National Black Theatre Closes Its 50th Anniversary Season With 125th & FREEDOM

Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre (NBT) will close out its golden anniversary season this Saturday, June 29 with the final performance of 125th & FREEdom. . Created, written and choreographed by Ebony Noelle Golden, 125th & FREEdom is a five-hour, immersive public performance dance piece that is part dance party, part parade, part protest and ritual performance, and all Harlem. Exploring the question, "If Harriet Tubman were alive today, how would she free Black people?" the program transforms Harlem's iconic corridor into a stage with performances along 125th Street from the East River to the Hudson River. The piece, free and open to the public, premiered on June 8 and is the culmination of a 50th anniversary season for the trailblazing theatre which also saw productions including In Perpetual Flight: The Black Body in Migration, a special in-progress staged reading of the musical WiLDFLOWER by Jason Michael Webb and Lelund Durond Thompson, and The Mothers of the Movement: The Black Woman She Does Exist.

Composed of 16 movements and featuring a New Orleans-style brass band, 125th & FREEdom is a choreopoetic performance that takes place at more than 10 pop-up installations along the world famous street. An immersive, audience-participatory cultural experience, the piece sees a victorious, but battle-weary tribe of nomads led by Tubman's descendant on an epic journey to a land of promised liberation. Fusing song and poetry with choreography based on historic and current Black social dances, the one-of-a-kind event closes out NBT's milestone golden anniversary season.

The cast includes Audrey Hailes, Courtney Cook, Azusa "Sheshe" Dance, Alec Stephens III and Jason O'Neal. Paris Weeden, Ariel Blackwood, Ava McCoy, Everton Ricketts,Zenni Reach, and Trevor Latez Hayes are also featured.

The creative team includes Alphonso Horne (musical composition), Izmir Ickbal (scenic design), Dominique Fawn Hill (costumes), Belynda Hardin (props), Jaimé Dzandu(associate choreographer), Nina Angela Mercer (dramaturg) and Vir-Amicus and Kirrin Tubo (production managers).

The final performance of 125th & FREEdom will take place on Saturday, June 29, and will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Participants are advised to wear comfortable shoes.

To keep up with 125th & FREEdom performance locations, follow the hashtag #125thandFreedom and visit www.nationalblacktheatre.org. Follow NBT on Facebook (@NationalBlackTheatre) and Twitter/Instagram (@NatBlackTheatre). For more information on Ebony Noelle Golden visit www.bettysdaughterarts.com or follow her on Twitter at (@Bettysdaughter1) or Instagram (@EbonyNoelleGolden).

Photo Credit: Garlia C. Jones-Ly