Trailer for Black Nativity featuring director Stephawn Stephens and choreographer Rodni Williams.
Video by Natalie Graves Tucker
Editing by Jabari Jefferson
Tickets: bit.ly/APBlackNativity
Black Nativity Special GALA Event December 13
You are cordially invited to join us for our fabulous year-end Gala fundraiser!
On December 13, 2019, come enjoy festive food and drinks along with a special preview of our production, Black Nativity and a reception with the cast. Hear about our vision for the coming years and opportunities for you to join us in continuing to make the Anacostia Playhouse a vital part of the performing arts community. This intimate evening promises to be a wonderful way to kick off the holidays while you show your support for the arts, especially East of the River.
Here’s the order of the Evening
6:30 – 8:15pm Cocktail hour with food, drinks and celebration of our past work
8:30 – 10:00pm Performance of Black Nativity
Post Performance Mix and mingle with the cast of Black Nativity
Gala tickets are $100.00 and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, beverages and a special preview performance of Black Nativity. Purchase online at https://tinyurl.com/
Anacostia Playhouse presents Black Nativity December 14- January 5
Anacostia Playhouse presents Black Nativity by Langston Hughes
Directed by Stephawn Stephens
Music Direction by William Knowles
Tickets HERE
Black Nativity
Langston Hughes’ song-play is a retelling of the Christmas story from an Afrocentric perspective, infused with rich gospel, blues, funk, jazz music and dance, with griot-style storytelling from an ensemble cast. Using the sounds, energy and the enthusiasm of Gospel music to tell the Nativity story. The original title of the play was Wasn’t That a Mighty Day, but was changed to Black Nativity before the show’s opening. On December 11, 1961 the show was first performed Off-Broadway, and then performed at President Kennedy’s International Jazz Festival. Later the show had tours through Europe including in Spoleto, Italy, where it performed at the Festival of Two Worlds. The show then toured London, Oslo, Brussels, Copenhagen and Rotterdam before returning to America. Since the sixties, the show has been performed annually at several theaters around the holiday season, and was performed annually at the Kennedy Center before moving to perform with H Street Playhouse and Theater Alliance.
About Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist who was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes began his writing career in the 1920s and lived in Washington DC for a few years in that decade. In one of Hughes’ most famous works, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” he called for confident, uniquely black literature. He travelled through the American South to decry cases of racial injustice, and then later travelled to the Soviet Union, Haiti, and Japan and worked as a newspaper correspondent. His first play Mulatto premiered on Broadway in 1935, and he later founded theater companies in Harlem and Los Angeles. Hughes served as a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.
In 1961 Black Nativity premiered Off-Broadway, and in 2013 the filmed version was produced. Hughes also wrote for newspaper columns including the Chicago Defender and the New York Post. He often wrote fiction vignettes of his renowned comic column character Jesse B. Semple, who became a symbol of the day to day troubles of a poor black man living in a racist society. Hughes won several awards and fellowships, among them the Guggenheim Fellowship, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the NAACP Spingarn Medal, National Institute of Arts and Letters, and received honorary degrees from Lincoln University, Howard University, and Western Reserve University. In 2012 he was inducted into the Chicago Hall of Fame. Hughes died in 1967 from complications of prostate cancer.
About Stephawn Stephens
Stephawn P. Stephens has become a recognizable presence, as a local actor, singer, and director in the Metropolitan area theater scene. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and received his formal training at the Karamu House, Cleveland State University, majoring in English and Music Education and Bowie State University completing his studies in Musical Theater/Acting.
Mr. Stephens has performed at several local and well-known venues such as Arena Stage, African Continuum Theater Company, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ford’s Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, Theater Alliance, Theater J, Signature Theatre and Woolly Mammoth. He has been a member of Actors Equity Association since 2004. He most recently directed A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn at Anacostia Playhouse.
Throughout his career, Mr. Stephens has developed his craft, gained invaluable knowledge and experience in theater and education. He believes in cultivating an atmosphere where undiscovered talent is trained and perfected. While building partnerships within the community through volunteering and his faithfulness to his church, Mr. Stephens has been touted by his peers as a “game changer”. He strives to help build and motivate cross-functional teams that exceed worldly expectations and marries passion to purpose.
About William Knowles
William Knowles is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Howard University and the University of Massachusetts and now lives in Washington, DC. As a composer, arranger, music director and pianist, he has worked at regional theaters around the country, including Dallas Theater Center, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Northlight (Chicago), CenterStage (Baltimore), Indiana Repertory Theater, and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where he has performed in eight different productions. He has received five Helen Hayes nominations for Musical Direction, winning twice.
