Broadway-Bound THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN Focus of BLACK INSPIRATION Virtual Audience-Development Event

The Black Public Relations Society-New York and the Black Theatre Network in association with SimonSays Entertainment, have come together to create BLACK INSPIRATION, a virtual audience development initiative for the Broadway-bound production THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN by Keenan Scott II, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III.

Today the partnership announced its first event, "BLACK INSPIRATION: An Artistic Continuum, A Dialogue." The program will take place on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET in celebration of Black History Month and will serve as the starting point for an ongoing conversation between the production and potential audiences.

"During a time of national strife and racial division, art's power to rejuvenate the spirit is desperately needed," four-time Tony Award-winning producer and SSE CEO and President Ron Simons said. "'Black Inspiration' is what stokes the flames of creativity and healing."

BPRS-NY President and CEO, Tracey Wood Mendelsohn also noted, "The lens of "Black Inspiration" allows us to explore all aspects of our historic and ongoing role in contributing to society, and there is no better place to start than the arts. Our partnership with BTN and SimonSays Entertainment is an exciting introduction to our dialogue series for creators, publicists, and journalists, "Black Insights, Inspiration, and Impact."

Using the THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN (TOACM) social media campaign about people who inspired playwright Keenan Scott II as a reference point, "BLACK INSPIRATION: An Artistic Continuum, A Dialogue" will consist of a panel featuring the play's lead producers Brian Moreland and Ron Simons, and playwright Keenan Scott II.

THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN will make Broadway history because Black men are leading the producing team of a play written and directed by Black men and that places Black men onstage whose lives are the center of the narrative. That said, the panelists will share their personal narratives, what has inspired them, and how they hope to inspire others through THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN. The program will also include live excerpts from the play. Michael Dinwiddie, Associate Professor of Dramatic Writing at The Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, will serve as the program moderator.

"To convene around the notion of "Black Inspiration" assigns us with the tasks to embody the spirit of the continuum which we are a part of," BTN President Chris Berry said. "We must audaciously move in the spirit of inspiration to make way for the hopes of what we cannot yet see."

"BLACK INSPIRATION: An Artistic Continuum, A Dialogue" is free but an RSVP is required. To register visit: https://walktallgirlproductions.formstack.com/forms/black_inspiration_rsvp

A powerful theatrical testament by Keenan Scott II, THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN weaves spoken word, slam poetry, and rhythm into a mosaic of the inner lives of Black men, and heralds the arrival of an essential new voice to the American Theater. THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN will come to Broadway in the 2021-2022 season. For more information about the play visit www.thoughtsofacoloredman.com.