Uncomfortable and important. These two words echoed in my head as I watched American University’s production of Dance Nation, written by Clare Barron and directed by Tara Giordano.

Dance Nation is a visceral exploration of women’s bodies at one of their most vulnerable and biologically sensitive stages, adolescence. Set in the Midwest, Dance Nation highlights the lives of several pre-teen competitive dancers striving to make it to the Boogie Down Grand Prix in Tampa Bay and etch their place in dance history by becoming National Champions.

Competition and social dynamics within the team threaten to derail their aspirations. Alongside this, we watch the riveting ensemble cast grapple with the transformations that accompany entering puberty and biological womanhood.

Giordano’s direction juxtaposes themes of self-discovery, friendship and ambition against those of isolation, loneliness, and the fear of being “othered.” The play exposes these layers of complexity through humor, dance, and the raw exploration of female bodies.

There’s a content advisory accompanying this play for a reason. The cast delivers unflinching performances that confront taboo issues head-on. From examining how youth begin to explore their sexual desires and navigate the male gaze to dealing with intense psychological issues that lead to self-harm and mutilation, this play goes there. For some the approach taken may feel extreme, but these experiences are the reality for many teens.

The lighting, set design, costumes, and dance numbers work in tandem to create an immersive experience, placing the audience in a relatable world that is eerily similar to reality shows like Dance Moms. Simultaneously, it offers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of pre-teen competitions and gives the audience several characters to root for with equal fervor.

A standout element of this production is that there are no mean girls in this story, just girls navigating an oftentimes mean world that saddles them with unfair expectations and comparisons that force them to question themselves — who they truly are and how they want to show up. The adults in the picture are either unequipped or unwilling to be the support pillars these youth need.

While the play hits on some universal themes it lacks cultural nuance. The one character portrayed by a Black actress did not get a monologue like several of the other leads, so a broader exploration of her wants, desires, fears, and struggles was not present. Nonetheless, her performance of Sofia (Thulilani Chiura) was enthralling and relatable, especially as she grapples with the bodily transformations that come with puberty. Still, with more cultural nuance layered in, the story would have been a richer, more dynamic viewing experience.

Also, the final scene concludes a bit abruptly. Stylistically this could have been by design. Regardless, viewers are left invested in the characters and wanting more.

Ultimately, the play builds in a way that keeps the audience leaning in, and the dance routines punctuate the intensifying stakes the girls find themselves railing against, both within and among themselves. Initially, I bristled at the discomfort the play unlocked within me, but then realized that was an invitation to re-examine preconceived notions around what’s acceptable for girls/women to do with their bodies and the importance of autonomy in self-expression. I hope other viewers felt challenged as well and now find themselves rooting for Team Dance Nation.

I would now certainly tune in to watch a dramatized web series version of this crew’s journey to Nationals and beyond!

Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Dance Nation played February 13 to 15, 2025, presented by the American University Department of Performing Arts, performing at the Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre – 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC.

The program for Dance Nation is online here.

Dance Nation
By Claire Barron
Directed by Tara Giordano
Choreographed by Jennifer Hopkins

CAST
Thulilani Chiura, Laura Dodge, Finn Fairfield, Olivia Levin, Megan Kempton, Maya-Marie Ramnath, Lila-Rose Roberts, Sedona Salb, Gavin Schulman, Charles Sinche, Dan Zavilowitz, Elena Zimmerman, Katie Zimmerman, Jason Zuckerman

CREW
Molly Jane Brennan, Hannah Digiovanni, Sirra Faal, Tara Giordano, Kate Grimble, Rebecca Morris

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Only after I caught my breath, only after the music stopped, only after my joy coma subsided, did I realize that Step Afrika! had once again pulled off a phenomenal holiday show — filled with jaw-dropping peppermint candies, GQ-ready gingerbread men, and break-dancing polar bears. DJ Nutcracker (Jeeda Barrington) took us on a sleigh ride through the festive rhythms of our favorite R&B/Hip Hop holiday tunes past and present.

Is this the show of the season? Ho ho ho, yes!

At its baseline, Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is joyful, inclusive, and soul-filling, but this year’s program is a tour de force. Almost everything audiences have grown to love about the performance is dialed up a notch.

Some musicals market themselves as interactive, but this one delivers beyond expectation. The audience is the show’s heartbeat, and we’re alive in the performance from the very moment we pick up our noise-makers at the theater’s entrance.

To top things off, the acrobatics, choreography, drumming, musicality, attitude, and wardrobe of the splendid ensemble cast (Kenneth L. Alexander, Nya Christian, Jerod Coleman, Ariel Dykes, Keomi Givens Jr., Leander Gray, Kamala Hargrove, Terrence Johnson, Conrad R. Kelly II, Jemeema S. Montrose, Isaiah O’Connor, Keanu Powell, Ericka Still, Brie Turner, Joseph Vasquez, Pelham Warner Jr., Robert Warnsley, and Treshawn Williams) are all elevated in this year’s rendition.

Can we just talk about the hair and wardrobe (by Courtney Johnson and Sabrina Simmons) for a second? These two elements of the show punctuate Step Afrika!’s underlying message that this is a celebration of Blackness, African heritage, and all the diaspora.

Morever, the show is a case study in the fact that Black culture is American culture, offering a warm welcome to viewers from any background to feel engaged and acknowledged.

For kids from one to 92, there is joy, laughter, and the Nutcracker Slide to delight in.

The only ingredient missing from the heartwarming cup of hot cocoa that is Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show would be the signature beatboxing they’ve become known for.

Nonetheless, the show has an incomparable wow factor. Thanks to Mfonison Akpan (artistic director), it teeters on being both an enchanting winter wonderland and a new-age edition of Bring It On. Rider the Reindeer and Popper the dancing Penguin are hilarious additions to the show that amp up the fun step competition that takes place midway.

Led by an impeccable emcee (Pelham Warner Jr.), this iteration of Step Afrika!’s holiday extravaganza just might be the crown jewel of the company’s 30th anniversary season.

Founded by C. Brian Williams in 1994, Step Afrika! has steadily built a name for itself on the world stage. After decades, stepping is finally earning recognition as a multisensory American art form on par with jazz, tap, and other revered styles of dance.

While Step Afrika! is often praised for its electrifying choreography and spellbinding percussion, I found that the moments of stillness, unpredictable silences, and subtle transitions woven throughout the show were what kept me leaning in. The show is much more than spectacle — it’s an enthralling sensory experience rooted in history and packed full of joy. I suspect that combination is what keeps folks returning year after year.

