Bill Moyers News

The New Black Fest and The Lark, two theater organizations dedicated to celebrating and advocating for stories that explore the intersection of art and social justice, are proud to announce the fifth annual The New Black Fest at The Lark. This week-long event is aimed at showcasing diverse and provocative work in a festival of Black theater artists from throughout the Diaspora, and will feature talkbacks, a panel event, and staged readings of four plays-in-progress. The festival will take place April 9-13, 2018, and will include works by 2017 Djerassi Writer in Residence France-Luce Benson (Deux Femmes On the Edge De La Revolution), 2018 Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award recipient Donja R. Love (soft), 2015 Princess Grace Award-Winner Jonathan Payne (Brother Rabbit), and artist, activist, and The New Black Fest alum Liza Jessie Peterson (Sistergurls and the Squirrel) who has performed excerpts of her one-person play The Peculiar Patriot in over 35 penitentiaries across the country.

PBS will broadcast documentary film THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT on Tuesday, May 29th at 8:00 p.m. ET. This deeply American story – about immigration and national identity, civil rights and human justice; about how we define who can be an American, and what being an American means, is directed by Emmy-winning Directors Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu. 

Carnegie Hall's The '60s: The Years that Changed America, a citywide festival from January 14-March 24, 2018, concludes this month with a vast array of events presented at Carnegie Hall and at more than 35 leading partner cultural institutions throughout New York City. This special exploration of the '60s invites audiences to explore this turbulent decade through the lens of arts and culture, including music's role as a meaningful vehicle to inspire social change.

The Ensemble Theatre closes its run of FETCH CLAY, MAKE MAN this weekend. Remaining performance days and times are Thursday at 7:30 p.m; Friday at 8 p.m; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m; and Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Ensemble Theatre jumps into the New Year with the regional premiere Fetch Clay, Make Man by Will Power and directed by Mirron Willis with Opening Night and Media Reception Thursday, January 25, 2018, 6:30p.m.

The New Group presents New Group Now: Where Art Meets Our Present Culture, an ongoing series of public discussions locating New Group productions within the larger context of American and/or global society, continuing on Monday, December 11 with a conversation on 'Confronting Racial Bias in Our Communities.'

La Jolla Playhouse announces three world premieres and one west coast premiere for its 2018/2019 season, including: The Squirrels, by Tony Award nominee Robert Askins (Broadway's Hand to God), directed by Playhouse Artistic Director and 2017 Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley; Seize the King, by Will Power (Playhouse's The Seven), directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Jaime Casta eda; The Year to Come, by Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone) and queens, by Martyna Majok (Ironbound).

The Drama Book Shop, the premiere performing arts book shop in the country, currently located at 250 West 40th Street in NYC's theatre district, will commemorate its 100th birthday with an all day celebration on Monday, October 2nd, 2017 open to the public.

Kyo-Shin-An Arts' award-winning concert series, presented in collaboration with Arts at Tenri Cultural Institute in Manhattan, features a blend of KSA commissions with World, American and NY premieres, traditional and contemporary music for Japanese instruments and Western repertoire.

It's a world where the norms of the past are being challenged on a daily basis.  We don't have  Walter Cronkite to tell us 'that's the way it is', and respect for elected officials, symbols, and monuments is tried and tested every day. Sometimes I scratch my head wondering why I don't always 'get' the new notes, harmonies, lyrics, or humor anymore.  So for me, walking into The Carlyle, past the photos of JFK, Jackie, and Bobby Short, and then proceeding into Cafe Carlyle to hear the music of Herb Alpert is a welcome respite in melodic heaven.  Herb's trumpet doesn't overwhelm you with his amount of notes or volume, rather he overwhelms you with his melodies and elegant sophisticated improvisation, and of course so many of the tunes on his song list are hits he's made famous.  It gets better….Lani Hall, Herb's wife who started her career as the lead singer of Sergio Medes' legendary group, Brazil 66 is on stage with him to supply vocals.

When talking about Doris "Granny D" Haddock, Senator John McCain said "She represents all that is good in America." Journalist Bill Moyers identified her as a true heroine.

Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre's 49th season cedes the floor to modern-day griots with gripping, one-person tales capturing the trauma and triumph of a people. In a nod to the African tradition of the storyteller and historian who inspires and uplifts, the season is anchored by two one-person shows, The Peculiar Patriot, by Liza Jessie Peterson, a coproduction with Hi-ARTS, and Sancho by Paterson Joseph, a coproduction with Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) and Pemberley Productions. Themed "Black to the Future," the 49th season-which includes workshop productions by resident playwrights-seeks to take stock of the present and look to the past to predict and help shape a brighter future for Black people.

Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre (NBT) has joined forces with Hi-ARTS for the world premiere of The Peculiar Patriot.

Susan Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, today announced that Coleman Barks would serve as Special Guest Poet at the 14th annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, which will be held next January 15-20 at Old School Square in Delray Beach.

59E59 Theaters presents a series of post-show talk backs following select performances of Jeffrey Sweet's KUNSTLER, directed by Meagen Fay and starring Jeff McCarthy with Nambi E. Kelley, scheduled for tonight, February 28, March 2, March 7 and March 9.

The New Black Fest and The Lark, two theater organizations dedicated to celebrating and advocating for extraordinary and diverse stories, have announced the third annual The New Black Fest at The Lark.

59E59 Theaters has announced that a series of post-show talk backs following select performances of Jeffrey Sweet's KUNSTLER, directed by Meagen Fay and starring Jeff McCarthy with Nambi E. Kelley, have been scheduled for Tuesday, February 28 & March 7 and Thursday, March 2 & March 9.

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that theatre, television and film director, producer and writer Jeffrey Hayden died peacefully after a year of cancer treatment on Saturday, December 24, 2016, at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his loving family. He was 90 years old.

The Muskegon Museum of Art will present Expressions of Faith: Religious Works from the Permanent Collection with Rare Manuscripts from the Van Kampen Collection as its main winter exhibition.