Artists and Mentors Announced for Third Annual ELEVATE, Seattle Theatre Group's Showcase of Black and Brown Voices

The artists and mentors that will anchor the third annual ELEVATE, Seattle Theatre Group's (STG) showcase of Black and Brown youth voices uplifting one another through the art of spoken word, have been announced. This year's performers are Grace Hanson, Harlem Naché Yarbrough, Jazzmin Barrett, Joshua Rhodes, Laela Johnson, Maya Michelle Russell, Mikayla Sullivan, Yaasameen Waqo, Zion Montgomery, and Elijah Mbute.

ELEVATE, which is created by the people for the people, will be performed at the Moore Theatre on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at 7:30pm. Visit www.stgpresents.org/elevate to register to attend the performance, which is free for all community members.

ELEVATE shares untold and unseen work centered around local and national historical events, the impact of systemic racism and individuals challenging racist ideologies and most importantly, is a celebration and empowerment of Black and Brown people. Mentors and students collaborate to create a spoken word and dance pieces, meeting regularly leading up to the performance to have in depth conversations about issues affecting them, while using the history they learn as the impetus for their pieces.

This year's artistic director is Seattle-based emcee and choreographer Shakiah Danielson, and mentors are spoken word artist Nakeya Isabell, teacher and poet Chelsey Richardson, and spoken word artist Kyle Danielson. To learn more about this year's participating youth performers, artistic director, mentors, click here.

Seattle Theatre Group (STG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization whose mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of the region's cultural identity while keeping three historic venues, The Paramount, Moore, and Neptune, alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz, to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers, and family shows - at these three iconic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound region and in Portland, Oregon. For more information visit stgpresent.org.

STG Education and Community Programs extend beyond the Paramount, Moore, and Neptune Theatre stages and into the lives of the greater Seattle community. Each season, STG offers over 260 education programs impacting over 55,000 students and community members from diverse ages and backgrounds. These programs deepen significance to performances through opportunities to engage with artists, inspire youth, and local artists through training and performance opportunities, and provide exposure to the arts through access initiatives. For more information visit stgpresents.org/education.

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