For those curious to see how Step Afrika! will reinvent itself next, you’re in for a treat. Through their partnership with Arena Stage, Step Afrika! is slated to continue riveting hearts and minds well into 2025 and beyond. Next up is their Step Classic this coming February. In tandem with Black History Month, it will unite community, culture, and creativity into a three-day celebration of stepping inspired by HBCU classics.

Until then, I’ll be grooving to the Nutcracker Slide and snacking on my favorite gingerbread cookies!

Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show plays through December 22, 2024, presented by Step Afrika! performing on the Fichandler Stage at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St SW, Washington, DC. Tickets (starting at $45 plus applicable fees) may be obtained online, by phone at 202-488-3300, or in person at the Sales Office (Tuesday-Sunday, 12-8 p.m.).

Arena Stage offers savings programs including “pay your age” tickets for those those aged 35 and under; military, first responder, and educator discounts; student discounts; and “Southwest Nights” for those living and working in the District’s Southwest neighborhood. To learn more, visit arenastage.org/savings-programs.

Family Four Packs (four tickets for $169) are available while supplies last and can be purchased by phone at 202-488-3300, Tuesday–Sunday, 12–8 p.m.

The program for Step Afrika!’s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is online here.

COVID Safety: Arena Stage recommends but does not require that patrons wear facial masks in theaters except in occasional mask-required performances. For up-to-date information, visit arenastage.org/tickets/Safety-Protocols/

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Did I just step into a Pixar animated film? As the lights dim in the Kennedy Center Family Theater, a dazzling projection of an underwater universe glistens on stage. Then in one seamless motion, the curtains part, the opening score begins, and I have my answer.

Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt’s artistry as a compelling storyteller comes to life through the stellar ensemble cast she assembles for Finn.

The acclaimed writing duo Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond join forces with Chris Nee (book, music, and lyrics) to create a vibrant and immersive musical experience. In its world premiere, Finn shines not only in its ability to explore themes of self-discovery, friendship, and belonging but also by spreading joy through expertly choreographed musical numbers and catchy songs arranged to bring a Disney-movie vibe to this family-friendly story.

Finn is about a young shark named Finn (Dylan Toms) who wants to sparkle in a world that pressures him to remain achromatic. Within, he feels vastly different from other sharks, including his big sister, Aggie (Caelyn D. Wiliams). Despite this, he still desires to uphold family tradition by joining the Shark Guard — an elite group that all “real” sharks aspire to be a part of.

Along Finn’s journey, he encounters a regal tang fish named Seasil (Kalen Robinson) en route to the Jet Stream Jubilee, an event Finn is charged with guarding. An unlikely friendship sparks between them, one that bucks societal norms. The pair inspire each other to swim against the current, explore hidden dreams, and embrace facets of themselves otherwise shunned by their loved ones. These choices, however, come with perilous consequences that quickly force them to confront their biggest fears.

Dylan Toms splashes onto the stage as Finn, exuding a warmth and innocence that endear him to the audience. Caelyn William’s portrayal of Aggie shimmers with spunk, sultry vocals, and a snarky New York/New Jersey–esque accent. Her comedic timing keeps the audience rooting for her to whip her Shark Guard recruits into tip-top shape. Her name also fits her to a tee, as Aggie always seems a little aggravated with Finn for not doing everything he can to be the perfect carbon copy of her.

The song “Today’s the Day” sets the tone for their sibling dynamic, distills their unique outlooks on the world, and presents the audience with several core questions we see Finn grapple with while navigating his Shark Guard tryouts: What is strength and is there only one acceptable way to be strong in this world? Is it worthwhile to suppress who I truly am for the sake of fitting in? What should I do when the world’s perception of me differs from how I see myself?

Just when the audience thinks Finn may never muster up the courage to tackle these questions head-on, Seasil (Kalen Robinson) and her high-falutin Auntie (Kara-Tameika Watkins) sashay onto the scene to save him and steal the show. Their relationship is a striking parallel of Finn and Aggie’s, but it’s the fun-loving Seasil-Finnship that swims away with our hearts. Not only does this duo find refuge in each other, but they serve up synchronized dance moves and riveting duets that could easily jumpstart a new TikTok trend. These two are bestie goals, hands down.

Kalen Robinson is a showstopper in her beautifully adorned regal tang costume with shimmering pops of lapis and yellow (costume designer: Ann Closs Farley). Not since Dory from Finding Nemo has there been a deep sea creature that captures hearts and minds so convincingly. Robinson brought it all — flawless dance moves, a booming voice ripe for Broadway, and a magical presence that makes the audience want to laugh and cry all in the same breath. Just as Ellen DeGeneres earned Dory a spin-off, Robinson’s interpretation of Seasil deserves her own as well.

Special kudos go to Auntie (Kara-Tameika Watkins) as she embodies all the pomp and regal spectacle that comes with being one of the most colorful creatures under the sea, and when she sings the audience is transported. Make no mistake, Auntie brings the class and glee to the jubilee.

Roscoe (Deimoni Brewington), Lola (Jamie Goodson), and Bruce (Ben Riber) round out the Shark Guard crew and bring the ensemble into full bloom. They each play multiple characters throughout the musical, and Deimoni Brewington shows that he’s a triple threat. He fuels his performance with high-octane energy, crisp dance moves, and a killer voice that adds a rich tone to Finn’s chorus.

The production was not without a couple of minor stumbles, though. I’m still trying to make sense of the excessive belching layered into the persona of one Shark Guard ensemble character. While it may have been intended as a source of comedic relief, unfortunately, it lands flat and distracts from the otherwise impeccable narrative. There was also a moment when the lead (Toms) dropped a prop he needs for his costume mid-scene; he recovered quickly, endearingly making the audience adore him all the more.

Campbell-Holt’s exceptional prowess of filling every movement in a production with meaning keeps the audience leaning forward, singing along to every chorus, and grooving to each swag-filled eight-count. Moreover, the set and projection design (You-Shin Chen and Patrick W. Lord, respectively) immerse the audience hundreds of miles below the ocean’s surface. When it’s hard to distinguish whether you’ve been plopped into an animated film versus a physical theater, the production team has done something right.

Even though Finn is billed as a youth production geared toward children 5+ years old, it’s also a timeless story for all ages. Moreover, the show is unafraid to embrace the LGBTQIA+ community, with references and tributes to the culture sprinkled throughout. This, combined with the musical’s universal messages of belonging and self-acceptance, invites anyone who has ever felt misunderstood or like an outsider into the Jubilee to celebrate the uniqueness of who they are.

