Harlem9 Partners With Arts Council Of Greater Baton Rouge For Inaugural 48HOURS IN…™BATON ROUGE

Harlem9 is heading down south once again, for the inaugural “48Hours in…Baton Rouge” in partnership with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and the national One Nation One Project campaign, “Arts for Everybody” that will culminate on Saturday, July 27 at 7pm. This Baton Rouge festival precedes the 14th Annual “48Hours in…Harlem” festival that will be performed live at The National Dance Institute on Sunday, August 25, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. 

The “48Hours in...” festivals bring together six playwrights, six directors, and 18 actors. The inaugural “48Hours in…Baton Rouge” pulls artwork from an installation at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge surrounding the national Arts for Everybody theme, “No Place Like Home.” The 6 pieces of visual inspiration are: “American Nomads” by Mike Weary, “Where Ever You Go There You Are” by Jonathan Stevens, “Redress of Grievances” by Julie Glass, “No Place Like Home” by Justine Crowley, “Popcorn and Swimming Pool” by Rick LeCompte, “The Home” by Geeta Dave. In addition, writers will be provided with a local health disparity to incorporate with the national prompt, inspiring their new 10-minute plays. The local health disparities are: heart disease, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

In 1936, the Federal Theatre Project produced and premiered an adaptation of a single play on the same night across America. Nearly a century later, through the Arts For EveryBody campaign, on July 27, One Nation/One Project will bring together cities and towns around the United States to simultaneously premiere distinct, collaborative, and participatory art works on an unprecedented scale. Each site will creatively respond to a single prompt: No Place Like Home.

“Baton Rouge is so fortunate to have Harlem9 curate a 48-Hour Play experience for our city. Their guidance and collaboration with local artists around the topic of "No Place Like Home" has brought focus about our lived experience in this very place, and it all feels like a family reunion, even among those who have not yet met.", says Renee Chatelain, Former President and CEO, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and Advisory Board member for One Nation One Project.

A whirlwind 3-days of play creation with local artists will culminate with one live performance on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 7 PM. Participating artists' details are below. Tickets are available at www.manshiptheatre.org. Patrons will be able to purchase for $17 in advance online. Tickets will also be available at the door for $25. Hartley/Vey Studios at Manship Theatre are located at 100 Lafayette Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The six playwrights are Alexandra Barbier (Stations of Black Loss), Jason “J” Broux (Leave Your Soul on the Stage), Julie Keen, Christy Oliver Reeves (Ochsner Health), Carlos Turner and Gregory Williams (Hoodoo House TV). The 6 directors are: Stephanie Bartage (225 Theatre Collective), Trevor Chapman, Troy Lee (The Poster Girl), Paige Gagliano, Jorge Ponjuan and Andrea S. Richardson. The 18 actors are: Sara Cage, Lafayette Collins, Andrew Evans, Summer Hayes, Kevin Lavine, Sean Lou, Gloria McConnell, Abigail Molina, Shayne Owens, Kody Pullet, Kyra Reeves, Jeanne Serio Smith, Chancelier “xero” Skidmore, Quon Smith, Tiara Spann and Hunter Sparacino. 

Rachel April will serve as Stage Manager for the inaugural Baton Rouge Festival.

Harlem9 Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones, was one of the keynote speakers at last fall's Louisiana Arts Summit. “I am thrilled to return to Baton Rouge, and this time, with my Harlem9 colleagues, sharing some of the work I highlighted in my speech. When Renee and Mike [Weary] reached out in February, we were just finishing our most recent iteration of “48Hours in…El Bronx”. Their idea to come was open ended and in October of ‘23, following my time as one of the keynotes, I was looking for a reason for our 48Hour festival to exist in Baton Rouge. One of the things that Harlem9 has done over the last several years especially, is go into communities and support local writers in amplifying the stories of their locales. We have seen this in El Bronx, in our partnership with Pregones/PRTT, and in my hometown of Detroit, with our Detroit Public Theatre partnership. This is one of the goals of One Nation / One Project and this national campaign aligns. The amplification of local narratives is a shared goal, and the stories are meant to tell the stories of the community. It is a beautiful homecoming and a full circle moment.” 

In 2019, the OBIE Award-Winning collective succeeded in gaining a national audience when they produced “48Hours in...El Bronx” with Pregones / PRTT, “48Hours in...Detroit” with Detroit Public Theatre, “48Hours in...Dallas” with Shades of Brown Theatre, and “48Hours in...Holy Ground” in Winston-Salem at The National Black Theatre Festival in partnership with NC Black Rep. The collective celebrated their 10th Anniversary with a digital festival in 2020 and forged a partnership with Harlem Stage and the Lortel Foundation for Consequences in 2021.

Since 2011, Harlem9 has commissioned Black playwrights to tell their stories in the annual “48Hours in...Harlem” play festival.  For over a decade, the producers have continued to highlight and uplift writers, directors, and actors at various points in their careers, including Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play, Nollywood Dreams, Russian Doll), Brandon Michael Hall (The Mayor, God Friended Me), Dominique Morisseau (Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations, Skeleton Crew), Tonye Patano (Weeds), Tonya Pinkins (Madam Secretary, Gotham), Aurin Squire (Good Fight, Evil), Marcel Spears (The Neighborhood, FAT HAM) and Benja K. Thomas (Bootycandy, FAT HAM).

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