Black Theatre Day, is a collective effort launched in 2021 by The International Black Theatre Summit, which is led by Dr. Monica White Ndounou, Associate Professor of Theater at Dartmouth College and founding Executive Director of The CRAFT Institute, with additional support from WACO Theatre Center, Project1Voice, and Plowshares Theatre Company with regional planning committees that include Support Black Theatre, African-American Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Black Theatre Collective, the Hansberry Project, the Black Theatre Network, and The St. Louis Black Repertory Company. Cohorts and allies throughout the Black Theatre field include numerous participating organizations and supporters over the past two years.
"No single person, organization, or generation can save Black Theatre.
We all have a role to play. So when I first conceived of Black Theatre Day, it emerged from a shared desire to raise public awareness of the importance of Black theatres, standing together, anchored by a shared history that celebrates Black theatres' ongoing efforts to create and sustain safe spaces to develop our craft and tell our stories.
Black Theatre Day is part of a continuum spanning centuries; a collective effort and emerging model, that when combined with the various efforts of multiple change agents, can benefit the entire Black theatre field.
The Black Theatre Day planning committee along with countless participants and change agents throughout the field are taking Black Theatre Day to the next level this year and every year! It takes all of us to secure the future of Black Theatre Forever.
Happy Black Theatre Day!"
- Dr. Ndounou
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The Black Theatre Day 2023
National Committee
Dr. Monica White Ndounou, The CRAFT Institute, The International Black Theatre Summit, Create Ensemble, Dartmouth College
Shay Wafer, WACO Theatre Company
Erich McMillan-McCall, Project1 Voice
Gary Anderson, Plowshares Theatre Company, Black Theatre Network
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Regional Committees
Carlton V Bell II, Birmingham Black Theatre Collective
Sophina Brown, Support Black Theatre
Sherri Young, African-American Shakespeare Company
Valerie Curtis-Newton, The Hansberry Project
Ron Himes, The St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre
David Parker, Birmingham Black Theatre Collective
Aija Penix, Birmingham Black Theatre Collective
K. Zaheerah Sultan, Black Theatre Network