Lastly, the Kennedy Center offers a learning guide for educators, students, and individuals looking to unpack the musical’s themes more fully with young audiences. Finn and his friends struggle to find their place in a binary world. Intersectionality and filling up the liminal spaces in life are just as tricky to navigate under the sea as they are for us to reckon with on land. Hence, the learning guide offers a framework for helping youth delve into these topics. The guide’s curators align it to a range of educational standards, including the common core, for educators to weave into their existing curriculum. It’s worth a read.

Running Time: 60 minutes, with no intermission.

Finn plays through December 22, 2024, in the Family Theater at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC. Purchase tickets ($25.30, including a $3.30 service charge) in person (the Hall of States Box Office is open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 9pm and Sunday 12pm – 9pm), by calling the box office at (202) 467-4600, or online.

Recommended for grades K-5

View the digital program here.

View the Learning Guide (for educators and students) here.

COVID Safety: Masks are optional in all Kennedy Center spaces for visitors and staff. If you prefer to wear a mask, you are welcome to do so. See Kennedy Center’s complete COVID Safety Plan here.

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When I learned that a bake-off was taking place, I instantly thought of warm apple pie and holiday-themed gourmet cookies. That’s the foodie in me. However, the Brown Sugar Bake-Off festival is a different kind of treat, forged from a simple yet hearty recipe. This virtual bake-off is the flagship project of Two Strikes Theatre Collective, a Baltimore-based theater company founded by five Black women. They aim to tell stories that center the full range of Black women’s personal identities and experiences.

Brown Sugar Bake-Off is available to watch now on YouTube. I recently attended the inaugural event, which debuted ten short plays exclusively written and directed by Black women. Then I caught up with Two Strike’s executive director, Aladrian C. Wetzel, for a behind-the-scenes rundown of the team’s creative process.

“Two Strikes emerged in 2019 to address the lack of representation in theater, both on and off the stage,” Wetzel said—and her team plans to make the bake-off an annual affair.

While the inaugural event introduced new writers and directors, Wetzel envisions future iterations of the festival offering Black women an opportunity to hone skills in all aspects of production management, including sound engineering and set design. Rather than ask for a seat at the table, Two Strikes is producing events like the Brown Sugar Bake-Off festival in an effort to build their own.

This is art about Black women, made by and for Black women

The importance of this vision can’t be understated. Theaters that put Black women’s experiences and contributions at the center of the conversation are in short supply. While the Greater Washington area is saturated with talented theater pros, a gaping leadership hole exists where Black women are concerned. Justified criticism of this failing often goes unaddressed. Yet the void affects every aspect of a production, shaping it before we viewers ever purchase our tickets. Two Strikes joins a growing chorus of organizations and individuals working to shift the paradigm of inclusion in local theater, and a model like the bake-off could be a blueprint for developing and showcasing Black women’s voices on a broad scale.

More than half of the festival’s featured plays are penned by first-time playwrights

A large aperture exists between access to opportunity and assurance of opportunity. In recognizing this, Two Strikes held a playwriting seminar prior to the event, specifically targeting new and emerging talent.

Moreover, the workshop catalyzed their local call for play submissions from Black femme writers. Wetzel describes her team’s surprise and elation when applications started rolling in from across the country. Writers from 12 different U.S. states sent in stories for the festival.

Equipping Black women with tools to tell their own stories is vital. We are the healers of our communities and households. When our voices are heard fundamental change occurs.

Specificity, nuance, and intersectionality undergird the featured plays 

While the concept of a bake-off was first popularized by Paula Vogel,  Two Strikes’ gave it a dynamic twist that just might give the festival vital staying power in the DC theater scene.

Each play is capped at ten minutes and includes five core ingredients: A Black womxn protagonist, a sign, a gathering, a wig, and, of course, brown sugar. Wetzel credits fellow co-founder, Mistress of Play Development Christen Cromwell, with devising the bake-off’s format.

This menu of ingredients sends an affirmative nod to me as a Black woman viewer. It says yes, you are about to witness Black women unabashedly take up space and reclaim their time, Maxine Waters style. The minimal list of ingredients by no means shortchanged the breadth of topics covered across the ten-play mosaic. A range of relevant issues were addressed, often with humor and on occasion with chilling, unvarnished truth. The latter was the case with the play “Georgia Rose” by Onyekachi Iwu, inspired by the real story of a 15-year-old girl sentenced to juvenile lockup for not doing schoolwork during the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.

Overall, the festival leveraged simplicity and engaged storytelling to dazzle audiences, and it paid off. However, the festival’s execution was not flawless, technical issues occurred throughout the live viewing and for a bake-off that branded itself as intersectional, important Black femme voices were missing from the conversation, namely Black women living with disabilities. For example, the live viewing did not include closed captioning, effectively leaving out the Deaf and hard of hearing community. In our interview, Wetzel acknowledged the missed opportunity and Two Strikes is working to enhance their capacity to reach those vital voices.

Running Time: Two hours 46 minutes, with two brief talkbacks featuring the event’s playwrights.

The Brown Sugar Bake-Off festival is available to watch on YouTube, now with closed captioning.

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Are we brave enough to laugh at ourselves? That’s a question The Second City explores in it’s latest comedy show Generation Gap, playing now through August 12th at the Kennedy Center. The show blends sketch and improv into an exploration of intergenerational relationships that’s a wild and unpredictable roller-coaster ride. Once on board, you have no choice but to lean into the moment and enjoy the hilarity that ensues.

Generation Gap, created by Asia Martin and directed by Anthony LeBlanc, pokes fun at everyone from Baby Boomers to Generation Z, offering a satiric yet well-balanced depiction of various generations and their particular foibles. The ensemble cast employs a wide range of comedic devices, including social and political satire, to unravel the fear and awkwardness that comes with building relationships. Embedded within each free-flowing scene is a kernel of insight about the ways our interactions between generations have evolved. What they’ve created is by no means a passive experience. Attending this show means you’ll likely be called upon to engage with the performers and test your intergenerational knowledge.

Prior to seeing the show, I had a chance to interview ensemble member Cody Dove and participate in a Kennedy Center workshop he facilitated on generating character. Dove is one of the show’s standout performers and a veteran member of The Second City, with numerous TV and radio credits to his name.

When I asked Dove what he wanted the audience to take away from the show, his response was: “A stronger sense of our shared humanity and interconnectedness.” Indeed, as a card-carrying Millennial, Generation Gap reminded me that when it comes to generations, more connects us than separates us.

