Black Theatre United (BTU) will commemorate Juneteenth this year with a celebration as part of Lincoln Center's Summer for the City Festival, plus the inaugural BTU Design Expo in partnership with the New York Library for the Performing Arts.
As part of Lincoln Center's fifth annual campus-wide Juneteenth celebration, Black Theatre United will present an artistic exploration of Juneteenth, from the very moment of freedom to the celebratory holiday that it is today. The free performance will be held June 19 at 7:30 PM at Damrosch Park. Schele Williams will direct the work, which is conceived by BTU founders Michael McElroy and Lisa Dawn Cave.
BTU founder Tamara Tunie will host the event, with appearances by founders LaChanze and Wendell Pierce. Audiences will be treated to multidisciplinary performances including movement pieces created by Ayodele Casel and Darrell Grand Moultrie; spoken word by Mel Chant茅; and music featuring Matthew Whitaker, Norm Lewis, Capathia Jenkins, Darius de Haas, Lillias White, Brian Stokes Mitchell, J. Harrison Ghee, and Broadway Inspirational Voices under the direction of Allen Ren茅 Louis.
BTU also aims to highlight local vendors as part of this program, including natural bath and body product line Pooka Pure & Simple, and homemade ice cream brand IScreamry LLC. Preceding the performance will be a multidisciplinary event curated by Carl Hancock and held on Hearst Plaza at 6:00 PM. Click for more information.
On June 20 from 11:00 AM-5:30 PM, the celebration will continue BTU's inaugural Design Expo, presented in partnership with New York Library for the Performing Arts. The event will give early-career theatre designers access to panels, discussions, presentations, demonstrations, portfolio reviews, and more. Participants will be announced at a later date. The Design Expo is free and open to all. Click to register before June 4.
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