Offstage he has released seven jazz CDs with music partner Mark Saltman. Their latest release is titled Almost (SaltmanKnowles.com).
ON STAGE
Kendall Claxton
Marcel Miller
LaSharon Johnson
Tre’mon Mills
Michael Nesbitt-Gaines
Fashad Tyler
David Hammett
Pam Ward
Sherice Payne
Jacquelyn Hawkins
André McKamey
Shawna William
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION TEAM
Set Design: Leah Mazur
Lighting Design: Jonathan Alexander
Costume Design: Desmond Handon
Choreography: Rodni Williams
Properties: Andrew Reilly
Stage Manager: Jen Bryant
MEDIA
To engage with Anacostia Playhouse and follow Black Nativity please visit, follow and like:
Facebook: /AnacostiaPlayhouse
Twitter: /AnacostiaPHouse
Instagram: @anacostiaphouse
Performances:
Previews: December 11 & 12
Gala Fundraiser: December 13
Saturday, December 14, 2pm (PRESS)
Saturday December 14, 2019 7:30pm OPENING (PRESS)
Sunday, December 15, 2019 3pm (PRESS)
Continues
Wednesday-Saturday 7:30
Saturdays at 2pm
Sundays at 3pm
Extra performances
December 26, 11:00 AM
Through Sunday January 5, 2020
PLUS Industry Night, Monday, December 23 at 7:30pm
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets HERE
Group Tickets: $30 tickets for groups of 10 or more. For group tickets, please call 202-290-2328
Silenced Voices: Anacostia Playhouse New Works Festival 2019 Submission
Silenced Voices
EXTENDED DEADLINE: November 15
The Anacostia Playhouse is seeking new and non-produced 10-minute plays for its annual new works series. Selected playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a professional director and actors to prepare for the final staged reading or performance.
Play submissions should address the prompt: What happens when a city loses its soul?
We ask playwrights to ponder the themes of displacement and its effect on the residents of Anacostia and neighborhoods East of the River. As residents are displaced, what does a city lose? What voices are at a threat of being silenced today?
Shine a spotlight on the silenced voices. What has made this neighborhood? Maybe it’s Go-Go Music; maybe it’s the special cuisine that was once sold at a neighborhood cornerstone; and maybe it’s the people themselves who built an amazing culture and city. Or maybe it’s something else entirely.
The guidelines:
The play should be short: 10-15 minutes
The play should have no more than 4 characters
The play should focus on neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River
EXTENDED DEADLINE: November 15
Submit online at
Anacostia Playhouse Seeks an Events Manager
JOB POSTING
Anacostia Playhouse Seeks Events Manager
The Events Manager will serve as the on call person for evening and weekend events at Anacostia Playhouse. They will serve as the coordinator between the executive director and renting companies, and will be present for events held at the Playhouse as necessary. In addition, they will provide box office assistance and support as needed to rental companies.
Essential Job Tasks
– Providing keys or entry to renters
– Presence at the playhouse for events and functions
– Providing support for renters throughout events
– Ensuring theater is properly locked up at the end of events
– Providing some box office help
Qualifications
– Some theater familiarity
– Evening and weekend availability
– Punctuality
– Some box office experience preferred, but not required
Pay: $15/hr
Will be called on evenings and weekends, depending on Playhouse schedule. As much advance notice as possible will be provided.
To apply, please send resume and cover letter to natasha.anacostiaplayhouse@gmail.com
AUDITIONS: Black Nativity October 17-19, 2019
Anacostia Playhouse NON-UNION Auditions October 17-19, 2019
BLACK NATIVITY
directed by Stephawn Stevens
Black Nativity is the Afro-centric retelling of the birth of Christ through exuberant Gospel music and Modern dance. Singers should be familiar with traditional and contemporary styles of Gospel Music.
Anacostia Playhouse seeks an ensemble of singers that move well and have acting experience. We are looking for performers that can blend and harmonize with others plus hold their own as a soloist. The piece is very ensemble in nature.
Also seeking dancers with technique in classical ballet and modern dance.
You should also be able to sing.
If you would like to be seen please submit your preferred audition time and date, as well as your headshot and resume in pdf format to natasha.anacostiaplayhouse@gmail.com. In the subject line please put BLACK NATIVITY – SUBMISSION.
Anacostia Playhouse compensates all employees with a stipend for the rehearsal and run.
NON-UNION LOCAL HIRES ONLY.
