Hamilton 

What is a best of 2015 list without Hamilton? Not a list at all. The hip-hop musical about America’s most controversial founding father with its diverse cast and #hamiltunes that will be stuck in your head forever earns its prized spot on the list. Any show capable of selling out for over a year is a winner in my book. #HamilTonys

Invisible Thread 

Did I mention I saw this show four times? I’m not kidding. The only reason it wasn’t more is because I’m not rich and I went home for Christmas break. The show that tells the story of one man’s incredible journey of self and the people’s lives he impacts was a no-brainer on my list. The dancing, the acting, and the singing is enough to bring you in and take you to new places. #Belamusana

The Color Purple 

Of course, The Color Purple was going to make this list. Cynthia Erivo, Danielle Brooks and Jennifer Hudson make their Broadway debuts and they enter with a big ol’ splash. The simplistic styling of this musical requires the actors to give their all and bare it on the stage, which they do every night. I see Tonys in their future.

Whorl Inside A Loop 

No wonder it’s going to Broadway!  It’s that darn good. Second Stage is doing some pretty awesome things over there on 43rd Street, if this show is any indication. It tells the story of an actress teaching prisoners how to tell and act out their personal stories. This show definitely tugged at my heartstrings and now, hopefully, many more will be able to witness its brilliance.

The Gin Game 

Legendary. James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson sharing the stage again was one of the most amazing moments of 2015. Being able to just be in that room and watch these masters grace the stage effortlessly was a big deal. Black don’t crack, and neither does our ability to memorize scripts and get out there and be amazing eight nights a week.

Barbecue 

The Public Theater also has some hits on their hands. Barbecue centered around family, addiction, and making difficult choices. Written by Obie Award Winning Playwright Robert O’Hara, the play was full of twists and turns that left audiences gasping and guessing about what was going to happen next.

Paradise Blue

Our girl Dominique Morisseau came through. The production is directed by the always amazing Ruben Santiago-Hudson and stars Tony Award-nominee De’Adre Aziza (Passing Strange), Golden Globe-nominee Blair Underwood (A Street Car Named Desire), and Andre Holland. This show, which is the first in a trilogy, made waves at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Like Morisseau herself, I doubt it’s the last you’ll hear about it.

An Octoroon 

An Octoroon (the term “Octoroon” is a person who is one-eighth Black) is all about race in the United States. The brilliant show written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins got its start at Soho Rep and uses satire to get at the United States’ horrible legacy of slavery. Incorporating Black face, red face and everything in between, this show took it there unapologetically. An Octoroon can make an entire audience uncomfortable and force them to face the harsh realities of this “great” nation all in one. After all, art is an imitation of life, right?

Amazing Grace

Gone too soon. The song I sang as a child suddenly held more weight when I finally was able to see this show in the summer. Beautifully and thoroughly executed, Amazing Grace was a gracious piece of theatre that wasn’t afraid to go there. While it may have left Broadway, the cast recording will be enough to keep me going.

Eclipsed 

This is another one that moved from Off-Broadway because of its stellar cast and amazing story. Danai Gurira is genius. Set during the Liberian Civil War, Eclipsed tells the stories of the captive wives of a rebel officer who band together to form a fragile community—until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of a new girl. Heartfelt, funny, and mesmerizing are just a few adjectives to describe how great of a show this is.

Special Mention: The Wiz Live!

How could I make a list without The Wiz Live! on it? This show and all of its #melaninmagic captivated audiences everywhere. The old classic story of The Wiz with a modern twist appealed to audiences young and old, and brought together an entire community on Dec. 3rd. That night also made us realize Shanice Williams was going places, Stephanie Mills has still got it, David Alan Grier has some serious pipes, Uzo Aduba and Queen Latifah can do no wrong, Amber Riley was underappreciated on Glee, and “conversate” is an actual word.

Thats our list, what did you see that you put on your list? Sound off in the comments below and check out in-depth information on all of these shows on our site!

The post And The Winner Is…Broadway Black Top 10 of 2015 appeared first on Broadway Black.

Blue (Underwood), a gifted trumpeter, contemplates selling his once-vibrant jazz club in Detroit’s Blackbottom neighborhood to shake free the demons of his past and better his life. But where does that leave his devoted Pumpkin, who has dreams of her own? And what does it mean for the club’s resident bebop band? When a mysterious woman (Aziza) with a walk that drives men mad comes to town with her own plans, everyone’s world is turned upside down.

Emmy-nominated actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson is no stranger to the stage. In 1996, he won the Tony

Ruben Santiago Hudson

Award as Best Actor (Featured Role – Play) for August Wilson‘s Seven Guitars, and also performed the role of Ricky Roma on Broadway in Glengarry Glen Ross. In addition, he originated the role of Buddy Bolden in Jelly’s Last Jam, directed by George C. Wolfe, at The Mark Taper Forum, and continued this role as a member of the original Broadway cast.

Santiago-Hudson also has several film and television projects coming up, including a new TNT TV series executive produced by Stephen Spielberg entitled Public Morals, as well as a brand new follow-up to his acclaimed multi-award-winning play Lackawanna Blues.

The post Ruben Santiago-Hudson Directs Blair Underwood & De’Adre Aziza In Paradise Blue appeared first on Broadway Black.

