Bishop Arts Theatre Unites Oak Cliff With 20th Anniversary Of BLACK NATIVITY

This holiday season, the Bishop Arts Theatre Center will celebrate 20 years of producing Black Nativity. Inspired by Langston Hughes's 1960 Broadway production, Black Nativity returns with hand-clapping, toe-tapping, finger-snapping theatrical wonderment on December 5 – 22, 2024 under the direction of Kris Black Jasper. This holiday favorite is the heartwarming retelling of the Nativity story including Gospel music, dramatic dance, and biblical narrative. 

Bishop Arts Theatre's production of Black Nativity in Oak Cliff is a transformative artistic initiative that engages the community by inviting them to be creators, not just spectators. This production intentionally blurs the lines between professional artists and community members, creating theater that is not only for the people but by and of the people. Black Nativity brings together diverse groups from across Oak Cliff and beyond, including students, residents, and arts enthusiasts inviting them to experience theater in a large-scale, community-driven production alongside professional actors on Bishop Arts Theatre's stage. “Our 20th-anniversary production of Black Nativity will bring the Oak Cliff community together in a celebration of unity, culture, and artistic expression,” comments Executive Artistic Director and Founder Teresa Coleman Wash.

Langston Hughes' Black Nativity premiered Off-Broadway on December 11, 1961, at the 41st Street Theatre in New York City. Originally titled Wasn't It a Mighty Day?, the show was quickly renamed Black Nativity and became one of the first plays by an African American playwright to appear on Broadway. This unique work is a gospel song-play that retells the Nativity story through an African American cultural lens, blending Hughes' powerful poetry with gospel music and traditional Christmas carols.

For the past two decades, Black Nativity has become an enduring holiday tradition staged annually at the Bishop Arts Theatre, honoring Hughes' legacy and the rich cultural contributions of Black gospel and storytelling traditions. Each year a different director has been invited to reimagine Hughes' 1961 Broadway hit.

Black Nativity begins December 5 - 22, 2024, for three consecutive weekends at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center located at 215 S Tyler Street, Dallas, TX 75208. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bishopartstheatre.org or by calling the box office at 214.948.0716 Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Prices range from $20 - $45 and seats are general admission. Discounts are available for seniors, students, and groups of 15 or more. Bishop Arts Theatre's 2024/2025 season is presented by the generosity of The Addy Foundation.

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