The saying, “art imitates life” is often thrown around callously. But when it comes to Black theatre artists, the phrase means a lot more than meets the eye (or the mouth, for that matter). In theatre history, there has been a tradition of productions staged to reflect the politics and restlessness of the times. Today’s theatre artists are similar to their predecessors.

Award-winning playwright Katori Hall is in touch with the Black Lives Matter movement and other political happenings, as often reflected on her Twitter page. Hall’s form of protest appears within her writing. Her play, The Mountaintop, fictionalizes the events leading up to the death of civil rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In an April interview with The Root, Hall states, in regard to her decision to become a playwright,

Me and my scene partner, we’re, like, two young African-American women … we get to the library and we’re pulling out all kinds of plays and couldn’t find nothing—like, nothing … had any scenes with young black women in it . … So I went to the teacher and was like, ‘Do you have any suggestions, because we’re having a hard time,’ and 10 seconds went by, 20 seconds went by, 40 seconds went by, and our professor could not think of an answer, and so, in that moment I said to myself, ‘I’m going to write those plays, then.’

Theatres have also been involved with Black Lives Matter in inspirational ways. In early February, Washington D.C.’s Howard Theatre hosted a panel that discussed the Movement. Howard Theatre has an extensive history of featuring Black theatre artists and their many talents. In May, the cast from Marley the Musical took time out of rehearsal to perform a free concert for those protesting the senseless death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. At the National Black Theatre Festival in early June, according to Ticket Sarasota, Jackie Taylor, founder of the Black Ensemble Theater, remarked, “This is a sick society, with Black men being killed, young boys being killed, churches being burned and those nine people being killed in that church in Charleston. Racism is embedded.” The Black Ensemble Theater’s mission is one that is clear-cut and powerful: “to eradicate racism and its damaging effects upon our society through the utilization of theater arts.”

This is merely a snapshot of the work being done in the Black theatre world in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. So many Black artists have and continue to use their work not only to showcase the ever present Black excellence in theatre but also to shift the mindset of those who may perpetuate the systemic racism that holds them back. These artists prove, time and time again, that not only do Black lives matter, but so does Black art.

The post Stand For Justice: Black Theatre in the Fight for Black Lives Matter appeared first on Broadway Black.

Howard University

Taraji Henson, Anthony Anderson, Marlon Wayans and Phylicia Rashad are just a few of the distinguished alumni from Howard University. The Department of Theatre Arts offers several major areas of concentrated study which lead to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts. Areas of concentration in Theatre Arts include the Performing Arts; Acting, Musical Theatre, and Dance; Theatre Arts Administration and Theatre Technology. Minors in Theatre Arts, Dance Arts, Theatre Arts Administration, Technical Theatre, and Playwriting are also available to non-Theatre Arts students. According to the website,

“Howard University’s Department of Theatre Arts is an internationally acclaimed leader and producer of artistic merit. Each season the Department of Theatre Arts presents classical and contemporary plays in its two-theatre complex. These plays offer not only entertainment, but also a forum for ideas and discussion.”

Spelman and Morehouse College

Spelman and Morehouse Colleges share a spot on this list because Morehouse students can obtain their BA in Drama, with an optional concentration in Dance, by attending classes at Spelman. Additionally, one of the highlights for Drama students this year includes Spelman hosting a 90-minute distance learning opportunity with the Broadway Theatre League. According to the department website,

“The drama and dance curriculum is designed to offer a challenging theater arts program that encourages discovery, creativity and scholarship for those students whose special interests and talents lead them to the department of drama and dance; to impart to all majors the formal preparation necessary for advanced academic or professional study; to offer the Spelman student experiences in theater arts, giving her broad-based exposure to the various aspects of drama and dance; and to contribute to the cultural enrichment of Spelman College, the AU Center, and the community at large.”

Hampton University

In Hampton University’s School of Liberal Arts, theatre students may choose from a Bachelor of Arts degree in either Performance or Technical Theatre. According to the department’s website,

“The area of Theatre Arts exists to provide the best available preparation for those students who wish to pursue the craft of theatre. Enrollment in the Theatre Arts area is designed to give students experience and training in theatre management, production, and organization. Those students with interests and abilities in acting, directing, designing, construction, management and playwriting will find opportunities for expression and growth…In the department’s production organization, the Hampton Players and Company, students gain experience in every aspect of theatre, from box office operations to set construction. The faculty and students in the theatre program hold memberships in, and attend meetings at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the National Association for Dramatics and Speech Arts, the Virginia Theatre Association, the American Theatre in Higher Education, and the United States Institute for Technical Theatre.”

North Carolina A&T State University

In 2015, North Carolina A&T State University ranked as the best HBCU in North Carolina for Theatre Arts according to http://hbcu-colleges.com/. Located in Greensboro, North Carolina NCAT offers prospective theatre students

“an outstanding Bachelor of Fine Arts program that is dedicated to professionally training a student in his or her chosen area of either acting or technology. Our students have won numerous regional and national awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. We have been invited to Region IV KCACTF competitions sixteen times and twice to the national festival held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. of Theatre.”

NCAT’s program is one of only two HBCUs in the United States that offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with an accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Theatre. Students may choose a concentration in the area of either Acting or Theatre Technology.

Florida A&M University

Since the 1930’s, theatre at Florida A&M University or FAMU has had a rich and storied legacy. A succession of passionate and committed educators has built a theatre program that currently offers two degree options, the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science for those students who concentrate in Technical Theatre or Theatre Management. Additionally, students may elect concentrations in either Performance, Design/Technical Production, or Management. According to the website, the department ascribes to

“The belief that theatre students profit most by a basic understanding of the totality of theatre before pursuing specializations … The program in theatre offers pre-professional undergraduate preparation by combining acting, directing, designing and production with literary, historical, managerial and creative study of drama.”

