JASMINE GUY STARS IN RAISIN’ CANE

 June 25-June 27, 2010
Southwest Arts Center
Friday, 8 PM
Saturday 2 PM & 8 PM
Sunday 3 PM
Tickets: $15-$25 at Ticket Annex

Enter a Harlem Renaissance Odyssey with Jasmine Guy and the Avery Sharp Trio. Inspired by the 1923 classic novel Cane by Jean Toomer and works by other Harlem Renaissance artists, Jasmine Guy makes the period come alive for contemporary audiences through music, dance and multi-media presentation.  4 performances only!

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 SHAKIN’ THE MESS OUTTA MISERY

 July 2-August 22, 2010
Horizon Theatre
1030 Austin Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
(in Little Five Points)
Tickets $20-$30
Box Office: 404-584-7450

 A joyous, exuberant celebration about the coming of age of a young girl and the eight loving Big Mamas who raised her. This circle of diverse Southern women prepare Daughter to go to the river – her rite of passage into womanhood. The stories they share are funny, sad, magical, and touching – tales of survival and healing. A soulfully insightful universal story. Written by Shay Youngblood

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 I DREAM: THE STORY OF A PREACHER FROM ATLANTA

 
July 9-13, 2010
Alliance Theatre
Tuesday-Friday, 8 PM
Saturday 2:30 PM & 8 PM
Sunday 2:30 PM
Tickets: $32.50-$75.00 / NBAF Discount Code NBAF710
Click here for the box office.

Douglas Tappin’s “I Dream” is the first major stage production in America portraying Atlanta’s iconic civil rights leader. Set to a glorious score, this inspirational musical drama, based on events in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is directed by Jasmine Guy who has assembled an exceptionally talented cast for the highly-anticipated world premiere. Opens for previews on the Alliance Stage at Woodruff Arts Center from July 6 and runs until July 31, 2010.

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  LUNCHTIME WITH A SOAP OPERA DIVA

 July 14, 2010
12 PM
Auburn Avenue Research Library for African American Culture and History
101 Auburn Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30303
Free

Join Actress Victoria Rowell as she takes us on a special theatrical trip into the world of daytime soap opera. She reveals plenty of secrets and tells you no lies!  Her new book Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva serves as the backdrop for this witty conversation with Victoria Rowell and her alter ego Calysta Jeffries. Copies of her new book will be available for sale. See you there!

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VOODOO MACBETH COMING TO NBAF IN 2011!

 In 2011 NBAF will produce Voodoo Macbeth, a revival of the 1936 play performed in Harlem during the Great Depression.

The Federal Theater Project’s production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth featured an all black cast and was directed by a 20 year old Orson Wells.  The setting of the play shifted from Scotland to Haiti and acquired its nickname because of its use of voodoo imagery in stead of witchcraft that was found in the original text. A box office sensation, the production is regarded as a landmark theatrical event for several reasons: its innovative interpretation of the play, its success in promoting black theater, and its role in securing the reputation of its 20-year old director.the lobbying of civil rights activists a Negro Theatre Unit was created. It was split into two halves, the ‘Contemporary Branch’ to create theatre on contemporary black issues, and the ‘Classic Branch’, to perform classic drama. The aim was to provide a point of entry into the theatre workforce for black actors and stagehands, and to raise community pride by performing classic plays without reference to the colour of the actors.

 We have received planning support from the National Endowment of the Arts and are beginning the process of locating a producing partner.  We will keep you posted as we move forward.  Take a moment to check out this Newsreel of Voodoo Macbeth from 1936.