COWBOY
Written and Directed by
Layon Gray
October 18th-20th, 2020
The powerful story of Bass Reeves, a freed slave who protected the Wild West as the first African - American United States Deputy Marshal. Bass is said to have arrested more than 3,000 outlaws without sustaining a single gun wound. Many people said he inspired the Lone Ranger character.
Set in a saloon in the Indian territory 1888, a tornado is slowly approaching as Bass and his Indian partner find themselves stuck inside with a group of outlaws, one for which he has a death warrant.
The play recently sold out all performances in only two days at the 2019 National Black Theatre Festival this past August.
BREAK IT DOWN
Written and Performed by
Herb Newsome
January 10th-12th, 2020
A multimedia show that tells the story of the early days of Hip Hop through a live performance of the four elements: DJing, Emceeing, B-Boying and Graffiti Art. Explore the history behind the music set in the Bronx, NY, during a time where urban decay and gang culture inspired a people to create their own form of expression.
Playing 10 Characters using music, dance, video, graffiti, and rhyming, the audience will be taken on a journey to the past to discover how each of the element came into existence.
We are pleased to announce our 2019-2020 season.
ONE MONKEY DONT
STOP NO SHOW
Written by Don Evans
Directed by Eileen J. Morris
May 29th-June 14th, 2020
Set in 1970s Philadelphia, the play deals with the clash of values between middle-class and working-class African Americans. Reverend Avery Harrison clings tenaciously to his position in the local black elite. His upwardly mobile philosophy is avidly shared by his wife, Myra and by his son, Felix, a strictly brought up private school product who has suddenly discovered the joys of sex, thanks to a surreptitiously studied manual. When the Reverend's countrified niece Beverly arrives from the rural South hilarious complications ensue in this fun loving comedy.
TOO HEAVY FOR
YOUR POCKET
Written by Jiren Breon Holder
Directed by Herb Newsome
February 7th -23rd, 2020
In the summer of 1961, the Freedom Riders are embarking on a courageous journey into the Deep South. When twenty-year-old Bowzie Brandon gives up a life-changing college scholarship to join the movement, he’ll have to convince his loved ones—and himself—that shaping his country’s future might be worth jeopardizing his own.