So here are my three big takeaways, insights from my day of bridging the generation gap:

Insight One: Age Labels Shouldn’t Be Boxes

Why do we feel the need to divide ourselves into subgroups, like generations. Why can’t we all just be people? I posed this question to Cody Dove during our conversation and he offered a layered response: “I think much of it has to do with marketing, segmenting your audience so you know how to reach and influence them, but it also helps people understand where they come from as they grow. It’s a way of relating to someone else and finding your ‘shared experience’ squad.”

Generation Gap broaches this topic with aplomb in one of their funniest sketches. A teenager shows his grandmother how to use Twitter. At first, she’s confused and suspicious of the platform. The grandson then explains to her how youth have leveraged social media to spark social movements and contest the policies of unreliable leaders (think gun violence or the Arab Spring). This insight shifts grandma’s mindset and she agrees to join the Twitter-verse. Grandma then posts a couple of deft tweets that instantly go viral, even catching the attention of the Queen herself, Beyonce. Mouth agape, grandson sits back in awe of her mastery of Twitter and instant social popularity.

One of the greatest misconceptions about millennials is that we are all tech-savvy and that the generations predating us, mainly Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, are tech and social media illiterate, which is often not the case at all. This misconception, however, sets up a false dichotomy that perpetuates generational friction. I was glad to see Generation Gap turn this idea on its head, and break the box wide-open on this notion.

Insight Two: The Secrets to Building Meaningful Connections are All Found in the Core Tenets of Improv – or, Why You Should Look People in the Eye.

When I arrived at the Kennedy Center for the character generator class, a multi-generational group of us were escorted down a long corridor, then to an elevator that let us out onto an office floor for the workshop. That entire time, which spanned about five to seven minutes, I don’t think any of us made eye contact with someone we didn’t already know. The elevator ride felt the most awkward. To break the tension, a few people whipped out their phones, perhaps to have a place to direct their focus. Everyone was polite and a few nervous laughs were shared but that was the extent of any connecting. Once the class began, the energy finally relaxed. We spent most of the workshop walking around the space embodying the physical and emotional prompts that Dove gave us. Periodically we stopped to find a scene partner to complete an exercise together.

We practiced different ways to create a character in a scene, tools all improvisers want to have on tap in their arsenals. However, the most transformational gift imparted to us was a seemingly small and inconsequential instruction that Dove mentioned at the top of the class, “make eye contact with each other as you explore the space.” The very thing many of us had unconsciously avoided had now become a central element of our creative journeys. Once we began to lock eyes, the hesitance and timidity that some of us entered with evaporated. We even took it up a notch and added a smile and slight head nod to acknowledge the other person’s presence. The eye contact definitely deepened our connection and comfort levels during our scene work. I left class exhilarated and wanting more, feeling I had really connected with those around me, which is the same way I felt after the show.

Insight Three: There’s Only One World We Need to Change (Our Own)

One of the fundamentals of improv is to view everything someone says and does as a gift. By focusing on supporting your scene partners, you create a story that neither of you could have developed on your own. Imagine the impact if we applied that philosophy to our everyday lives?

How many times do we approach strangers with preconceived notions in mind? How many times do we dismiss someone before really getting to know them because they are too this or too that (but not enough like us)?

Improv teaches us that we are all in this together. That listening to others is vital because it informs your responses – responses that need to be made quickly and humorously. Each scene in improv is a joint search for clarity that can only be found through listening and developing trust and connection. When you approach life as improv artists approach a scene, with the idea that we are all in this together, you inevitably expand your own worldview.

Improv is a world of infinite possibility and the beauty of improv is that we can see our reflection in it. It’s often only one-step removed from reality regardless of how off-the-wall outrageous or far-fetched the story appears. When the actors on stage “endow the characters they play with a soul,” as Cody Dove says, it elevates the story unfolding before our eyes and it speaks to us in a way few other art forms can.

___

So, what’s my ultimate takeaway? Generation Gap reminds me that maybe we’re not so different after all. Maybe if we can find the time to laugh, to look each other in the eye, to appreciate what other people have to say, maybe that would give us the courage we need to laugh at ourselves in the face of life’s challenges just like Generation Gap taps into the hilarity of generations laughing at themselves.

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The University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance is bringing students, faculty, and the community-at-large together for their 2018 Black Theatre and Dance Symposium (BTDS) on Saturday, April 14th. “Embracing Inclusion and Diversity in American Theatre and Dance” is the driving theme of this full day event and will feature not one, but two keynote speakers, award-winning international director and actress, Shirley Jo Finney, as well as Paige Hernandez, a multidisciplinary artist critically acclaimed as a performer, director, choreographer, and playwright.

I had a chance to catch up with both ladies earlier this week to get their take on the event’s theme and overall relevance. They both carry a very rich and deep knowledge of the performing arts space, having crisscrossed the country numerous times and created work in different political climates, they spoke to how their work has evolved as a result. Our conversations gave me a window of insight into why a forum like BTDS is critical for emerging creatives and the broader community.

Sherrita: What does the symposium’s theme mean to you?

Paige Hernandez: looks like inclusion and diversity both on and off stage, as well as in the management structure of [theater and dance] companies, on their boards and from their funders. It’s top to bottom, not just on stage where it’s in front of everyone but also in the representation administratively. The push to embrace diversity and inclusion means doing it holistically.

Shirley Jo Finney: I have been in this industry almost 40 years as an actress in front of the camera and as a director behind the camera in both mediums (theater and on screen). This theme is one that I have seen and been a part of. August Wilson was in this conversation about works by people of color in mainstream theater. It’s all about trying to claim our identity and sense of placement as a culture.

The symposium seeks to emphasize the importance of “artist leaders.” How would you define that term?

Shirley Jo Finney: someone who listens to the voice within and gives that expression. His/her creation comes from a pure place and doesn’t follow the chatter of the masses. They walk fearlessly in the expression of who they are and that then becomes the expression of the masses. [Their work] represents truth and bears witness to it for others.

Paige Hernandez: Who is that person who provides that opportunity for others? Even if it’s not providing actual employment, then maybe its providing empowerment, resources, support, and ways to pass on your experience and success to other people. A lot of what we do as artists is one big circle. It doesn’t make sense to hold on to it all, nor does it make sense to reinvent the wheel. Artist leaders are those who pass on what they’ve learned, what worked, the tried and true things, because we’re all better for it if more than one person has that expertise.

How do you want the audience to feel after listening to your speech?

