not yet available.
– Collaborate on a Show in real-time from anywhere.

Libby and his “team of highly-skilled software engineers and experienced Show People from film and theatre” are very familiar with what it takes to comprise a show. Libby himself is a former production assistant and stage manager for shows including Legally Blonde, Wicked and Billy Elliot.

The startup is currently celebrating earning top honors at the Made in NY Media Center Demo Day. Their success not only marks their position as an efficient, growing media service, but also proves, that sometimes, especially in a field as competitive as entertainment, you simply have to make your own way.

Find out more about this app and how it can be help your creative work by downloading it on your iPad and visiting the website.

The post ProductionPro: Helping Artists Do It For Themselves appeared first on Broadway Black.

Dionne D. Figgins appears in Trip of Love as Jennifer, a young woman of color living during the height of the civil rights movement, fighting to integrate the TV variety show world in Hollywood, CA.  Ms. Figgins will be performing the hit songs “These Boots Were Made For Walking” and “Nowhere To Run,” among others.  Ms. Figgins was last seen as “Diana Ross” cover in Motown: the Musical on Broadway.

Meet Jennifer Dupree AKA Jenna Dupre! @tripoflove #techweek #theseboots #walkedalottoday #60sdanceparty #mod #afropuff #lacefront

A photo posted by D Figgs (@figginsdalip) on Sep 13, 2015 at 9:42pm PDT

Camouflage, a smile, and a bevel. #pressday @tripoflove A photo posted by D Figgs (@figginsdalip) on Sep 8, 2015 at 1:33pm PDT

Jennifer Dupree on Mod Monday @tripoflove #lol #shiftdress #colors #60sdanceparty #bob #minidress #costumechange #legs #thatlook #boots

A photo posted by D Figgs (@figginsdalip) on Aug 31, 2015 at 1:42pm PDT

Previews for Trip of Love begin on September 26th, and Opening Night is October 18th. The musical will take place at Stage 42, Off-Broadway’s 499-seat Little Shubert Theatre, located at 442 West 42^nd Street, on Theatre Row.  For more information on tickets, click here.

The post Dionne Figgins Explores Integration in Trip of Love appeared first on Broadway Black.

The park referred to in Adkins’ play is New York’s Central Park – recognized as one of the most visited parks in the United States. Before being expanded to the 843 acres of urban cultural paradise, it was home to free African Americans as well as residents of English and Irish descent. It is those people that prompted Adkins to develop this story.

Commissioned by Epic Theatre Ensemble in New York to write a play of his choice, Adkins initially worked with U.S. and Global History students to learn about the true events inspired by the play and to explore their heritage. After further research beyond Epic’s 2013-2014 season, Adkins created the full-length piece.

The play – which was selected from more than 400 festival submissions – opened to sold-out houses. Adkins posted to his Facebook: “I’m still writing, of course, for any future reiterations of the play… but right now I remain gleed-up… Keep living each other up so we can change the world through story.”

The synopsis of the story goes:

1857. New York City. A hard-work man and his son live in a respectful African-American community called Seneca Village. However, their solitude and safe haven are threatened when the City decides to remove the community from their homes to create the world-renowned Central Park.

Today, we call it gentrification. In 1857, it was eminent domain that evicted 1,600 residents from the land. The five-acre Seneca Village, founded by free Blacks in 1825, and other areas were demolished to accommodate the design of the park. In an NPR interview about the play, Cynthia Copeland – a lead researched of the site with the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History – said a smear campaign was created to justify forcing out the residents. “They literally called them tramps, squatters, thieves, lowlifes. They referred to Seneca Village as ‘Nigger Village.'”

The play follows 42-year-old Stephen Van Cleef, who makes a living as an oysterman, and his 22-year-old son Jonas ready to leave his home and pursue his dream as an artist. Van Cleef hopes his wife, thought to have been stolen into slavery 20 years earlier, will return and refuses to leave even when his neighbors accept displacement offers. When given five days to vacate, Van Cleef chooses to stand up and fight the city.

The cast includes: W. Tré Davis (Off-Broadway’s Hamlet, Zooman and The Sign); Bridget Gabbe (Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”); Billy Eugene Jones (The Trip to Bountiful, The Mountaintop, Passing Strange); Shane Taylor; Andy Truschinski (The Heidi Chronicles, War Horse); and Michelle Wilson (A Raisin in the Sun).

