Black Theatre Day Virtual Happy Hour

Please join the Black Theatre Day social media campaign on September 17, 2021 as we collectively celebrate 200 years of Black Theatre in honor of the opening night of the first season of The African Company/The African Grove Theatre as the first professional Black theatre company in the United States.

This official day will become an annual opportunity to celebrate Black Theatre by creating awareness of our organizations and generating contributions of money, time, and service while amplifying the work of Black theatre institutions.

On Friday, September 17, 2021 we will collectively launch a social media campaign throughout the day celebrating Black Theatre Day and join The International Black Theatre Summit’s “Thriving Together” Virtual Happy Hour event at 5pm ET:

To participate share the posts of participating Black theatre institutions throughout the day with the following hashtags:

#CelebrateBlackTheatreDay #AfricanGroveTheatre #ThrivingTogether #CelebratingTheAfricanGroveTheatre200Years, #200YearsofBlackTheatre #[insertnameofBlacktheatrehere] [OPTIONAL: #IBTS2021 #TheInternationalBlackTheatreSummit2021]

On September 17, 1821, the African Theater launched their first season in New York City. They produced multiple seasons including the first extant play by a Black American and launched the career of Ira Aldridge, a Black actor who toured Europe as the greatest Shakespearean tragedian of all times. As the heirs of this illustrious legacy, 21st century Black theatres in the U.S. are still working to build sustainable, institutional wealth. Black Theatre Day is an opportunity to increase the visibility of Black Theatre institutions in support of those efforts.

To learn more about Black Theatre Day, The International Black Theatre Summit, CreateEnsemble.com and opportunities to connect with Black Theatres and Black Creatives working across platforms.

This event is convened by The CRAFT Institute in partnership with The Billie Holiday Theatre. We hope to see you there!!!