Young Audiences Celebrates Black Theater in Louisiana Today
As we roll out of Black History Month, YALA wishes to celebrate the contemporary Black theater organizations in Louisiana, particularly in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. All of these theaters were established from the 1980s until the present.
Black theater is many things, offering a variety of perspectives and often diverse casts and themes. We are grateful for this opportunity to spread the word about local Black theater organizations operating today, so that we can support them as patrons.
Founded in New Orleans in 1998 by Douglas Reed and Carol Bebelle, Ashé Cultural Arts Center strives to promote individual, community, and economic development through the arts with an emphasis on artists of African descent. With its performance and living space for artists, Ashé in their own words, “is a profound testament to the resistance, innovation and intrinsic power of the cultural traditions that thrive in New Orleans and have prevailed throughout the African Diaspora.”
Anthony Bean Community Theater
Founder and artistic director Anthony Bean established this community theater in 2000. “Following its original intention of providing meaningful activities for youth through the arts, in addition to theater productions, the Anthony Bean Community Theater continues since 2000 to train New Orleans actors for stage and film, including careers in set design and theater management. The theater provides educational and training opportunities through programs such as acting classes, youth theater, and a summer day camp.”
Founded in New Orleans in 1980 by John O’Neal and currently under the leadership of Executive Artistic Director Stephanie McKee, Junebug Productions “continues to use theatre as a medium for questioning and confronting the inequitable conditions historically faced by African Americans. As we noted previously, John O’Neal from the Free Southern Theater Company formed Junebug Productions to produce original and classic plays exploring African American experiences.”
Founded in 2017 in New Orleans, No Dream Deferred–NOLA “strives to be an artistic home to theatre-makers of color in New Orleans,” producing culturally relevant works written by playwrights that have been historically marginalized. In their own words, “No Dream Deferred creates theatre programming that is culturally relevant to our New Orleans audience. Our vision is to employ a revolutionary approach to art-making in our city and our communities and in doing so create theatre that is anchored to place.”
UpStage Theatre Company
Located in Baton Rouge and in its 22nd season, The UpStage Theatre Company’s mission is to nurture and expand the talents of African American artists. Under the leadership of Ava Brewster-Turner, the mission includes “working collaboratively with established artists to create and develop works that challenge us to see ourselves and our world in new ways. Their motto is, "Showcasing Our Heritage on Stage. "Currently, the production of “Mahalia” promises to delight audiences of all ages.
Voices in the Dark
Founder Tommye Myrick established this first all-female all-African American theatre company in the U.S. in 1992 right here in New Orleans where it continues. It has since begun to include men as well. In their own words, “Voices in the Dark, Inc. is dedicated to presenting, producing, and promoting plays, films, art, dance, literature, and musical interpretations that are artistic expressions of the disenfranchised, thus giving a voice to those normally unheard.”
In addition to a list provided by American Theater, this list was compiled from organizational website information.