Auditions will be:
October 17th from 5pm-9pm Dancers/Singers call
October 18th from 5pm-9pm Dancers/Singers call
October 19th from 10am-2pm Singers only
Call backs October 25-26
Location of auditions/callbacks TBD
Singers prepare:
A one-minute contemporary monologue.
An Up-tempo Gospel selection.
A standard Gospel selection.
There will be a pianist to accompany.
Dancers prepare:
A combination highlighting your skill set in ballet and modern no longer than 3 minutes. Music should be prerecorded. You will be asked to sing 32 measures of a Gospel song.
A CD player will be available.
First Rehearsal: November 4, 2019
First Preview: December 11, 2019
Opening: December 14, 2019
Closing: January 5, 2020
A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn August 31- September 21
Anacostia Playhouse presents A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn
Directed by Stephawn Stephens
Music Direction by William Knowles
August 31- September 21
For tickets click here.
DC Theatre Scene Interview with Stephawn Stephens on working with castmate Jacquelyn Hawkins
DC Theatre Scene Reivew: “The blues take center stage during Anacostia Playhouse’s relentlessly engaging revue, A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn. For one all-too-brief night (the show flies by in about 75 minutes), six talented performers assemble, under the direction of Stephawn Stephens, to bring back to life a swanky historical New Orleans nightclub, known locally as “The Drop,” which welcomed all, catered particularly to African-American audiences during segregated times and, in its heyday, hosted everyone from Otis Redding to Ray Charles (Little Richard even wrote a song about the place)”
Let the good times roll as you experience a raunchy, raucous night of song filled with laughter, high jinks, and tears of joy. This fun-filled musical journey will take you on a ride of those Unforgettable moments of that first date, first kiss, the one that got away, or maybe the one you kicked to the curb! A Nite at the Dew Drop Inn is a musical celebration and tribute to the Juke Joint, to those iconic nightspots that were known for good food, music and maybe a little trouble (if you weren’t careful). This cabaret-style presentation highlights themes of love found, love lost and love renewed. It features songs made famous by Big Mama Thorton, Fats Waller, Etta James, and Dinah Washington, just to name a few.
About Stephawn Stephens
Stephawn P. Stephens has become a recognizable presence, as a local actor, singer, and director in the Metropolitan area theater scene. He is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and received his formal training at the Karamu House, Cleveland State University, majoring in English and Music Education and Bowie State University completing his studies in Musical Theater/Acting.
In his professional endeavors, Mr. Stephens has performed at several local and well-known venues such as Arena Stage, African Continuum Theater Company, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ford’s Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, Theater Alliance, Theater J, Signature Theatre and Woolly Mammoth. He has been a member of Actors Equity Association since 2004. He is currently the Lower School Music Teacher at Creative Minds International PCS.
Throughout his career, Mr. Stephens has developed his craft, gained invaluable knowledge and experience in theater and education. He believes in cultivating an atmosphere where undiscovered talent is trained and perfected. While building partnerships within the community through volunteering and his faithfulness to his church, Mr. Stephens has been touted by his peers as a “game changer”. He strives to help build and motivate cross-functional teams that exceed worldly expectations and marries passion to purpose
About William Knowles
William Knowles is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Howard University and the
University of Massachusetts and now lives in Washington, DC. As a composer, arranger, music director
and pianist, he has worked at regional theaters around the country, including Dallas Theater Center,
Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Northlight (Chicago), CenterStage (Baltimore), Indiana
Repertory Theater, and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where he has performed in eight different
productions. He has received five Helen Hayes nominations for Musical Direction, winning twice.
Offstage he has released seven jazz CDs with music partner Mark Saltman. Their latest release is titled
Almost (SaltmanKnowles.com).
ON STAGE
Sherice Payne
Yvette Spears
Jacquelyn Hawkins
Marcel Worrell Miller
Robert Person
Rodni Williams
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION STAFF
Set Design: Megan Holden
Lighting Design: Willie J. Blakeney, Jr
Costume Design: Alison Johnson
Choreography: Rodni Williams
Stage Manager: Monica Cook
Production Manager: Rachel Walsh
Pianist: DeAndre Shaifer
The Welders present: the earth, that is sufficient
November 2019
Part theatre, part ritual, and part epic journey, the earth, that is sufficient is a contemplative inquiry into the precarity of human relationships to extraction, consumption, and power. the earth, that is sufficient is an iterative performance project that conceptualizes theatre-making as an ecology, and asks audiences to consider the braided legacy of our past and the infinite possibilities we might stitch into a shared future.