From that moment forward I felt I owed it to myself, and the many black female playwrights out there to find as much content as I could. Insert Dominique Morisseau, a Detroit native making a name for herself all across New York City and beyond.

Her playwriting credits include Detroit ’67 (Public Theater; Classical Theatre of Harlem/NBT; Northlight Theatre), Sunset Baby (Labyrinth Theater Co – NYC; Gate Theater- London), and Follow Me To Nellie’s (O’Neill; Premiere Stages). As well as having produced other original works with the Hip Hop Theater Festival, Penn State University, American Theatre of Harlem, and The New Group.  Her work has also been published in New York Times bestseller, Chicken Soup for the African American Soul and the Harlem-based literary journal, Signifyin’ Harlem.

Most of her inspiration for her plays is a result of conversations in communities and the people that she is writing about. Where a common process of playwriting is overhearing dialogue on a train or a bus, Morisseau takes it one step further.

“I have to be able to engage with people and have a conversation with them and be able to go into the community to feel like I can truly bring justice to them.”

Once she does that she begins her writing process, which includes lots of color and music.

“Music really lands me in the time period or region. It helps me recapture the dialect and the words that are popular, the isms, the sayings. That process gets me textured in the world I’m writing about,” she tells the American Theatre Wing.

Well that process seems to be working for her, as her play Detroit ’67 earned her the prestigious Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama in 2014. Her play was unanimously voted on by jury members who stated her play “explores an explosive and decisive moment in a great American city. The jury was completely drawn into the world of Detroit ’67, whose compelling characters struggle with racial tension and economic instability. The jury also felt strongly that the play powerfully exemplifies the goals of the Kennedy Prize. Detroit ’67 is a work grounded in historical understanding that also comments meaningfully on the pressing issues of our day.”

Detroit ’67 had its world premiere at The Public Theater in 2013 and was presented in association with the Classical Theater of Harlem and the National Black Theater.

The Public Theater characterized it as the following:

It’s 1967 in Detroit and Motown music gets the party started. Chelle and her brother Lank transform their basement into an after-hours joint to make ends meet. But when a mysterious woman winds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than family business. As their pent-up feelings erupt, so does their city, and the flames of the ’67 Detroit riots engulf them all.

The play is the first of a 3-play cycle on her hometown Detroit, entitled The Detroit Projects, which is still in development.

Morisseau, who is an alumni of the Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, the Women’s Project Playwrights Lab, and Lark Playwrights’ Workshop, has an extensive list honors to her name including; a Jane Chambers Playwriting Award honoree, a two-time NAACP Image Award recipient, a runner-up for the Princess Grace Award, a recipient of the Elizabeth George commission from South Coast Rep, a commendation honoree for the Primus Prize by the American Theatre Critics Association, winner of the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwriting Award, the Weissberger Award for Playwriting, the U of M – Detroit Center Emerging Leader Award, a Lark/PoNY (Playwrights of New York) Fellow. With awards like that, it would be hard to ignore her. In an interview with the American Theatre Wing she expressed what it meant to be a woman of color working in theatre.

“I’m a woman of color, a black woman playwright. I’m a part of a marginalized class in theatre right now, we are still working to make space for ourselves, to be seen on stage, and produced on stage. That means I have to get in conversation with theaters often and advocate for my work and advocate for a new audience. So that what’s in theaters right now, is not the only audience that has to exist. So that, theatre audiences can start becoming more diverse just like the writers who are writing for theatre – which I’m apart of. So, it’s about making space for everyone’s voice to be heard.”

Well Ms. Morisseau, I hear you loud and clear and I can’t wait for Dominique’s upcoming projects. Which include the world premiere of Paradise Blue, the second installment of her 3-play cycle, The Detroit Projects. The play will be premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Tony Award-winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson and starring Tony Award-nominee De’Adre Aziza, Golden Globe-nominee Blair Underwood, and Andre Holland. The play runs from July 22 till August 2. Tickets can be purchased on the Williamstown Theatre Festival website, here.

Blue (Underwood), a gifted trumpeter, contemplates selling his once-vibrant jazz club in Detroit’s Blackbottom neighborhood to shake free the demons of his past and better his life. But where does that leave his devoted Pumpkin, who has dreams of her own? And what does it mean for the club’s resident bebop band? When a mysterious woman with a walk that drives men mad (Aziza) comes to town with her own plans, everyone’s world is turned upside down. This dynamic and musically-infused drama shines light on the challenges of building a better future on the foundation of what our predecessors have left us.

Also in the works, as recently published by Broadway Black, Morisseau is guest curator for The New Black Festival, which just commissioned five black playwrights for UN-TAMED: HAIR BODY ATTITUDE, coming this fall.

2015 is surely to be a year for black female playwrights and I’m glad to be able to witness it. So that when I’m teaching in my performing arts classes in Brooklyn in the fall, my students will not have to feel like I did. They will have a range of black playwrights and artists to draw inspiration from and be inspired by.

It’s clear that she is an artist who believes wholeheartedly in the power and strength of community and diverse storytelling.

Dominique Morisseau, thank you for being Broadway Black.

The post Making Space for Brown Girls: Dominique Morisseau appeared first on Broadway Black.