National Black Theatre And Apollo Theater Took Over The Kennedy Center To Host A Genre-Bending Concert

After a sold-out show in Harlem's world famous Apollo in 2022, National Black Theatre and Apollo Theater took over the Opera House at the Kennedy Center to relaunch their signature program, The Gathering. 

A genre-bending concert was held, featuring visionary artists Nona Hendryx, Abby Dobson, Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely with Special Guest Maleek Washington, Joel Thompson, Carlos Simon, Courtney Bryan, and Troy Anthony, 80 members of the American Composers Orchestra conducted by Chelsea Tipton, II  and 48 members of NEWorks Voices of Inspiration chorale under the leadership of Nolan Williams, Jr, and more.

With creative concept and direction by National Black Theatre's Executive Artistic Director, Jonathan McCrory, and produced by National Black Theatre and The Apollo, “The Gathering” stands as the highlight of The Kennedy Center's week-long celebration which showcased the convergence of orchestral, choral, gospel, and soul music. Guided by the poetic eloquence of Mahogany L. Browne, this American musical treasure served a modern tribute to the power of art as a vehicle for liberation, social justice, and a drum beat summoning the power of possibility. 

About National Black Theatre

NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE (NBT) is a Tony and Emmy Award-nominated institution founded in 1968 by the late visionary artist Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. The nation's first revenue-generating Black arts complex, NBT is the longest-running Black theatre in New York City, one of the oldest theatres founded and consistently operated by a woman of color in the nation, and has been included in the permanent collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. NBT's core mission is to produce transformational theatre that helps to shift the inaccuracies around African Americans' cultural identity by telling authentic stories of Black lives. As an alternative learning environment, NBT uses theatre arts as a means to educate, enrich, entertain, empower and inform the national conscience around current social issues impacting our communities. Under the leadership of Sade Lythcott, CEO, and Jonathan McCrory, Executive Artistic Director, NBT helps re-shape a more inclusive American theatre field by providing an artistically rigorous and culturally sensitive space for artists of color to experiment, develop and present new work. NBT has worked with trailblazing artists from Nona Hendrix to Jeremy O. Harris, and most recently, has helped launch the careers of Dominique Morisseau, Radha Blank, Mfoniso Udofia, Saheem Ali, Lee Edward Colston II, and Ebony Noelle Golden. NBT's cultural production remains unparalleled as they incubated Obie Award-winning companies like The Movement Theatre Company and Harlem9's 48 Hours. NBT welcomes more than 90,000 visitors annually, has produced 300+ original works, has won countless awards such as 2 Obie awards, 58 AUDELCO Awards, and a CEBA Award of Merit, and has been nominated for multiple Drama Desk awards. Located in the heart of Harlem, NBT is embarking on a historic major capital redevelopment project that will transform the current property into a 21st-century destination for Black culture through theatre. Visit nationalblacktheatre.org.