Via TodayTix. WHY DID IT TAKE A PANDEMIC FOR BROADWAY TO PAY ATTENTION TO BLACK ARTISTS? June 18, 2020 by Zhailon Levingston It took a pandemic for Broadway to care about Black lives, and even so the jury is out on whether or not they truly care yet or if they have nothing better to do than … Read More

Via The New York Times.  Jazz Is Built for Protests. Jon Batiste Is Taking It to the Streets. The pianist and “Late Show” bandleader has been bringing musical wake-up calls to events across New York. By Alan Scherstuhl, June 24, 2020 Jon Batiste, the jazz pianist and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” bandleader, has spent … Read More

Via American Theatre and Rattlestick Theater.  What It Means to Be a Playwright Right Now This disorienting global moment is not an intermission—it’s the main drama itself. BY IDRIS GOODWIN Lights up on a freshly opened laptop or heavily sanitized smartphone screen The scroll begins, and down the timeline we go In the quick-moving montage, we … Read More

Via Forge.  Don’t Be an Ally, Be an Accomplice Real advocacy and comfort rarely go hand in hand By Willie Jackson Nov 13, 2019 Illustration: Karen Yoojin I sometimes introduce myself as a “professional African American” when I travel the country to give ally skills workshops — often while looking out at a sea of white faces. It’s … Read More

Via American Theatre.  The Ground on Which I Stand by August Wilson African American theatre is distinct, distinguished, and fully deserving of the kind of funding and respect too often reserved for white culture and institutions. BY AUGUST WILSON Some time ago I had an occasion to speak to a group of international playwrights. They had come from … Read More