Adkins co-founded The New Black Fest, a theatre organization dedicated to new and provocative playwriting, music and discussion from the African Diaspora. The organization served as curator of Facing Our Truth:  Ten Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege (now published with Samuel French) and HANDS UP: 6 Playwrights, 6 Testaments. During March, his play The Disappointment premiered in the United States and Cape Town, South Africa as part of Book Wings South Africa – a cross-continental theatre collaboration to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.

For detailed performance information visit HERE. Submission for the 2016 Premiere Stages Play Festival will be from Oct. 1, 2015 through Jan. 3, 2016.

The post Keith Josef Adkins Tells Central Park History In The People Before The Park appeared first on Broadway Black.

Audition Info:

“Female, African American, must be 18 years-of-age or older. Must have an extraordinary voice that can still tell a story, and maturity with a youthful energy. Those auditioning should come prepared to sing a short portion of “Home,” “Ease on Down the Road” or “Be a Lion” a cappella. Also, bring a picture/résumé with full contact information.”

Auditions will be June 6th at 10 AM ET and continue through 2 PM

311 W. 43rd St., 10th floor. New York, NY Sign in begins at 9 AM

We are glad to see they are actively looking for a fresh face and a true theatre trained performer. We previously announced that Stephanie Mills be playing the role of Aunt Em and the famed choregrapher Fatima Robinson will tackle the choreography for this televised production that will eventually see the Broadway stage in 2016. The musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon.

#TheWizLive Description from NBC:

“Dorothy, a young woman from Kansas, is swept up in a tornado and relocated to a fantasy world that is inhabited by munchkins, good and bad witches, and, of course, flying monkeys. She eventually takes a path down a yellow brick road to find a wizard who can help her go home and along the way meets a scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion, who all learn to help one another.”

The live broadcast is scheduled for Dec. 3 and we’ll be having a live view party in person AND via twitter. Prepare yourselves now to join us! #WeAreBroadwayBlack

The post NBC Will Hold Auditions For Dorothy In The Wiz Live appeared first on Broadway Black.

From the Black Theatre Network official release:

Presentation proposals should highlight (but are not limited to) the most current concepts, practices, challenges and works in the following areas:

• Black Theatre and Social Justice
• Missions and curations of black theatre companies (Selections and special events for current seasons).
• Past to Present: The history of protest in black theatre
• Empowering the community through theatre
• Challenges and new practices in design and staging
• Pedagogy and curricula
• Contemporary approaches as a playwright, director, actor, etc.
• Educational Theatre
• Hip-Hop Theatre
• Black Theatre and social media
• New forms of performance
• New Works (Page-to-stage, development, presentations, readings, etc.)

Submission info:

Applicants should submit abstracts and panel proposals (250 words or less) no later than Tuesday, March 31^st.

Presentation and performance applications must include the applicant’s name, professional affiliation, contact information (including email), presentation format (lecture, demonstration, performance, etc.), a preferred title of the session, and description of the presentation/performance.

Paper proposals should include a 200-250 word abstract with paper title, author’s name, institutional affiliation, status, postal address, email address and phone number on the upper left corner of the page.

Panel proposals should include (1) a copy of each panelist’s 200-250 word abstract with paper title, author’s name, institutional affiliation, status, postal address, email address and phone number on the upper left corner of the page, and (2) a succinct, 50-word rationale for the grouping of the papers. The BTN member proposing the panel should also include their contact information (including email), presentation format (paper readings, round-table discussion, etc.), and a preferred title for the session.

Also include specific technology needs for your presentation.

Proposals and questions should be should be submitted to Dr. John Foster, BTN Vice President and Conference Coordinator at drjfoster@gmail.com.

The conference is to be held from July 31st to August 3rd, 2015 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

We at Broadway Black  think this would be a brilliant opportunity for you scholars and professionals in our community to share their thoughts, ideas, findings, and artistic viewpoints, and hope that you will consider submitting a proposal!

Good luck!

The post NOW SEEKING PROPOSALS: Black Theatre Network’s 29th Annual Conference appeared first on Broadway Black.