Black Broadway Creates A Music & Mental Health Album

Singers from the Black Broadway community have joined together to create a music and mental health album of inspirational cover songs. In just two rehearsals, the Darkness RISING cast recorded an album intended for anyone who lives with anxiety, depression, bipolar, or other mental illnesses. Music has been proven be therapeutic and healing. It can provide emotional support, increase motivation, and offer an outlet for expression of feelings.

The album includes songs from various genres including pop, R&B, musical theatre and gospel. Listeners will enjoy familiar songs such as Dear Evan Hansen's 'Waving Through a Window', Andra Day's 'Rise Up', Lin Manuel Miranda's 'How Far I'll Go', and more. The Darkness RISING album can be purchased via the project website: darknessrisingproject.com, or downloaded on iTunes, Spotify or any streaming service. Proceeds benefit the project.

The Darkness RISING cast features soloists: Juson Williams (THE WIZ), Stephen Scott Wormley (BLACK NATIVITY OFF-BROADWAY), Jo'Nathan Michael (BELLA: AN AMERICAN TALL TALE), Nattalyee Randall (DREAMGIRLS at Portland Center Stage), Terance Reddick (LES MISERABLES BROADWAY), Cedrina Shari (BONEY M), Collin Howard (DREAMGIRLS at Ivoryton Playhouse), Ashley Ware Jenkins (THE LION KING BROADWAY), Tamala Baldwin (SMOKEY JOE'S CAFÉ at Greenbrier Valley Theater), Anita Welch (LITTLE ROCK, AVENUE Q NATIONAL TOUR), Kris Roberts (BEAUTIFUL: THE Carole King MUSICAL, Shy Palmer, and Carlita Victoria (Darkness RISING Creator, THE COLOR PURPLE at WPPAC).The ensemble includes Vlad Dorson (CHOIR BOY at GableStage), Valton Jackson (HALFTIME at Papermill), James Roberts (HAIR NATIONAL TOUR), Danielle Jackman (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER CHICAGO), Ashley Jeudy (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER at Ivoryton Playhouse), Nicholette Shorts (PHOENIX RISING: GIRLS & THE SECRETS WE KEEP), Sheniqua Denise Trotman (DREAMGIRLS at Ivoryton Playhouse), Skylar Gamble (HAIRSPRAY at La Comedia), David Kaverman (MOTOWN THE MUSICAL NATIONAL TOUR), Wesley Barnes (SCOTTSBORO BOYS at Phoenix Theatre), and Jura Davis (IN THE HEIGHTS at North Carolina Theatre).

• The 25+ person cast includes Black artists from the NYC theatre community, under the musical direction of David Rowen of David Rowen Creative.

• The concert features a 4-piece band: David Rowen: Piano, Ian Jesse: Bass, Mark 'Lace' Gibbs: Guitar, and Kahlil Kwame Bell on Drums. Our musicians have toured with Erykah Badu, Common, Prince, Havoc of Mobb Deep and more.

Darkness RISING is a mental health project and nonprofit with the goal of inspiring conversations about mental health in the Black community in an effort to tell our stories and #Erasethestigma. The project was created as a way of dealing with Carlita's personal struggles with anxiety and PTSD. African Americans are 20 percent more likely to have serious psychological distress than other Americans. The project includes an album, a visual album, and live concerts. For more info: darknessrisingproject.com. To make a tax-deductible donation: Bit.ly/darknessrising. Follow: @darknessrisingproject on IG, Twitter, and Facebook for mental health resources, videos and more!