Shirley Jo Finney: I hope it will prompt further conversation.

Paige Hernandez: It’s wonderful that we decided to do the keynote as a shared interview between Shirley and I. What we’re hoping will happen will be an insightful cross-generational talk between two women and artists of color. I hope the audience will come away empowered, having seen two examples of two different women who were able to make change happen in two different points in time and learn from our experiences and see the parallels.

Both Shirley Jo Finney and Paige Hernandez have a wealth of expertise to share and they’ll be joined by several other talented artists, including Erika Rose, Patrick Crowley, and Sharrell D. Lucket, who are leading workshops and dialogues on how to “influence and expand inclusive practices, civility, and social well-being in the performing arts and beyond.” The organizers of the symposium have packed the agenda with heavy-hitters. All who attend should be primed for an engaging, on-your feet series of discussions and activities. The schedule is here. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door; free with student, faculty, or staff ID. Fee covers breakfast and lunch.

The 2018 Black Theatre & Dance Symposium is on Saturday, April 14, 2018, at the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at the University of Maryland – 2810 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, in College Park, MD. For tickets, register online.

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From start to finish, Paper Dolls is a wildly entertaining and unapologetic dramedy filled with biting contradictions, provocative imagery, and endearing characters that you can’t help but root for. Adapted for the stage in 2013 by Philip Himberg, the production has a cinematic quality that pays homage to the award-winning documentary by Tomer Heymann on which it is based.

Set in 2004, the story follows the lives of five Filipino men working as caregivers to elderly Orthodox and Chasidic men in Tel Aviv, Israel. One night a week they take respite from their work to headline a drag show. Through Broadway veteran Mark Brokaw’s direction, this two-hour play moves at a brisk pace, with fluid transitions and no blackouts. There’s action at every turn, even in the quiet moments. The entire ensemble cast weaves in and out of scenes, set changes, and costumes both flawlessly and with an element of surprise, from quick-witted one-liners to colorful song and dance numbers.

Paper Dolls may have a strong comedic flare, but the journey from one laugh to the next is no cake-walk. The jokes in this play are used as tools to reveal social paradox and create a comfort level for the audience to engage a series of controversial subjects, such as immigration, masculinity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and cultural exploitation, among others. Moreover, there are a good number of jokes that you probably won’t understand given that they’re specific cultural references and/or spoken directly in Hebrew or Tagalog. You’ll feel like an outsider for a moment and then the story will reel you back in.

Sally, Cheska, Zhan, Jiorgio and Chiqui (played by Ariel Felix, Rafael Sebastian, Evan D’Angeles, John Norman Schneider and Kevin Shen, respectively) are the Paper Dolls. They share a playful chemistry and kinship that keep the audience invested in their story. On paper, the dolls appear to be carbon copies of the same person – a Filipino, gay, transgender, migrant worker employed as a home nurse in Tel Aviv – but it is precisely when their similarities are placed side-by-side that we see their individuality and humanity shine through.

One well-executed example of this is a scene where the dolls are discussing gender reassignment surgery. They each have a distinct personal preference. Zhan (D’Angeles) wants nothing more than to truly feel like a woman, while Cheska (Sebastian) is content with his body and doesn’t want to change. The scene is acted with such skill and fluidity that it helps dispel any notion that the Paper Dolls, and by extension the transgender community, are a monolith. Further, the tone of this scene isn’t heavy or uncomfortable, nor is the conversation belabored. Yet, the audience is clearly reminded that the Paper Dolls are people whose desire for love and happiness, and pursuit to become the most authentic versions of themselves, mirror our own. This gift of insight into the transgender community’s experience and daily struggle is artfully woven into the broader story arc without overpowering it.

Another unique feature of this play is that there isn’t a romantic story present to drive the action. Instead, other intimate bonds of companionship and family anchor the narrative, the strongest of which is Sally’s friendship with her employer, Chaim (played by Chris Bloch). There’s a deep respect and fondness between them that Chaim’s daughter, Adina (played by the talented Lisa Bruneau), attempts to disrupt. Adina eventually grows in compassion and understanding, but not without first attempting to shame Sally for dressing as a woman. Ariel Felix delivers a sublime performance as Sally. In his hands, Sally is regal, witty and endearing.

Masculinity is explored through the lens of culture and religion. Etai (played by John Bambery) is a young Israeli man who becomes fascinated with the Paper Dolls and requests to produce a documentary about their lives. In so doing he reveals that he had prior sexual experiences with men but would never dress up as a woman because “men have to be men.” He believes this distinction makes him better than the dolls. His journey of transformation throughout the play is fascinating to watch, and in some ways echoes the transformation that Adina undertakes.

Jiorgio (Schneider) recalls painful memories of physical abuse that he and his brother, Chiqui (Shen), suffered at the hands of their father, the person who was supposed to model masculinity for them, thus implying the existence of a huge rift in his family around that topic. Sally confronts an obstacle in gender identity during a visit to the Holy western wall where men and women pray on different sides. The question of, “Which side should he choose?” is a tense moment for both the audience and Sally to contemplate.

Irony and symbolism are strong forces throughout the story, especially in terms of family, religion, and the treatment of migrant workers as outsiders. Despite their own history of persecution and experience as strangers inhabiting a foreign land, Israeli law requires migrant workers to walk around with their paper visas on them at all times and if they lose their jobs they’re instantly illegal migrants who can be deported. The fear and anxiety created by this harsh reality is the backdrop of the play and reveals in many ways why the Paper Dolls never feel truly at home or accepted in Israel.

There is a scene in the second act of the play which includes both the principal actors and the ensemble cast of Elan Zafir, Brice Guerriere, Chris Daileader, and Dallas Milholland as Chassids who assist the dolls in getting ready for an important performance. It’s not clear whether the Chassids are real or merely spirits of ancestors placed in the story to symbolize what acceptance and unity could look like, but that message hits home regardless.

The costumes (by award-winning designer Frank Labovtiz) are the sixth paper doll in the story. Dresses made of actual newspaper, sequin gowns, provocative lingerie, and attention grabbing wigs with high heels to match, all raise the entertainment value of the production to create indelible imprints of these characters in the audience’s minds. The set design (by James Kronzer) is simple and adaptable. The backdrop places the audience in the heart of a working-class neighborhood in Tel Aviv and allows our imagination to fill in the rest of the scenery.

