To celebrate the occasion, George Faison, renowned producer, writer, composer, director, dancer and choreographer and of the original Broadway production, will present performances of original songs and dances from the show on August 12th in Central Park (Rumsey Playfield) & August 13-14 at 7:00pm at Marcus Garvey Park in New York.

The performance, The Wiz: A Celebration in Dance and Music, will feature performances by several members of the original Broadway cast. Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad, who played a munchkin and swing in the original production, will co-host the performance with Faison. André De Shields will reprise his original role as the “Wiz;” Dee Dee Bridgewater, who won a Tony Award for her role as “Glinda,” will reprise this original role; and Ebony Jo-Ann will reprise her role as “Addaperle,” which she played in the Broadway revival of the production. Singer-songwriter Wallace Gary will join the cast as the “Scarecrow.” Damien L. Sneed will act as the musical director and conductor.

The Wiz was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score – Charlie Smalls, Best Featured Actor in a Musical – Ted Ross, Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Best Costume Design – Geoffrey Holder, Best Choreography – Faison, and Best Direction of a Musical – Holder. The production also received five Drama Desk Awards: Outstanding Musical – Ken Harper, Outstanding Music and Lyrics – Charlie Smalls, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical – Ted Ross, Outstanding Choreography – George Faison, and Outstanding Costume Design – Geoffrey Holder.

Faison, who was the first African American to win a Tony Award for Best Choreography, has created a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs associated with recreating this groundbreaking musical. To lend your support, visit the GoFund Me that has been setup.

Don’t forget, In addition to the performances at Marcus Garvey Park on August 13-14th, the musical will also be performed August 12 at 8:00 pm at Rumsey Playfield. The performances are a part of Summer Stages 30^th Anniversary season and are free.

The post The Wiz Celebrates 40 Years Of Greatness Hosted By Phylicia Rashad appeared first on Broadway Black.

When his brother is shot, mentally disabled Langston Bellows (Gbenga Akinnagbe, The Wire) is left without a protector in Brooklyn’s housing projects. Now under the control of his abusive mother (Alfre Woodard, 12 Years A Slave) he must take his future into his own hands. Langston strives for independence from his prior life, from his mother, and from his fractured mind.

Woodard was last seen on Broadway in Regina Taylor’s Drowning Crow (the 2004 adaptation and updating of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull), opposite Anthony Mackie (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, A Behanding in Spokane), Aunjanue Ellis (Joe Turner’s Come And Gone, The Tempest), Ebony Jo-Ann (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Mule Bone, The Sunshine Boys, Gem of the Ocean), Stephen McKinley Henderson (King Hedley II, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, A Raisin in the Sun), and Tracie Thoms (Rent, Stick Fly). She made her professional theatre debut in 1974 at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage. Her breakthrough role came three years later (1977) in the off-Broadway production of Ntozake Shange’s classic for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf.

Alfre’s film and television career is vast and diverse. She won her Screen Actors Guild Award in 1995 for her work in the film version of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson.

Knucklehead screens Thursday, March 26th at the Peter Jay Sharp Building BAM Rose Cinemas. To purchase tickets and get more information, CLICK HERE.

The post Alfre Woodard’s Back To NYC In ‘Knucklehead’ appeared first on Broadway Black.

The lastest and final event INSIGHT/SECOND SIGHT: Celebrating the Journey of Women Actresses will take place on March 28, 2015 at 5:30pm.

Conceived and directed by Seret Scott, this event will celebrate the legacy of veteran actress, over 50. The evening will be a special event sharing memories and reflections chronicling their rich artistic lives. Come hear history from the source as these women tell their story. Audiences will get insight into an artistic way of life that is seemingly never acknowledged or articulated. There are many artists whose journeys have not been spotlighted, but their work has been as artistically colorful, rich, scary and enlightening as the stars among us. Join NBT as we salute these living legends

The women whose jounrey will be featured on this wonderful and much needed night of celebration will be Michelle Shay (A Raisin In The Sun, Seven Guitars), Lynda Gravatt (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, King Hedley II) Carol Maillard (Comin’ Uptown, Eubie), Laurie Carlos (For Colored Girls…), Barbara Montgomery (The Tap Dance Kid, AMEN – Television Series) Ebony Jo-Ann (Drowning Crow, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Terria Joseph (Shadowboxer – film w/ Cuba Gooding Jr.), & Seret Scott (For Colored Girls…, My Sister, My Sister)

It is listed as a free event with a suggested donation of 15$. However, as an organization founded and led by a woman, NBT has created the space to celebrate the artistic legacy and impact of Black women in our community. So, the suggested donation, if not more, should be more than feasible for an event of this caliber. Make sure you’re there! It will be more than worth your time to celebrate these women and their journeys. For more information or to RSVP for the event head online:www.nationalblacktheatre.org or call the theatre directly at (212) 722 -3800. See you there!

The post National Black Theatre Will Celebrate The Veteran Actress appeared first on Broadway Black.