Review: International Black Theatre Festival Noon-Day Press Conference

You Have Entered…Black Theatre Holy Ground!  Every other year, North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NC Black Rep) paints the city of Winston-Salem “purple” in honor of its founders, the late great Larry Leon Hamlin (Mr. Marvtastic) and Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin (R.I.P), as patrons come from near and far to attend The International Black Theatre Festival (IBTF - formerly known as “The National Black Theatre Festival”). 

IBTF kicks off six action-packed days of the “best-of-the-best” in theatre entertainment with its noon day press conference.  Saturated with celebrities, the press conference sets the tone for the entire festival and introduces the various performances and the representatives who spearhead them.  For me, the press conference is one of the highlights of the festival because I get an up-close and personal snapshot of what I will experience throughout the week. 

The press conference was hosted by IBTF’s media director, Brian McLaughlin.  Brian did a wonderful job introducing the celebrities on the roster and as always, he was a wonderful host.  The opening remarks were delivered by Eric Sadler, President of NC Black Rep; followed by Jackie Alexander (Executive Director, IBTF and Producing Artistic Director, NC Black Rep), and India Mack, Managing Director, NC Black Rep). 

For each rendering of the festivals, two celebrity co-chairs are selected to represent Black theatre excellence.  This year’s co-chairs are Clifton Davis (star of the sitcoms That’s My Mama and Amen) and Tamara Tunie (Law And Order: SVU, and As The World Turns).  Both provided remarks of the importance of the festival and expressed their delight to be co-chairs.  

Some of the regular IBTF celebrities returned again this year to include: Starletta DuPois (Waiting To Exhale, Big Momma’s House, and Friday After Next); Petri Hawkins-Byrd (Judge Judy), and Lisa Arrindell (Madea’s Family Reunion), who was one of IBTF’s co-chairs in 2022.  I asked Lisa what the International Black Theatre Festival means to her; she responded: “This conference brings me joy.  Joy is very powerful because God says His Joy is our strength.  So, I know that when we are together and we can feel that kind of joy, it catapults us into creating more stories.”

Another conference returnee/favorite was Broadway legend Chester Gregory. For decades, Chester has been a main stage performer of The Jackie Wilson Story.  This year, Chester has retired his infamous split and is starring in another musical entitled, A Motown Celebration With Chester Gregory, “a full-on party packed with tunes that’ll have you dancing in your seat.”

As I previously stated, this year’s festival has expanded its name and borders to “International Black Theatre Festival” to be inclusive to theatre professionals residing and creating overseas.  All the way from Cape Town, South Africa, Thembi Mtshali-Jones introduced her international award-winning production, A Woman In Waiting that depicts her life, “highlighting women’s struggles in the apartheid era South Africa.”

One of my favorite Broadway actors was in attendance, Tony Award-Winner, LaChanze.  I remember seeing her in the role of Celie in the Color Purple, it made an huge impact on me.  I had never seen a production that was so well-produced from every aspect from costumes to set design.  It set the bar for every stage play I produced from that day forward.  LaChanze has now evolved into a great producer as well.  She made her debut as a producer in the 20th Anniversary revival of Suzan Lori-Parks acclaimed Pulitzer-Prize winning stage play, Top Dog, Underdog.

I received a history lesson that I wasn’t taught in my history class during grade school at the press conference.  In attendance was special guest, Lynda Blackmon-Lowery, who was the youngest person to march across the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movement.  She foretold how she was beaten and bludgeoned by white police officers in her book, Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom (My Story Of The 1965 Selma Voting Rights March).

Later this evening, one of my favorite events will occur, the IBTF gala, at Benton Convention Center.  Some of the attendees of the press conference will be honored there tonight. The gala is a star-studded formal evening that honors and awards theatre professionals (many who are legends) that have made significant impact on stage and behind the scenes. The highlight of the evening is the Parade of Stars, a processional of the honorees preceded by African drums and dancing.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to attend an IBTF, I encourage you to do so.  There is so much rich African American culture to experience to include: mainstage productions, workshops, films, stage readings, midnight poetry, and an experience specifically catered for our younger generation.  

Come now…let’s experience “Black Theatre Holy Ground”.

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