Projections (by Sarah Tundermann) are interspersed throughout with live camera footage. There’s an occasional tech glitch where the camera freezes, but overall it gives the play a grander, more cinematic feel and creates a story within a story. Music Director William Knowles selected a collection of diverse tracks from Israeli pop songs to the R&B classic Lady Marmalade that shape the tone of the play and elevate the emotional stakes within the world we see the Paper Dolls navigate.

Overall, the most surprising aspect of Paper Dolls was the feeling that hit me when I arrived home, kicked off my shoes, and realized that I’d never seen anything like that before. That aha moment instantly triggered an encore performance of the play in my mind. As I delved back inside the story, it’s themes, symbolism, and universality took hold of my senses with deeper resonance.

Running Time: 2 hours, with a 15-minute intermission

Paper Dolls runs through Sunday, April 29, 2018, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lang Theater – 1333 H Street, NE, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call the box office at 202-399-7993 ext 2, or purchase them online.

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A movement is taking flight and Young Playwright’s Theater (YPT) is one of its co-pilots. Their upcoming Silence is Violence event will explore environmental injustice as it relates to gentrification in Washington, DC. The evening will be a “multi-sensory” experience featuring original one-minute plays, spoken word, interactive exercises with the audience, and musical performances. More than 25 youth and adult writers will be featured and professional actors, including Helen Hayes award winners, will perform their work.

For more than 20 years, YPT has been putting tools in students and young people’s hands so they can feel empowered to harness their creativity in ways that powerfully express their deepest concerns. They provide in school and afterschool playwrighting workshops for students living in DC’s lowest income communities and their services reach approximately 1,500 youth annually.

While their YPT’s roots in arts education run deep, the Silence is Violence series is a semi-recent addition to their community engagement approach.

The first Silence is Violence event took place five years ago as a rapid response event to the #BlackLivesMatter movement following the death of Mike Brown and many other African American men at the hands of police officers. Farah Harris, now the Artistic Director of YPT says Silence is Violence stemmed from her asking a question at the end of a staff meeting. “It started a conversation about what YPT’s role could/should be to activate a deeper dialogue on social justice issues.”

Ms. Harris noted that she was the only Black person on staff at the time and she felt the need to ask whether her personal activism in response to the events in Ferguson, MO would jeopardize her position. On the contrary, YPT moved to get behind her vision and the Silence is Violence series was born. Within two weeks she and the former artistic director had planned a sold-out event. One student wrote a letter to Travyon Martin’s mom and many other young people performed on stage with professional artists for the first time.

What was an impromptu event is now a series that occurs twice a year and it has become a model for how YPT engages youth and students. Quite literally, the Silence is Violence series was conceived from an act of speaking up.

When asked about the importance of the theme for this year’s spring event, Ms. Harris shared that “it’s not just global warming or pollution or water crisis, gentrification also causes on a large-scale food deserts and poverty to people of color. It affects people’s health, lifespan, and quality of life, especially when they’re displaced from their neighborhoods or witness that happen to friends in their community.”

Through the upcoming Silence is Violence event, Ms. Harris and YPT are looking to engage audiences who don’t often hear the voices of young people and they’re targeting city officials and lawmakers in DC to come out learn directly from the youth in their community.

On the national scale, young people across the country have been galvanized to raise their voices in pursuit of meaningful change on issues that directly impact their lives and communities, from health care and gun violence to sexual harassment and racial justice. For YPT and many organizations like it, this is exactly the kind of activism they seek to foster in their work with youth.

Silence is Violence will take place Monday, March 5, 2018, at 7:00 pm at the Josephine Butler Parks Center – 2437 15th Street NW, in Washington, DC. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online. Entry is free for youth under 18.

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Written by Hope Villanueva, The Veils explores the dualities of identity and traverses the delicate terrain of PTSD. This show, produced by Nu Sass Productions, is enjoying its world premiere at the Women’s Voices Theater Festival.

Mel, the protagonist (played by Schuyler Atkins) is a translator in the Marines who struggles to adjust to civilian life while contending with her controlling sister and mom as they attempt to help her plan her wedding. Through Angela Kay Pirko’s direction, two distinct worlds are created on stage, one of Mel’s home life and the other of her time on a military base in Afghanistan. The play shifts between them to paint a vivid picture of the ghosts of war that have come home to haunt her. There are also times when those worlds converge to creates some of the most emotionally charged scenes in the play.

The script touches on several questions that I enjoyed thinking about as the story unfolded. What does it mean to be a woman and a Marine? What do you do when you can’t run from the ghosts of your past? And how do you mend fractured relationships? Villanueva lets these questions bubble to the surface of the play but ultimately shapes the narrative around family and the struggle to overcome loss.

The standout performance of the ensemble cast was that of Renee Wilson as Harmony. She played the overbearing, type-A big sister to perfection but remained likable and real. There’s a moment when she recounts a story of being with her dad, it’s a scene that moves the audience and makes us more invested in the family’s struggle. Schuyler Atkins also delivers a solid performance and battles her character’s inner demons with emotional complexity.

The sound and lighting design (by Sara O’Halloran and Allie Heiman, respectively) put the audience inside the story rather than leave us on the periphery. From explosions and hallucinations to dramatic sunsets and character voiceovers, the sound and lighting elements intensified the story’s action and created memorable moments.

A few of the prop and costume choices felt inauthentic and some of the acting is stronger than the rest, but this doesn’t tarnish the quality of the show.

Overall, this is a play with a timely message that holds a mirror up to the silent struggles that many of our servicemen and women face both on duty and when they return home. Kudos to Nu Sass Productions, a women-led powerhouse of creative artists, for a job well done on presenting such a bold and original play.

Run Time: One hour and 40 minutes, with a 10-minute intermission.

The Veils runs through Sunday, March 4, 2018, at Nu Sass Productions performing at the Anacostia Arts Center – 1231 Good Hope Rd SE Washington, DC. For tickets contact Nu Sass at 315-783-6650 or go online.

Hope Villanueva (Playwright)

Ms. Villanueva is a stage manager by profession but holds a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Playwriting. She has continued writing on and off since graduating. Her one-act musical, ROOFTOPS, was produced by the university as one of only 6 projects selected for production. It was produced again at Center Stage in Santa Barbara. During her tenure at Honolulu Theatre for Youth, she was selected as one of the writers for Where Do Things Go?, and her play, RENOVATIONS, was mounted as a part of that production and her full-length play, PACIFIC, was given a staged reading at the Next Act! New Play Summit in upstate NY. Most recently, THE VEILS, about a female Marine planning her wedding, was selected for development at The Black and Latino Playwright’s Conference 2016, The Discovery New Play Festival and The Kitchen Dog New Play Festival, and was produced as a podcast by The Parsnip Ship in NYC. The podcast is available on iTunes. Ms. Villanueva also has completed scripts for HER, ACROSS THE RIVER, (an American woman escapes to Thailand after a loss and befriends a novice monk), THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN (about the competitive relationships in a group of young women), a one-man show about Booker T. Washington and a screenplay titled, “Almost There.” In 2017, she was a proud participant in the HBMG National Winter Playwrights’ Retreat. She is also currently developing a modern adaptation of Othello with a lesbian relationship at the center. THE VEILS is receiving its world premiere production as a part of Washington, DC’s Women’s Voices Festival 2018.

