The rich tradition and current state of Black Theatre is explored in this content, including discussions analyzing contemporary work and pieces honoring trailblazers. Consider starting with the Daughters of Lorraine podcast, the Journal series on the state of Black theatre, or the Journal series on Black women in the performing arts.
The Latest
Video
Healing and Health: One Love Method Grounding Practices
A Racial-Justice Theatre Healing Session
Tuesday 9 June 2026
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Podcast
LOUD Queer Youth Theatre: Sustaining Youth-Led, Adult-Supported Arts Community
by Nicolas Shannon Savard, Keyshia Pearl, Roney Jones
5 May 2026
Podcast
LOUD Queer Youth Theatre: Devising and Political Education in New Orleans
by Nicolas Shannon Savard, Roney Jones, Keyshia Pearl
Founder of the Black Rep, Ron Himes, was an arts patron as a young man turned theatre founder. Undergoing several name changes since its conception, the Black Rep’s evolution is rooted in resourcefulness and an investment in young people.
In this episode, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview director and playwright Robert O’Hara about his approach to his craft, his experience as a Black artist in the theatre industry, and how he leans into discomfort.
The team at Shanty Theatre dove deep into Igbo mask and masquerade traditions to stage the largest of them all: the Ijele Masquerade. Angelea Okolo and Eseovwe Emakunu detail the research and creative process they used to bring the masquerade to Benin City, Nigeria.
Leticia and Jordan delve into Zora Neale Hurston as a theatre artist and consider her plays, performances, and theories of dramaturgy and theatremaking.
In this episode, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley reflect on their very positive feelings for Obsidian Theatre and Crow’s Theatre’s production of FLEX, as well as Candrice Jones’s gorgeous and nuanced depictions of Black girlhood and friendship.
Panelists reflect on why doll play was serious business for Lenon Holder Hoyte, founder of Aunt Len’s Doll and Toy Museum, and the development of puppetry on stage.
In today’s episode, Leticia and Jordan discuss the Canadian premiere of A Strange Loop—a co-production between The Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, and TO Live. They re-appraise the musical’s impact in today’s sociopolitical climate.
Jordan and Leticia interview actress, performance artist, and cultural worker Danielle Deadwyler and discuss the importance of care in the representation of Black life.
Jordan and Leticia interview Canadian playwright, director, and educator Djanet Sears, hearing about her unique approach to dramaturgy and an in-depth look at Black theatre in Canada.
A gathering of HBCU students and faculty featuring workshops, networking opportunities, and performances designed to support emerging theatre professionals in their artistic development.
This year, we end the festival with a journey across the water as a special WE WILL DREAM delegation joins the 2025 International Black Theatre Summit in Accra, Ghana, deepening connections between Black theatremakers from across the diaspora.
Jordan and Leticia interview arts journalist and playwright Kelundra Smith about the cultural landscape of theatre criticism and what it means to tell authentic Black stories.
In this episode, Leticia and Jordan interview Whitney White about her journey in theatre, her artistic craft, and the potentials and possibilities of Black theatre.
The Opening of the WE WILL DREAM: New Works Festival 2025
Friday 4 April 2025
New Orleans, Louisiana
Art as First Responder: Co-Designing Place, Memory, and Justice in New Orleans is a conversation presented by The OverFlow, an evening of networking, entertainment, and special guests to mark the We Will Dream Festival’s grand opening.
The Opening of the WE WILL DREAM: New Works Festival 2025
Friday 28 March 2025
New Orleans, Louisiana
The OverFlow is an evening of networking, entertainment, and special guests to mark the We Will Dream Festival’s grand opening. This panel features Patrick Duggan and Stuart Andrews, guided by Lauren Turner Hines.
Josephine Lee discusses the casting and performance choices of the 2024 Gypsy revival—from Audra McDonald’s Rose to a Chinese waitress in yellowface—to consider what they signal about the complex histories of racial performance that continue to influence theatre today.
In this artistic encounter between Sharon Bridgforth and Sharon Day, creative response leads the two artists to parse connections between nature, family, performance, and language.
A Reading and Conversation Followed By a Solo Performance of Adkins' Work
Monday 2 December 2024
New York City
A reading of The People Before the Park followed by a discussion of the play and a conversation with Keith Josef Adkins. To close, Adkins performs his solo piece The Heat Will Kill Everything.
In this event, the co-founder and award-winning director of Nordic Black Theatre in Oslo, Cliff Moustache, talks to Kagiso Lesego Molope about 33 years of directing, his commitment to social justice, and what he has learned in his years of bringing important stories of Black history to the stage.
Ifrah Mansour creates performance art that explores joy and healing while connecting communities. In this essay, she illuminates the connections between her work and her experiences as a Somali American, a refugee, and a Muslim woman.
Eseovwe Emakunu and Anita Anoma of Shanty Theatre recently launched a campaign that brought together primary school performers and university audiences for a dance drama performance about climate change. They discuss the creative process and impact of this performance project, which catalyzed action and learning about the impact of climate change and deforestation in Nigeria.
