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Thulani Davis

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Thulani Davis is an interdisciplinary artist and historian, whose work includes poetry, theater works and cultural criticism. Her work as a dramaturg includes Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities, and Twilight Los Angeles, 1992, and foundational work on Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. Davis wrote the libretti for Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, and his Amistad, and many other musical works. Her forthcoming operas are The Little Rock Nine by Bernadette Speach, and Fire Across the Tracks: Tulsa 1921 by Anthony Davis. Her produced plays include: Everybody’s Ruby: Story of a Murder in Florida, The Souls of Black Folk: An Oratorio for Five Actors, the adaptation for George C. Wolfe’s production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Where the Mississippi Meets the Amazon, with Shange and Jessica Hagedorn. Davis wrote the book and lyrics for The Sojourner Washing Society, A Musical in Gospel & Blues, with Steven Robinson. She has written the scripts for several narrative films, and award-winning documentaries. The author of six books, she has two new works: Nothin but the Music (2020), and The Emancipation Circuit: Black Activism Forging a Culture of Freedom, forthcoming from Duke University Press. She is a professor and a Nellie Y. McKay Fellow in Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Thulani Davis Productions

 
[Broadway, 2022] [Replacement]
Dramaturg[Replacement]

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UNCROPPED Opens Theatrically in on April 26 and Digitally on May 7


Greenwich Entertainment presents UNCROPPED, which rediscovers the work of New York photographer James Hamilton, one of the great chroniclers of the cultural history of America.

Review: X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X at McCaw Hall


Without doubt a definitive event for Seattle Opera, and worth experiencing in all of its many extraordinary aspects.

X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X, to Have West Coast Premiere at Seattle Opera


The groundbreaking opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X will receive its West Coast premiere at Seattle Opera February 24–March 9.

The Met & The Apollo to Present Free Simulcast Of X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOM X Hosted by Angela Bassett


The Met Opera and The Apollo will present a free simulcast of Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at The Apollo on November 18 at 12:55PM. This marks the first-ever collaboration between the two New York cultural institutions.

Review: X Marks the Spot at Met Premiere of 'X: Life and Times of Malcolm X'


It’s taken a long time for X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X—the rediscovered and revised ‘80s work by Anthony Davis, Thulani Davis and Christopher Davis, in Robert O’Hara’s production and conducted by Kazem Abdullah--to cross the plaza from what was the old City Opera at New York State Theatre to a premiere at the Metropolitan Opera.

VIDEO: Watch Footage from X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X at The Metropolitan Opera


The Metropolitan Opera is currently presenting the company premiere of Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Anthony Davis's groundbreaking opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, opening November 3, the second of six new productions in the 2023–24 season. Check out a new trailer for the production here!

The Metropolitan Opera's 2023�"24 Live in HD Season to Continue With Anthony Davis's X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X


The Metropolitan Opera's 2023–24 Live in HD season will continue with the company premiere of Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.

The Met: Live in HD Brings X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOM X to the Warner


The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts, presents Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcom X, Saturday, November 18 at 12:55 pm ET, in the Warner Theatre's Oneglia Auditorium. 

Anthony Davis's OPERA X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X to Premiere at The Met in November


Don't miss the historic premiere of Anthony Davis's groundbreaking opera, X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X, at The Met on November 3. Find out all the details about this highly anticipated production and experience the powerful story of Malcolm X on stage.

VIDEO: Go Inside Rehearsal for X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X at the Metropolitan Opera


Check out rehearsal video footage from Robert O'Hara's production of Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at the Met Opera here!

X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X Comes to Greenbrier Valley Theatre in December


X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X comes to Greenbrier Valley Theatre in December. The performance is on December 3, 2023.

The Metropolitan Opera: LIVE IN HD 2023�"2024 Season Comes To Bay Street Theater This October


Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts has announced that it will be screening the Metropolitan Opera's 2023–2024 season LIVE IN HD on their big  screen. Running October 2023 through May 2024, Bay Street audiences are able to experience 9 spectacular productions, presented live directly from the Met Opera's stage in New York City.

The Met: Live in HD 2023-24 Season to Feature DEAD MAN WALKING, X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOM X & More


Get ready for an incredible lineup! The Met: Live in HD has revealed its 2023-24 season, featuring nine must-see performances. Find out when and where you can catch these amazing shows in this article.

X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X Comes to Greenbrier Valley Theatre in December


X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X comes to Greenbrier Valley Theatre in December. Written by Anthony Davis with a libretto by Thulani Davis, the performance is set for December 3 at 2pm.

Making Space At The Armory And Harlem Stage to Present HAPO NA ZAMANI


Park Avenue Armory's Making Space Public Programming Series and Harlem Stage will co-present Hapo Na Zamani (Black Arts Movement Past and Present), a 1960s-style happening.

Campy Cult Hit THE VILLAGE! Returns For 3rd Run At Dixon Place This June


After a sold out run last fall and an encore production this winter, Dixon Place will present a second encore run of THE VILLAGE! A DISCO DAYDREAM beginning Thursday, June 1st. This meta musical comedy filled with high jinks, low kinks, and go-go boys is written by Nora Burns (David's Friend, Unitard) and directed by Adam Pivirotto, with choreography by Robin Carrigan and a cast of ten diverse actors and dancers.

The Metropolitan Opera Announces 2023�"24 Season Featuring Four Met Premieres & More


The Metropolitan Opera has announced a 2023–24 season with the most new works in the company’s modern history. See show details, performances dates, and how to purchase tickets!

THE VILLAGE! A DISCO DAYDREAM Reopens Tonight at Dixon Place


The Village! A Disco Daydream returns to Dixon Place after a sold-out premiere run last fall. The encore engagement will be performed for four weekends opening tonight – Thursday, February 2 at 7:30 PM – and running through Friday, February 24.

Thulani Davis, Wadada Leo Smith & the Kikuyu Ensemble to Join a Nights of Poetry and Music at Harlem Stage


Harlem Stage is continuing its season-long series Black Arts Movement: Examined with an evening convening playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter Thulani Davis; Pulitzer Prize-nominated trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith; and Smith’s Kikuyu Ensemble.

Seattle Opera Announces 60th Anniversary Season Featuring DAS RHEINGOLD, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE & More


Seattle Opera has announced its 2023/24 season, which celebrates the company’s 60th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Seattle Opera offers a range of titles spanning nearly all of opera’s history, from the eighteenth century to the 1980s.

Thulani Davis FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has Thulani Davis written?

Thulani Davis has written 2 shows including The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Adaptation), Everybody's Ruby (Playwright).

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