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No Word In Guyanese For Me challenges our social conditioning around gender norms, identity, immigration, religion, and sexuality. Rainbow Theatre Project remounts this award-winning play by Wendy Graf in a sober and disarming way that leaves the audience wrestling with our own beliefs and experiences. The protagonist, Hanna, finds herself at odds with not merely one but all of them, and it is through her struggle to reconcile her relationship to these things that a truly human, universally relatable story of resilience unfolds.

Ashley K. Nicholas brings Hanna’s story to life in a riveting solo performance directed by Julia M. Hurley. The opening scene is quiet, dark and mysterious – a hint to the audience that this is a play that will gradually unfold. Hurley skillfully infuses several quiet moments throughout the story. They come at key turning points in Hanna’s life to either elevate the emotional stakes of a scene or give the audience time to process the trauma she endures.

Another fascinating element to the play is that Hanna’s journey spans the course of 18 years, through a non-linear timeline. We catch glimpses of Hanna’s life from ages 6 to 24 and the frequent use of flashback scenes puts Nicholas’ acting range on full display. These flashbacks are typically of Hanna’s childhood and serve to remind the audience of how much she’s changed, the innocence she’s lost and the extent to which her spirit has been smothered by the restraints placed upon her.

Nicolas draws from her own Caribbean roots to bring authenticity to the role. This is subtly captured through the evolution of Hanna’s accent, better yet her voice. As a child growing up in her native country of Guyana, a place she lovingly refers to as “my land of many waters” Hanna has a thick accent that is frequently punctuated with outbursts of giddy laughter and playful exuberance. While preparing for her family’s move to NYC we see the first set of constraints placed upon her by her family. Her aunt/surrogate mother forces her to practice Americanizing her accent and explains the importance of assimilating to U.S. culture. During her adolescent years in Queens, NY Hanna’s accent is milder but still noticeable, as she matures it continues to fade and with it her child-like innocence and freedom.  Kudos to Nicholas for making this choice and for infusing it with such strong symbolism.

The central conflict of the story is between Hanna’s sexuality and her religion, thus her hijab, a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women, is a key character in the story. There is a point in the play where she’s forced to make a choice about how to move forward in her life. In making that choice she removes her hijab and its one of the most painful, yet courageous scenes to watch. In that moment the sacrifice she makes is bigger than religion, it’s bigger than family, it’s a choice to be loyal to herself and accept herself despite the rejection of the people she loves.

The historical backdrop of Hanna’s story is of pre and post 9/11 NYC, which adds another layer to her struggle for acceptance and belonging. Through this lens we see her family grapple with the new reality of what it means to be Muslim in America. The intense scrutiny and hate towards Muslims during that time is made evident in the play through how her father is treated. The pride he once had for his job as a taxi driver shifts to one of fear, part of his dignity is stripped from him and it’s a crushing blow to Hanna’s family. Not long after this Hanna is forced into tumultuous arranged marriage. Rather than be allowed to attend college to study her passion of photography, a new life, that of wife, is thrust upon her. Her unwillingness to consummate the marriage forces her to confront her sexuality. She cannot run from it and she can’t pretend that she’s attracted to her husband, no matter the consequences. These moments are among the most riveting to watch because Nicholas makes us feel every bit of Hanna’s pain, longing and fear.

The set design (by Nola Werlinich), lighting (by E-hui Woo), sound (by Cresent Haynes) and visual projections (by Brian Douglas) blended together seamlessly to punctuate each stage in Hanna’s journey and create a distinct atmosphere that juxtaposed the bustling, concrete jungle of New York City with the warmth of Hanna’s beloved Guyana.

Overall, No Word in Guyanese For Me is a thought-provoking work of art, poetically written and beautifully performed.

Run Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

No Word In Guyanese For Me runs through Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the DC Arts Center – 2438 18^th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009. For tickets call the box office at 202-399-7993 ext 2 or purchase them online.

Wendy Graf (Playwright)

Wendy Graf is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced throughout the country. Recent plays include: PLEASE DON’T ASK ABOUT BECKET (prod 7-9/16 “Graf’s emotionally astute drama peels away layers of pathology with surgical skill”-Los Angeles Times); ALL AMERICAN GIRL (Stage Raw Recommended Top Ten/2015 nom Playwriting and Solo performance; LA Times Pick of the Week; LA Weekly “GO!” StageSceneLA 2015 Outstanding Solo Performance Production; Bitter Lemons 2015 Ten Best); CLOSELY RELATED KEYS (dir by Shirley Jo Finney; NAACP win/nominations); NO WORD IN GUYANESE FOR ME (2012 GLAAD Award Outstanding L.A. Theater); BEHIND THE GATES; LESSONS (L.A. production dir by Gordon Davidson); LEIPZIG (LADCC nomination; Garland award/Playwriting; Dorothy Silver finalist); THE BOOK OF ESTHER (San Fernando Valley Artistic Directors nominations including Best Play; ASK Theater Projects Grant Award); BETHANY/BAKOL (Attic Theater One Act Winner, produced September 2009 and her newest, UNEMPLOYED ELEPHANTS – A LOVE STORY, set for production in January 2018.

Recent award-winning short plays: SOPHIE/ALEXANDER/LISBOA; ASHES TO ASHES; A HOLLYWOOD FABLE; LESTER AND SCHLOSS; REPORTS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED; A SHONDA; RED AND BLUE.

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In Search of My Father…Walkin’ Talkin’ Bill Hawkins is an autobiographical exploration of identity and manhood packaged in a 90-minute one-man show written and performed by W. Allen Taylor. The play exposes the life-altering power of secrets and silence.

Since premiering in 1999, Taylor has rebooted this story several times and the current rendition sticks closely to Ellen Sebastian Chang’s original direction.