The iterative performance project is told through the eyes of Lucy, the australopithecus, the 3.2 million year old hominid fossil. She speaks of the earth’s vast history and her relationship to lands, place, and time. With her, we wonder, “when a body has been turned into an object, where does it find rest?”
Learn more about the project’s history, the creative team, and upcoming performances at www.sufficientearth.com.
the earth, that is sufficient is a collaborative, emergent process.
Process design by Annalisa Dias and mia susan amir, with contributions by Eric Swartz
Original content created by Annalisa Dias, mia susan amir, Nina Budabin McQuown, Cecilia Cackley, Sanam Emami, DeLesslin George-Warren, Kara Turner, Melissa Strova Valencia.
Tickets on sale soon!
Giving Tuesday December 3, 2019
At Anacostia Playhouse, we are dedicated to being an artistic center in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington DC. Our organization is unique in that it is both a rental facility and a producing theater company, and we pride ourselves in bringing artists and companies to Anacostia and working with artists living here as well. Our programming is also unique in that we produce work that spans from working with youth to producing older favorites such as Driving Miss Daisy and Black Nativity, and producing new works series to develop writers’ new works.
In late summer 2013 Playhouse reopened as The Anacostia Playhouse. The theater at 2020 Shannon Place, SE, is located in a place of both rich history and great promise. We have set a goal of providing performance space to new and emerging artists and theater companies at below-market rates, with a special focus on those who are based east of the Anacostia River.
Throughout all our programming we seek to connect with the community, facilitate conversations, and bring artists together. We have been many artists’ first professional jobs, and we are very proud of those who worked with us who then decided they wanted to do theater full time. In our youth programming, we both produced a musical The Rainbow Fish, and did a youth acting camp that taught students from nearby neighborhoods about acting, writing, hip hop, and poetry among other topics. Since our opening in Anacostia in 2013, we are proud of the work we have done and the friends we have made along the way.
With this progress, we hope to do even more work within this community. We hope to produce another youth acting camp this summer. We hope to do an interview project to address gun violence in DC. We hope to bolster new development and improvements in our staff to support even more hours of operation. We hope to produce more plays. Our goal is $5,000. $5,000 funds tuition for 20 students, allows us to bring a playwright to take mothers’ stories and bring them to the stage, and funds one designer’s work for our next production.
The holiday season is just around the corner, and we invite you to kick it off with us on Giving Tuesday! Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving back. On the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, people around the world will come together to celebrate generosity and make an impact. We are honored to be part of this larger community day. This year, we want to hit our goal to ensure we can continue to be a resource and change maker in this community.
That’s why this Giving Tuesday, we’re inviting you to join us in supporting our local community. You can donate right now, or create a personal fundraising page and ask your network to donate as well.
Your support makes a big impact.
To give, click HERE.
Deadline Extended to September 15! Call for Submissions: Anacostia New Works Festival 2018 “Visions/Revisions”
Playwrights! Anacostia Playhouse is seeking new and non-produced 10-minute and one-act plays for the 2018 New Works Festival: Visions/Revisions. Selected playwrights will have the opportunity to work with a professional director and actors to prepare for the final staged reading or performance.
Play submissions should address the themes of deterioration and renovation, both physically and socially, over the course of Anacostia’s long history. Consider the many physical and social changes Anacostia has survived; from the time of the Nacochtank Native American settlement along the Anacostia River, to the founding of Union Town, to today. Your submission should address the impact of revisionist history on Anacostia and its residents.
This New Works Festival will be held November 15 – 19 at the Anacostia Playhouse located in historic Anacostia in Washington DC. The festival, featuring both ten-minute staged readings and one-act productions, is an opportunity to introduce new playwrights to Washington’s theater community and establish relationships between writers, producers and directors. All plays will be read by the Anacostia Playhouse. 10-minute plays will receive a staged reading and one-act plays will receive a full production.
Please note that, due to the high volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond individually to each submission or to offer feedback. You will hear from us by September 21, 2018 if your work has been accepted into the festival.
The Rules:
Submissions will be accepted June 5 – September 15. Submissions and payment must be submitted through the Anacostia Playhouse website using the form and payment button below. Please submit only new non-produced works. All plays must utilize a maximum of four actors (actors can play multiple parts).
Submission/Reading Fee:
One-Act plays: $20.
Ten-minute plays: $10.
There is no submission fee for high school students. If the submission fee causes a financial hardship please contact Adele Robey at arobey@fusemail.com for financial aid.
