Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Awarded $25,000 NEA Grant
The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has received a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help underwrite its 2024 production of “Ruby” as well as to defray the costs of community outreach activities related to the play.
WBTT Cancels Upcoming Run Of RUBY Due To COVID-19
Due to continuing breakthrough positive COVID-19 test results and a few cases among the “Ruby” cast and crew, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has made the difficult decision to cancel its impending and highly-anticipated world-premiere musical, “Ruby.”
Photos: First Look at the Cast of WBTT's World Premiere Musical RUBY
The world premiere show “Ruby” is a musical retelling by WBTT founder/artistic director Nate Jacobs and his brother, Michael Jacobs, of the shocking killing of a White doctor in Live Oak, Florida, by a Black woman – Ruby McCollum – who was tried in the case and eventually committed to Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, Florida.
WBTT To Present the World-Premiere of RUBY Next Month
The world premiere show “Ruby” (which was originally scheduled for the 2019-2020 season but delayed due to COVID-19) is a musical retelling by WBTT founder/artistic director Nate Jacobs and his brother, Michael Jacobs, of the shocking killing of a White doctor in Live Oak, Florida, by a Black woman – Ruby McCollum – who was tried in the case and eventually committed to Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, Florida.
Broadway Rewind: Cheyenne Jackson & Kate Baldwin Look to the Sky in FINIAN'S RAINBOW!
'We close things out with a look at the 48th production of City Center's famed Encore's, the glorious musical Finian's Rainbow, which starred Kate Baldwin, Cheyenne Jackson, Jim Norton and Terri White. It was directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. Kate told me, 'I get to sing the most beautiful songs. I think Burton Lane was a master of melody.' Cheyenne said he knew the songs but didn't really know the story, 'It's very, very current. I was actually surprised. The main crux of the plot is a bigoted white man in power from the south who is being replaced by an open-minded black man. Hmmm. So, it's very current.''
Broadway Rewind: Will Chase and Malcom Gets Turn the Page on THE STORY OF MY LIFE!
'What I loved the most about this episode', says BroadwayWorld's own Richard Ridge, 'was following the journey of the 2009 musical The Story of My Life. This episode of Broadway Rewind looks at the ill- fated musical, which featured two wonderful performances by Will Chase and Malcolm Gets, but we start off at a rehearsal for Michael Jacobs play 'Impressionism' directed by Jack O'Brien. It welcomed back to Broadway, Tony Award winners Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen along with Marsha Mason, Aaron Lazar and Andre de Shields. Director Jack O'Brien told me why he had to do this play, 'It's about us. We haven't had a really witty, wise, romantic comedy in New York, in a long time and I've got this gorgeous cast.' Joan Allen said,
WBTT Cancels Remainder Of YOUR ARMS TOO SHORT TO BOX WITH GOD
Due to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations advising the cancellation or postponement of gatherings of more than 50 people in the face of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe officials have closed the current production of 'Your Arms Too Short to Box with God.' The show was slated to run through April 5; the organization a?" which has committed to paying the 'Your Arms Too Short' artists, band and crew through the scheduled end of the run a?" faces a potential financial loss of $50,000 for each week that the theatre remains closed.
BWW Review: CHEATERS Explores the Intricacies of Intimacy at the Ooley Theatre
'Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!' Sir Walter Scott said it best, 170 years before Michael Jacobs' Cheaters was first produced on Broadway in 1978. Cheaters is an amusing look at three couples whose lives intertwine in the most awkward and unbelievable way. EMH Productions brings new life to this oft-criticized work in a fresh, entertaining take.
CHEATERS By Michael Jacobs Comes to The Ooley Theatre
Award winning EMH Productions continues its 8th season with a romantic dramedy about love, relationships and marriage directed by local well known talent Scott Divine. This play skirts the line of farce in the tradition of Neil Simon, throwing in some real life tensions between the 3 couples it centers around: The newly formed couple deciding if marriage is right for them vs. their two sets of parents who are in various stages of unrest. This play got its start back in 1978 on Broadway a the Biltmore Theatre, notably starring Doris Roberts in the role of Saintly Grace, who sainthood undergoes some serious testing when it comes to having an affair. The playwright has since updated this play to reflect the advancement of the times in 1982 and then 2013, but its message has always remained the same. Just goes to show how some things remain relevant, regardless of the span of time.
CHEATERS By Michael Jacobs Comes to The Ooley Theatre
Award winning EMH Productions continues its 8th season with a romantic dramedy about love, relationships and marriage directed by local well known talent Scott Divine. This play skirts the line of farce in the tradition of Neil Simon, throwing in some real life tensions between the 3 couples it centers around: The newly formed couple deciding if marriage is right for them vs. their two sets of parents who are in various stages of unrest. This play got its start back in 1978 on Broadway a the Biltmore Theatre, notably starring Doris Roberts in the role of Saintly Grace, who sainthood undergoes some serious testing when it comes to having an affair. The playwright has since updated this play to reflect the advancement of the times in 1982 and then 2013, but its message has always remained the same. Just goes to show how some things remain relevant, regardless of the span of time.
SPARE THE ROD, SPOIL THE CHILD Comes To Ovens Auditorium
Ovens Auditorium will host 'Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child', an award-winning Gospel stage play, written and produced by Dr. Mildred Summerville, on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets or at the Bojangles' Coliseum Box Office located at 2700 E. Independence Blvd. Tickets start at $49 (plus applicable service charges) and are subject to change. Direct link to purchase tickets here.