Taylor grows up an only child, never knowing his father despite repeated attempts to learn about him from his mother. He finds qualities in his uncles and other male role models to latch onto as surrogates, a small consolation for his father’s absence. After graduating from college in his early twenties he musters up the courage to ask his mother one more time about his father. This time, while still in the afterglow of deep joy and pride over watching her son and only child become a college graduate, she finds the strength to tell him. William “Bill” Hawkins is Taylor’s father, a well-known former radio DJ who shaped music and black radio in the 1940s and 50s. Taylor’s surprised to learn that he and his father share a common interest in radio.

The relief and hopefulness he feels in that moment are overtaken by daggers of grief, betrayal, and resentment when his mother also reveals that Bill Hawkins died several months earlier. “We made a mistake, we thought we had more time,” she says as a plea for forgiveness for never allowing him to know or build a relationship with his father. The remainder of the play’s plot coils around Taylor’s search to learn as much as he can about Bill Hawkins’ life, to build a connection to him and reconcile his feelings of abandonment.

Dream sequences are interlaced throughout the story that give the audience a glimpse into the conversations Taylor wishes he could have had with his dad. At times these scenes lack coherency and instead of driving Taylor’s emotional journey forward they interrupt it. On the other hand, Taylor’s acting range shines through in his portrayal of the different figures, both men and women, that helped him understand the man behind the microphone, Bill Hawkins. It all started with a couple that approached him while he was DJing at a wedding. Through them, he learned of his uncanny resemblance to his father and how well-respected he was as a radio personality. The historical journey of radio’s importance to Black culture in the 1940s and 50s is highlighted in a fascinating way throughout this play. In addition, the music that’s selected to represent that period is expertly massaged into the story as an ensemble character.

The set design is simple. Placed at center stage is a chair pushed into a desk with a vintage unidirectional microphone on top. Props and costumes are set behind either side of the desk, allowing Taylor to remain on stage the entire show.

Taylor opens his heart and brings the audience inside so that we’re able to share in the memories that shaped his life and views of manhood. There’s symbolism in nearly all aspects of the show, from the moment he places a broken album onto a record player setting the story in motion to the dim, shadowy lighting that’s used in the final scene, thus obscuring the audience’s view of a key figure in his life.

This is not a story where are all the pieces fit perfectly together, nor is it designed to be. It’s a poetic reflection of mystery, lure, and humanity. A collection of stories gathered over the years that create a mosaic of a man. Taylor tells his truth in a way that honors his father’s legacy but doesn’t let him off the hook for not being in his life. The questions he deposits in the audience’s minds about identity, secrecy, family, and forgiveness are universally relatable.

Run Time: 85 minutes, including a 10-minute intermission.

In Search of My Father…Walkin’ Talkin’ Bill Hawkins runs through Saturday, February 10, 2018, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lab Theatre II – 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002. For tickets call the box office at (202) 399-7993, ext. 2 or purchase them online.

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The 16th Annual Let Freedom Ring! Celebration honors the life, legacy, and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hundreds of people from all walks of life filled the pews of the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. As the program began the mood mirrored that of an intimate church service.

The Let Freedom Ring Choir stood regally in their blue robes to begin the opening song, titled, “The Promise Land (Someday)” composed by Music Director, Rev. Nolan Williams Jr. The choir blended all 140 of their unique voices together in a powerful harmony, at the heart of which was a call to action captured in these words:

I’ve been to the mountain top
Seen the Promised Land
Though I may not
Live to get there with you
Don’t you stop
Till, as a people,
We get to the Promise Land
– Nolan Williams, Jr.

The song’s lyrics were directly inspired by Dr. King’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” which he delivered in Memphis Tennessee the night before his assassination on April 3, 1968. His words, like those of the song, serve as both a plea to keep fighting for equality and a warning that silence is our most dangerous adversary to achieving this goal.

A youth-driven spoken word performance was fused into the opening number to underscore this very point. They noted police brutality, mass incarceration, suppression of LGBTQ rights and “inhumane” immigration policies as current injustices that hold America back from living up to the promises it “made on paper.”  Rev. Williams later reaffirmed this message in his remarks, stating that, “the mantle of social justice passes on to every successive generation like a torch; we are all called to do our part [and] push our nation toward a more perfect union.” His speech was a sermon that energized the audience and set the stage for the awards ceremony that followed.

Steve Park was the 2018 recipient of Georgetown University’s John Thompson, Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award – named for the institution’s first African American head basketball coach who was an inspirational leader in his own right. Through his non-profit, Little Lights Urban Ministries, founded in 1995, Park has touched the lives of 900 children living in the poorest neighborhoods of Washington, DC, recruited more than 2,000 volunteers and provided employment opportunities and job readiness training for community members.

The celebration’s featured performer was none other than the Grammy and Tony award nominated artist, Vanessa Williams, who took the stage in a show-stopping sequined black gown and sang several of her greatest hits, including “Colors of the Wind,” “Dreamin,” “Love Is,” and “Save the Best for Last”. She also performed the timeless classic “Stormy Weather” by Lena Horn, which put the sultriness of her voice on full display. She let loose while singing “Work to Do,” an upbeat R&B number. The audience was fully enthralled by her energy, and the song’s hook was an affirming nod to the theme of the celebration.

Throughout the evening, Ms. Williams ceded the spotlight to two emerging talents, Carmen Ruby Floyd who performed a jaw-dropping rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Creole Love Call” and Cartier Williams who dazzled the audience with his tap dance performance.

She concluded the evening with a joint performance of “Let there Be Peace on Earth” with the Let Freedom Ring Choir. Hope resonated in her voice and that was the emotion left with the audience as the celebration ended.

MLK Day is a holiday like none other in America. It’s a day that motivates our nation, and each of us as individual citizens, to stare injustice in the face and ask, “how can I do better?” As we embark on the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King’s passing, this question takes on even greater importance. While we’re closer to achieving his dream than we were in 1968 there’s still much more work to do. Over the past twelve months, the nation has been tested in ways we never expected and grave injustices continue to occur. At the same time, new voices and activists have stepped up to do their part in carrying the mantle of justice and equality forward. From the Women’s March on Washington to the Times Up movement, people are making their voice heard. This year’s Let Freedom Ring Celebration bottled all that up into an evening of healing, rejoicing and readying ourselves for the future. A future paved toward reaching the Promised Land.

Running time: 82 minutes with no intermission.

Let Freedom Ring! played one-night-only on January, 16th, 2018 at the Kennedy Center – 2700 F Street, NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets to upcoming Kennedy Center performances, call (202) 467-4600 or go online.

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