Ruby Dee News

YUSUF HAWKINS: STORM OVER BROOKLYN, directed by Muta'Ali Muhammad (“Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee”) and debuting WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 (9:00-10:40 p.m. ET/PT), tells the story of Yusuf Hawkins, a black teenager who was murdered in 1989 by a group of young white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

We've rounded up 10 MORE books about Black theatre to read and educate yourself while in quarantine. 

Broadway Black, the multimedia organization highlighting the achievements of Black theatre artists, will present the inaugural Antonyo Awards, a celebration of the Black Broadway and Off-Broadway community.

Karen Brown, Artistic Director of The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. has penned an article exclusively for BroadwayWorld, discussing the current movement, 'Dear White American Theater,' and more. 

Theater has always been an outlet for creative minds to discuss the issues that plague our society, whether it's racism, income inequality, or the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. Learn our picks for musicals and plays that deal with important social topics.

In response to the recent closure of theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation has announced its decision to reinvent the means by which it will distribute the funds for their 2020 Idea Award for Theatre.

Vocalist and performer Anita Michael returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre with her new show 'I'm a Certified Senior Citizen' on Thursday, April 2, 2020, Friday, April 3, 2020 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 1:00 pm. The Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe is located at 407 West 42nd Street in Manhattan. There is a $20 cover and $20 food/beverage minimum per person. Tickets may be purchased on line at: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10504599

Goodwill Cultural Ambassador Ronald Rand, recently returned from performing at Nairobi's National Theatre in The Kenya International Theater Festival, will celebrate his 20th year of touring, performing his celebrated solo play, LET IT BE ART! in a special performance presented by Tennessee Valley Art Association (TVAA) at The Ritz Theatre's Ritz Studio in Sheffield, Alabama on February 29th.

Planet Connections' starts out 2020 with announcing it's stellar design team for DARK PLANET: Not Your Mother's Valentine's Day,' short plays unapologetically looking at life through a clever - albeit caustic - lens. Frank, Funny, Engaging, Engrossing, and Enlightening, Performing Thursdays & Fridays, February 6 - 21, at the Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E 14th St, NYC. This event - celebrating the diversity of the performing arts & artists of NYC - will be accompanied by a special Valentine's Day Party hosted by Planet Connections Assistant Artistic Director, Kim Jones. Dark Planet is co-presented by The Theater at the 14th Street Y. Tickets on sale at https://14streety.secure.force.com/ticket#details_a0S1R000009tBdMUAU

Actress, singer, author, and activist Eartha Kitt might be best known as the singer behind 'Santa Baby' and 'C'est si bon,' or as the third Catwoman on the sixties Batman TV series.

Crossroads Theatre Company continues their exciting season with a holiday show for all. A Christmas Carol will be performed at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) in the Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater from December 5 to December 15. Directed by the Company's Artistic Director, Marshall Jones III, the production promises to put audience members in the holiday spirit.

The Board of Governors of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences New York Chapter announced this week the induction of eleven individuals into its Gold and Silver Circles, including two women theater journalists: Susan Haskins-Doloff, executive producer, co-creator, and co-host of the long-running television series 'Theater Talk' and Roma Torre, theater critic and news anchor of Spectrum News NY1. Both have been awarded entry into the organization's Silver Circle in recognition of 25 years of distinguished contribution to New York television.

The Town Hall today announced the inaugural Lena Horne Prize for Artists Creating Social Impact, the first major entertainment award to be named after a woman of color, honoring excellence at the intersection of arts and activism. The award, named after the celebrated actress, singer and activist Lena Horne, will recognize today's leading artists that are using their platform to promote awareness and create social change, and will be presented to the soon-to-be-announced recipient at an event at The Town Hall, a national historic landmark, in February 2020. The recipient of the Lena Horne Prize was selected by an advisory board that includes Lena Horne's daughter Gail Lumet Buckley, as well as an esteemed list of entertainers and philanthropists including Harry Belafonte, Billy Porter, Judy Collins, Deesha Dyer, Roxane Gay, Bob Santelli, Bruce Cohen, Jose Antonio Vargas, and more. The recipient will receive a $100,000 donation to be directed to a charity of their choice.

Crossroads Theatre Company has had a marvelous start to their 2019/2020 Season. After a successful staging of 'Paul Robeson' in September, the Company recently had an event that will be treasured by supporters, friends and patrons for a very long time. 'A Night With Crossroads-Honoring Denzel Washington' was held on October 19.

Award-winning actor, Denzel Washington was honored as the recipient of the Crossroads Theatre Company (CTC) inaugural Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, Living Legends Award at its signature fundraising event on Saturday, October 19, 2019.

Even before her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, retired Harlem assistant principal Dr. Michelle King-Huger (Dr. Michelle) referred to herself as a D.I.V.A. – “A Determined Individual with a Victorious Attitude.”

The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation present the 2019 Idea Awards for Theatre.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts announces the film screening of A Raisin in the Sun(1961) on Sunday, October 20 at 2 pm. It is the sixtieth anniversary of the play's first production on Broadway. The film is an adaptation of the play by Lorraine Hansberry. Bay Street Theater will present a live staged version as the 2019 Literature Live! production in November.

The Frank Silvera Writers Workshop kicks off its forty-seventh annual reading series this Monday September 9th at 7pm with David Davila's immigration drama, Aztec Pirates And The Insignificance Of Life On Mars. The reading, directed by Nilsa Reyna, features Ollie Corchado, Cory Alexander, Lillian Andrea De Leon, Julia Botero, Selina Michelle Fonseca, Gerard Lucero, Alexandra Castro, and Jatnna Marte.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of their 2019 Idea Awards for Theatre; three grants awarded to adventurous new voices in playwriting and musical theatre, as well the visionary playwrights who have inspired and blazed trails before them.