Elizabeth Van Dyke, Lawrence Holder, Vanessa Rubin et al. Set for Black History Month Play Festival
The National Black Touring Circuit has announced their Black History Month Play Festival, February 5-28, which will celebrate four significant Black women: Lorraine Hansberry, Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, and Dr. May Edward Chinn.
At the Dwyer Cultural Center, Elizabeth Van Dyke will star in Love To All Lorraine, a one-woman play based on the life of the late playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Directed by Woodie King Jr., the show will play February 5-6 and is hosted by film, TV and Stage star Ruby Dee and theater legend Douglas Turner Ward. Sloan Robinson’s cabaret, BANANAS: The Josephine Baker Story (February 12-14) will play at the Schomberg Center for Black Culture with direction by Joyce Maddox.
The National Black Theatre will present Yesterdays, An Evening With Billie Holiday, February 19-21, Reenie Upchurch’s celebration of the singer, starring Vanessa Rubin with King at the helm. The Festival will close with Lawrence Holder’s play Dr. May Edward Chinn, February 26-28, which will play at the Castillo Theatre, and is about the first Black woman doctor at Harlem Hospital. It will star Kim Yancey, with Imani directing.