A one-night-only staged reading of the late Chadwick A. Boseman's Deep Azure will be held March 27 at 7:30 PM at Washington, D.C.'s historic Howard Theatre. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University. Howard alumnus NSangou Njikam is set to direct, with Phylicia Rashad as creative consultant.
The cast will feature Lauren E. Banks (The Blood Quilt), Bessie Award winner Adesola Osakalumi (FELA!, Skeleton Crew), Joshua Boone (The Outsiders, Skeleton Crew), Greg Alverez Reid (Fat Ham), Isaiah J. Johnson (Hamilton, The Color Purple), Amber Iman (Lempicka, Soul Doctor) and Djali Amadou Kouyate, (21 Strings Kora).
Set against the backdrop of Mecca University, Deep Azure unfolds in the wake of a tragic police killing that sends shock waves through the campus. At the heart of the story is Azure (played by Iman), a young woman determined to uncover the truth behind the death of her beloved boyfriend, Deep (played by Johnson). But as she pieces together the mystery, she soon realizes that the answers may lie closer to home than she ever imagined. The play also incorporates elements of hip hop, jazz, and blues.
The creative team of the Deep Azure reading will include lighting designer Alan C. Edwards and sound designer G. Clausen. General management is by Martian Entertainment. Derrick Boseman, Kevin Boseman, and Simone Ledward Boseman are producing, with Denise Saunders Thompson and Ron Gillard as executive producers.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, which also provides four-year scholarships for students studying the performing arts. The honorary host committee for the event includes chair Ryan Coogler, Don Cheadle, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Common, Kamilah Forbes, Reginald Hudlin, Kenny Leon, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Susan Kelechi Watson.
"This work is seminal in the hip hop theatre canon and shows Chadwick's brilliance as a writer," Njikam said in a statement. "Weaving his love of culture, history, social issues, and mastery of language, Deep Azure demonstrates his mastery as an artist and scholar. I am deeply honored to return to this work. A work that continues to have a huge impact on me as an artist and a man. May his spirit continue to inspire us to be our greatest selves."
Boseman, who rose to fame playing the Marvel superhero Black Panther, began his career in theatre; he was a student at Howard, where he studied directing and playwriting. Deep Azure first premiered in 2004 at Chicago's Congo Square Theatre Company. Boseman passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 from colon cancer.
A VIP reception will be held after the performance, allowing guests to celebrate Boseman's legacy and support the next generation of artists emerging from Howard University.
Click for more information about the reading.
