National Black Theatre Appoints Kamilah Long As The Organization's First Director Of Development

The National Black Theatre has announced the appointment of Kamilah Long as the organization's first Director of Development. Ms. Long is an established director, producer, educator, fundraiser, activist, and speaker. She joins the 54-year-old theatre company founded by the legendary, Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, after serving as Executive Director of Play On Shakespeare, the former program at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

"I met Dr. Teer while I was a graduate student at the University of Louisville. Listening to her powerful words changed my life," she says. "The decision to take this significant and newly created position with NBT, is my way of paying homage to Dr. Teer and her vision, which is built on LOVE, one of the principles of Black Liberation."

Kamilah brings extensive experience and an exemplary background that saw her rise through the ranks at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival over the past 7-plus years. Kamilah served in many roles during her tenure there, including Associate Director of Leadership Engagements, Director of Leadership Gifts, and Sr. Director of Individual Giving and Development Operations.

Additionally, she is a Board of Directors member for Southern Oregon Public Television serving on the Oregon Arts Commission and is the founder & CEO of her own multimedia company, The Black Whole which focuses on centering the Global Black community through the arts and storytelling. One of their recent productions, a short film titled "You Go Girl," was an official selection of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.

"We are thrilled to welcome Kamilah Long to the NBT family. Kamilah brings with her extensive experience in institutional advancement and as a former practicing artist. She has a deep love, understanding, and dedication to our culture and the community of artists we serve. We are looking forward to her leadership as NBT continues to grow in its reach and impact through our programs, productions, and capital projects." - Sade Lythcott CEO, National Black Theatre

Jonathan McCrory, Executive Artistic Director of the National Black Theatre said, "Having Kamilah Long join NBT at this moment is a homecoming of an individual that got to meet and be influenced by Dr. Teer and to have her now deeply connected within the organization to be the inaugural director of development is a full circle moment."

Kamilah joins the organization at a critically historic moment when the organization is involved in an important capital campaign, readying the start of construction on a 21-story project. In addition to the 222 units of mixed-income apartments, the project will house Dr. Teer's theater of the future, ensuring that the longest-running Black theater in New York City continues to serve as a vital resource for artists and entrepreneurs, for the production of work that is rooted in the imagination of contemporary Black voices, challenging the mainstream.

"National Black Theatre has been my home away from home for many years, and in the past two years alone we've had momentous growth. The search for the inaugural Development Director has been a long time coming, and as we know patience is its own unique art form. Kamilah arrived at a pivotal moment in NBT's history. She not only holds experience as an artist and leader in non-profit development, but she came with a deep appreciation for National Black Theatre's mission and an understanding of its significance in the Black arts space and the overall sector. I am immensely delighted to welcome such an outstanding new member of the family." - Linara Davidson-Greenidge, Board Treasurer of the National Black Theatre

Kamilah was born and grew up in Montgomery, Alabama. She received her undergraduate degree from Alabama State University and her Master's in Fine Arts from the University of Louisville.

About National Black Theatre

National Black Theatre (NBT), the nation's first revenue-generating Black arts complex, was founded in 1968 by the late visionary artist Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. NBT is the longest-running Black theatre in New York City, one of the oldest theaters founded and consistently operated by a woman of color in the nation and most recently 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 theater that helps to shift the inaccuracy around African Americans' cultural identity by telling authentic stories of Black lifestyle. As an alternative learning environment, NBT uses theater 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's three core programs-the Theater Arts Program, Communications Arts Program and Entrepreneurial Arts Program-help reshape a more inclusive American theater field by providing an artistically rigorous and culturally sensitive space for artists of color to experiment, develop and present new work. Working with trailblazing artists from Nona Hendrix to Jeremy O. Harris, and helping to launch the careers, most recently, of artists such as Dominique Morisseau, Radha Blank, Mfoniso Udofia, Saheem Ali, Lee Edward Colston II, and Ebony Noelle Golden, and incubating Obie Award-winning companies like The Movement Theatre Company and Harlem9's 48Hours in Harlem, NBT's cultural production remains unparalleled. Located in the heart of Harlem, NBT has produced 300+ original works; won 56 Audelco Awards; received a CEBA Award of Merit; and has been nominated for multiple Drama Desk awards. NBT is supported by grants from the Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, Shubert Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Andrew Mellon Foundation, City Council of New York, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Columbia Service Society, and private donations. Visit www.nationalblacktheatre.org or follow NBT on Facebook (@NationalBlackTheatre) and Twitter/Instagram (@NatBlackTheatre).