Celebrate the rich and diverse season of African American theater in the Triangle! The Triangle Friends of African American Arts is bringing together several performing arts organizations to showcase the wonderful African American plays and musicals that will hit the stages in 2019. This special evening will include dramatic readings, songs, and scenes from upcoming performances. Hosted by Mike Williams of The Black on Black Project.

The program starts at 7 pm.

• Inside Studio Real: A Choreopoetic Sitcom: February 23, 2019
  • Created by Dasan Ahanu, the plays is the made up story, of creatives, hired to be cast members on a popular radio program, work together, and not complain about their paychecks. Find out what happens when people who don’t know we are watching start getting real. Inside Studio Real is a wild ride full of music, dance, song, and poetry all delivered in dramatic episodic absurdity. Actors are beloved for how they play their role, but wait until you see how much of a character they are when they are being themselves. Come see this cast bring the scripts they are presented with to life on the radio while filling the studio with their lives (and all that comes with it) during the process. Don’t be scared if you see a bit of yourself on stage, it’s all part of the show. http://www.blackpoetrytheatre.com/

• Jump: January 23, 2019 – February 10, 2019
  • An unexpected bridge between sorrow and hope. This funny, heartbreaking, and surprising new play takes us on a theatrical journey to a place where lights flicker, things fall from the sky, and a sister finds solace on a bridge. PlayMakers is proud to present the world premiere of this work by emerging playwright Charly Evon Simpson.  http://playmakersrep.org/

• The Dance on Widow’s Row: April 25 – May 5, 2019
  • A hilarious home-grown comedy by Samm-Art Williams. Join the four most eligible women of Port Town, NC as they host a one-of-a-kind party to entice their bachelor guests into becoming their next husbands .. or perhaps their next victims. https://www.agapetheatreproject.com/
• Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds: March 8 – 24, 2019
  • Meet Ziggy, a shy boy who would rather stay at home and watch television than explore the island of Jamaica. Over the course of his onstage journey, with some help from his friend Nansi, he realizes that the real adventures can be found outside, amid the birds and jungles and beaches. Their worldly adventure is enlivened by the fantastic songs of renowned Reggae artist, Bob Marley. https://raleighlittletheatre.org/shows/bob-marleys-three-little-birds/
• Peace of Clay: February 23, 2019
  • Peace of Clay, a new work by two of the region’s most exciting playwrights – Mike Wiley and Howard L. Craft – explores the pressures, hopes, and aspirations of a young man coming of age in a southern city in the 1980s. Raised by a devoted mother in the projects, the main character tries to pursue his path in the midst of obstacles large and small, and discovers his own power and strength. The play is a meditation on an African-American lower-working-class family in pursuit of an American dream that always seems to exist just beyond their grasp. https://www.livingartscollective.com/
• Worried 2.0: March 23, 2019
  • There are things in life that break your heart and those make your heart beat. WORRIED 2.0 is 12 monologues that explore the feelings of every break and beat in our lives.
• Men Always Leave: February 1 – 3, 2019
  • Men Always Leave is about family, betrayal, love and ultimately, self-discovery. It was inspired by one of the playwright’s original, spoken word pieces that shares the same title, thus proving the malleable nature of her work.The play tells the story of a woman who must face the pains of the past to move beyond a life on hold and secure a positive future for her and her son, yet she is not the only one that is grappling with a haunting past. The one-act play, successfully attests to Naima’s ambitious passion and talent. http://caryplayers.org/
• Caroline, Or Change: June 7 – 23, 2019
  • Featuring a virtuosic score by Jeanine Tesori (Shrek The Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie), it blends blues, gospel and traditional Jewish melodies. In 1963, the Gellman family and their African-American maid, Caroline, live in sleepy Lake Charles, Louisiana. Caroline is drifting through life as a single mother of four working in a service job to a white family. A fragile, yet beautiful friendship develops between the young Gellman son, Noah, and Caroline. A sung-through musical, CAROLINE OR CHANGE offers multiple layers of political, social, and feminist themes. Equally representing the voices.  The big issues of the day play out in the domestic, female-oriented space of the home. The musical examines the intersection of gender, race, religion, and class, presenting women within the larger context of history and faith. http://www.thejusticetheaterproject.org/ 
• Soul Man: June 14, 2019 – June 23, 2019
  • In the early 1960s, America was in a turbulent place and the times were reflected in the music of prominent African American male artists. These soul and R&B singers helped to soothe an unsettled nation through their music. In Li V Mahob Productions presents “Soul Man,” audiences will celebrate the work and lived experiences of artists like Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, The Temptations and others who wove an important musical genre into this country’s tapestry and pay homage to voices that helped to define a generation.  https://www.facebook.com/LiVMahobProductions/