2024 is a year of more exciting work!
First up:
Hansberry joins ArtsWest
to present
Lynn Nottage’s
Hansberry joins ArtsWest
to present
Lynn Nottage’s
ABOUT CLYDE'S - June 6 – June 30
ArtsWest Theatre 4711 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
2022 Tony Award® Nominated Best Play by Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined)
Creating the perfect sandwich is the shared quest of the formerly incarcerated kitchen staff of Clyde’s, a truck stop cafe. Even as the shop’s mischievous owner tries to keep them under her thumb, the staffers are given purpose and permission to dream—finding that “sometimes a hero is more than a sandwich” (New York Times).
“Nottage’s delightful play dares to flip the paradigm. Though it’s still about dark things, including prison, drugs, homelessness and poverty, it somehow turns them into bright comedy.” – The New York Times
“A flavor-bomb of a comedy about survival, second chances, and digesting whatever life serves up.” – Variety
“Feisty comedy is on th menu!” - Washington Post
The featured cast includes: Tracy Michelle Hughes, Reginald André Jackson, Deja Culver, Jacob Alcazar, Joe Moore.
Designed by Jennifer Zeyl, Chih-Hung Shao, Ricky German, Rob Witmer & Maggie Carrido Adams.
ArtsWest Theatre 4711 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
2022 Tony Award® Nominated Best Play by Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined)
Creating the perfect sandwich is the shared quest of the formerly incarcerated kitchen staff of Clyde’s, a truck stop cafe. Even as the shop’s mischievous owner tries to keep them under her thumb, the staffers are given purpose and permission to dream—finding that “sometimes a hero is more than a sandwich” (New York Times).
“Nottage’s delightful play dares to flip the paradigm. Though it’s still about dark things, including prison, drugs, homelessness and poverty, it somehow turns them into bright comedy.” – The New York Times
“A flavor-bomb of a comedy about survival, second chances, and digesting whatever life serves up.” – Variety
“Feisty comedy is on th menu!” - Washington Post
The featured cast includes: Tracy Michelle Hughes, Reginald André Jackson, Deja Culver, Jacob Alcazar, Joe Moore.
Designed by Jennifer Zeyl, Chih-Hung Shao, Ricky German, Rob Witmer & Maggie Carrido Adams.
Other Partnerships this year include:
Intiman’s BLACK NATIVITY
Langston Hughes’ Christmas Holiday Classic
December 6-24, 2024
Broadway Performance Hall (1625 Broadway, Seattle WA 98122)
In a return engagement, we are once again partnering with Intimal to present Langston Hughes’ Gospel Song-Play returns to Seattle with an all-new, reimagined production! Celebrate the Christmas story with actors, dancers, soaring vocalists, a rousing city-wide gospel choir, and the chance to sing-along. A stirring and joyful holiday experience for families of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Our partnership with True Colors Theatre Company of Atlanta continues...
In 2020, the Hansberry Project and True Colors Theatre Company announced the pilot year of The Drinking Gourd: Black Writers at Work, a new play program that will create a network of Black theatres linked in the shared goal to co-commission, co-develop, and co-premiere the work of Black artists across the country. Jamil Jude, Artistic Director at True Colors, conceived of the idea in response to the dearth of Black work being produced on the American Theatre stage. Hansberry Project Director Valerie Curtis Newton, who provided the name for this program, describes it a way to “create a space where the entire community can be enriched by the voices of professional Black artists, reflecting autonomous concerns, investigations, dreams, and artistic expression.” Jude concurs, “True Colors’ mission challenges us to connect our audience with leading and emerging voices in American theatre today who are illuminating the experiences of Black people and telling bold stories that grow from the African diaspora. The Drinking Gourd allows True Colors to search out and support Black voices through a national network that will uplift more Black voices and nurture their stories within Black theatres.”
The Drinking Gourd: Black Writers at Work is a multi-year project that ultimately seeks to create a coalition of five Black theatres. Hansberry Project and True Colors piloted the program in 2021, with each presenting readings of four plays. We have been joined in our efforts by National Black Theatre of New York, The Ensemble Theatre of Houston and JAG Productions of Vermont. The vision over time is for all five members theaters to produce staged workshops and readings, creating a pipeline of new works for eventual full productions. This project has the potential to add new Black plays to the theatre ecology through a rolling process of commissions, readings and workshops, and productions. The Black artists engaged in The Drinking Gourd will have an unprecedented opportunity to work with a number of producing theatres serving different communities of color across the country.
As we look to 2024, we are working toward the extension of the Drinking Gourd network! The Hansberry Project hosted James Ijames (Fat Ham) as he continue to develop his new work Tank Stranger. Future development includes workshops at NBT, True Colors and Hattiloo Theatre in Nashville.
Drinking Gourd: Black Writers at Work is made possible in part by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Hansberry's generous donors.
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CELEBRATING THE POWER OF STORIES!
We began with complete belief in the transformational power of stories. The stories of our community are at the center of our work. Ours is a community rich in creativity, reaching across a diverse sea of ethnic influences and voices. After 15 years, we are still telling our stories - celebrating the African American experience specifically, and the experiences of people of color in general. We're happy to be in a position to lend our support (both financial and professional) and our experience broadly across the greater community. This year, we are launching several intiatives. Beyond simply supporting productions, we push to make room for more voices to have their say. THE BLACK WOMEN WISDOM SUMMIT is an example of the work we do in support of Black stories. The Hansberry Project gathered talented Black Women Playwrights from around the country. A convening of artists in various stages of their careers, they came to Seattle to share their experiences and offer a new perspective on the state of the field. Pictured front row (l-r): Dominique Morisseau, Regina Taylor, Lisa B. Thompson, Lydia Diamond, Rosalind Bell, Kathya Alexander; middle: Shontina Vernon, and Alma Davenport-Person; back row: Sharon Williams, Chisa Hutchison, Amontaine Aurore and Valerie Curtis-Newton. Thank you for your continues presence and support. We hope to see you soon! |
The Black Women Wisdom Summit
HEADS UP!
WE ARE PLANNING TO GATHER AGAIN IN 2024. |
What we do!
Here is just one example...
Here is just one example...
THE EVERY 28 HOUR PLAYS by Various Authors
76 - One minute plays focused on the policing of black bodies
(A collaboration with Central District Forum, Langston, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and Northwest African American Museum) The readings featured a cast of over 30 artists and activists!
76 - One minute plays focused on the policing of black bodies
(A collaboration with Central District Forum, Langston, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and Northwest African American Museum) The readings featured a cast of over 30 artists and activists!
The Hansberry Project is fiscally sponsored by
Shunpike is the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington State with the services, resources, and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.