While this list is far from comprehensive, the HBCUs listed have a wealth of history, educational resources and dedicated support designed to ensure the success of Black students attempting to obtain degrees in Theatre.

Honorable Mentions

Fayetteville State University

Morgan State University

North Carolina Central University

The post School’s in Session: Top 5 Theatre Programs Designed For Black Students appeared first on Broadway Black.

Broadway Black {BB}: What is your connection to Sylvester and how did you become a collaborator for Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical?

Sheryl Lee Ralph {SLR}: I’m so excited to be here and doing this show because as a young Dreamgirl on Broadway, I knew Sylvester back in the day. Sylvester was there in all of his fabulosity, loving the show. He was always giving one message: don’t be more fabulous than me! But it was always and only with love so, for me, it was a great thing. We lost Sylvester far too soon and way too early to AIDS. It was very sad. He left New York, he was back in California and it was just a sad, sad loss of an incredible talent.

When I met (co-directors and co-producers) Kendrell (Bowman) and Anthony (Wayne, who also stars as Sylvester), it was a cold morning in Philadelphia. They had their package together with an idea. I took the meeting with my son and at the end he said, “You know, Mom, I really think this is something you should do.” I just followed his direction, we did it and that was almost two years ago. We were just nominated for one of the Best Off Broadway Musicals by the Off Broadway Alliance, along with Hamilton. Hamilton ended up winning, but I feel very strongly that this is not the last stop on the road. We’re really headed toward getting ourselves toward Broadway.

BB: How does Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical coalesce with The D.I.V.A. Foundation that you founded, which focuses on generating resources and coordinating activities to create awareness of and combat against HIV/AIDS?

SLR: I believe in testing. My friends died under stigma, shame and silence in the 80s. When it came to HIV/AIDS, nobody wanted to talk about it. Sylvester spoke out. Sylvester found his voice, had his voice, used his voice. Sylvester in this reincarnation of his life {through the musical}, encourages people to go out, get tested, love themselves, embrace themselves, respect themselves enough to put themselves first. Get tested.

BB: How has Sylvester’s story withstood the test of time?

SLR: Sylvester would want everyone to know how FABULOUS he was and remains in our memory. How much his music is still listened to today. He is still very much alive because his music lives. Long before there were a lot of people that we are looking at now, he was doing those braids, he was doing those beads, he was doing that big hair. Because, you know, the bigger the hair, the closer to God. He really had his finger on the pulse of fashion, of culture. He was always pushing the envelope. Sylvester would have been close to 70 years old today.

BB: You have had a successful career whether on stage, on TV, or in film. What is the secret to your longevity?

SLR: For me it’s all about redefining myself, recreating myself, living my joy. I love being on stage, center stage. But I also really love having my finger on the pulse that keeps that wheel moving forward. I am especially proud and happy any time I can be a part of seeing a more diverse group of faces on Broadway. It is a shame that there is an industry out there in which we are just not given as many chances as we should to be able to work. Too often, when the chances come up, it is from a production that is all of us {an all-Black production} or all about us, that people don’t understand the power of diversity as much as I think they should.

BB: You found success on Broadway as the original Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, for which you were nominated in 1982 for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Tell us about the grueling demands of being on stage.

SLR: In order to be on stage, it must be a project that you absolutely cannot live without doing. You’re dedicating yourself to 6 or 8 performances a week, and that is a lot. No matter what happens, the amount of energy that you put into a show is significant. It’s something that Brandy is learning right now doing Chicago on Broadway, which I’ve got to go and see before it closes. It’s a huge lesson to commit yourself to getting your body, your vocals in order, your head in order, to do what it takes to do a show 6-8 times a week.

BB: After this one-night only show at Washington DC’s Howard Theatre, what’s next for Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical?

SLR: We may do one more city like “HotLanta.” These are what we consider paid, working workshops of the show. We’re using every opportunity to be on the road, to redo the show, to look at those things that really work. We will hold on to those things and then hone and fill out the other spaces where we think the show can grow. Right now we’ve got an incredible 90-minute piece, but we want a piece that can live like Hedwig and the Angry Inch. We want that kind of a show that can win the awards.

BB: What should Broadway Black stars take away from Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical?

SLR: We want people to support us. We want people to talk about us. We want all of those folks out there who have ever thought about or dreamed about becoming a Broadway producer; we want them to bring that money to us. That’s how everybody else does it: they find their circle, their friends, their supporters. That’s what we want to do: find our circle, our friends, our supporters. Find where the money is, so that we can do an incredible show and take it to Broadway.

I really want them to support this show. I want them to know that when they hear Mighty Real, that they are going to have a mighty good time. Everyone that saw the Abba musical, they got up, they stood, they cheered, they danced in the middle of the aisles. This is that kind of show. All to the memory of someone who deserves to be remembered. We need their help. We need people to come out and support theater.

Follow @FabSylvester on Twitter to learn if a performance will be coming to your city. In addition, on August 22, DIVA’s Simply Singing will have its 25^th Annual kick-off at the Dell Music Center in Philadelphia. On October 24 in Los Angeles will be the 25^th Anniversary of the longest running musical AIDS benefit in the country, DIVA’s Simply Singing.

The post Exclusive: Sheryl Lee Ralph Talks Mighty Real appeared first on Broadway Black.