Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey, Broadway's leading African American producers, will be honored with Pioneer of the Arts Awards at the Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival 25th Season Launch Party on Sunday, February 9, a free, fun cultural day of the arts for adults and youngsters from 12noon to 9pm at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, between 165th & 166th Street in the Bronx.
The Riant Theatre's free launch party is packed with theatre, film, book, music, poetry dance, award programs and creative writing workshops.
Stephen C. Byrd and
Alia Jones-Harvey left Wall Street to create acclaimed star-studded productions like "Romeo and Juliet" with
Orlando Bloom and
Condola Rashad; "The Trip To Bountiful" with
Cicely Tyson,
Vanessa Williams and
Cuba Gooding, Jr.; "A Street Car Named Desire" with
Blair Underwood and
Nicole Ari Parker and "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" with
Phylicia Rashad,
James Earl Jones,
Terrence Howard and
Anika Noni Rose.
"Alia and I think outside the box," explained
Stephen C. Byrd, a former Goldman Sachs executive whose
Front Row Productions with
Alia Jones-Harvey is the only African American theatre production firm on Broadway.
Their formula for developing hit Broadway shows for African American audiences has resulted in top grossers like the revivial of
Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. " Later on the London stage, it earned the prestigious
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play.
"If we cast a production interracially and get panned by the critics, it doesn't matter to us because African Americans want to see their talent," said Byrd. "They want to see
Terrence Howard. They want to see
James Earl Jones. They don't care what the New York Times says."
The business duo uses the fine art quality of an
August Wilson play and the marketing methods of a
Tyler Perry play when creating their Broadway productions. "We're approaching these productions as if they are start-up businesses. They take all of the research and planning of any start-up business," said Jones-Harvey, a former NASA executive who holds a MBA and masters degrees in engineering and math. "Each time you put on a production, you need to know what market you are targeting. The profit margins are all in reaching your market efficiently."
Other Pioneer of the Arts Awards will be presented to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Lloyd Price, whose hits include"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Stagger Lee" and B. Jeffrey Madoff', documentary filmmaker and commercial producer-director, behind the broadcast of Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
"I really liked the fact that these African American producers don't depend on the papers to validate them to fill the seats in the theatres," said Van Dirk Fisher, founder of the Riant Theatre and artistic director Strawberry One-Act Festival."Sometimes artists are complaining that there are not enough roles out there. But, we need to take charge and tell our own stories so we don't have to beg other people to help us. The fact that these two producers have been doing it successfully has been daring and bold and amazing."
The February 9 event is jam-packed with interactive arts. There will be a book signing of "Volume 8 of the Best Plays from the Strawberry One-Act Festival;" Video Diaries Project short film screenings; "Cold April," about schoolgirls during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and "The Brothers Texas," the Riant Youth Empowerment Award film by Ashton Pina. KoryFrench's drama "Abramovic" about Midwestern twenty-year olds and fine art will be performed. There's dazzling dance troupe Sharon Zaslaw & The Belly Jazz Dolls, singer
Boncellia Lewis and author readings by Tandra-Zawadi,
Laura Bowman and Veona Thomas. The playwright and creative writer's workshop participants will present their work to the evening audience. To reserve a seat in the writer's workshop email RiantTheatre@gmail.com.
The Strawberry One-Act Festival has presented over 2,500 one-act plays since its inception. Riant Theatre's 25thSeason Strawberry One-Act Festival will be held at the Theatre at St. Clement's at 423 West 46th St., New York from February 13 - 23. For more information:
www.therianttheatre.com or call 646-623-3488.
