Black Theatre Festival

The Midwest Regional Black Theatre Festival is a biennial two-week event produced by CBTC showcasing and presenting the outstanding talent of local, regional and national theatre arts professionals and non-professionals, adults and children.

The Festival Offers:

• Exhibits of new and established African American plays and musicals
• Theatre arts workshops and seminars
• Music, dance, visual art and poetry slams

Festival productions, workshops and other activities are held at multiple venues throughout Greater Cincinnati.

Venues being considered for the Festival include:

• Cincinnati Museum Center
• School for Creative and Performing Arts
• Xavier University
• Madisonville Arts Center
• Carl H. Lindner YMCACincinnati Christian University
• Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center
• Aronoff Center for the Arts

The Festival also includes a Celebrity Gala Awards Banquet, emceed by a celebrity of national prominence and merit in the theatre world. This black-tie event recognizes and present awards to local honorees who have made significant contributions to the Greater Cincinnati arts community. The Gala also operates as a fundraiser for CBTC, and is attended by our sponsors, patrons and invited guests.

Past Festival productions, performers and workshops include:

Past Guest Productions/Artists:

• A Song For You: Lena Horne – Wendi Joy Franklin (NY)
• Further Adventures of Gussie Mae in American – Letitia Guillory (NY)
• Emergence-SEE – Daniel Beaty (NY)
• Flava of the Month – Sarah Scott-Davis (LA)
• Mahalia Jackson: I Found the Answer – Sharron Merriweather (KY)
• African American Opera (by Avery Hammonds) – Lisa Marie Miree (Miss Black USA)
• Hues of Blues . . Cause Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine – by Carlos V. Edwards (in memorial)
• The Mirror – by Charles E. McClinon (CPI)

Past CBTC Productions:

• Amen Corner
• Bangin’
• Beast of a Different Burden
• Before It Hits Home
• Every Voice Counts – written and performed by CBTC Children’s Theatre Co.
• By the Time I’m 20 – by Willie James Jones for CBTC Children’s Theatre Co.
• Once On This Island – CBTC Children’s Theatre Co.

Readers’ Theatre offerings by:

• Paula Sherman, Phil Paradis, Deondra Kamau Means, Vanessa Arrington

Past Festival Workshops/Presenters:

• Writer’s Workshop – Sonia Sanchez (Philadelphia)
• Producing – Luther Goins (Actors’s Equity/Chicago)
• Jazz & Modern Dance – Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
• Auditioning/Resumes – C. Dean Tabler (in memorial)
• Acting
• African Dance
• Black Theatre Aesthetics
• Directing
• Guerilla Theatre
• Hip Hop
• Liturgical Dance
• Make-Up/Costumes
• Whatcha Say? Children’s Theatre