Local arts organization makes sixth appearance at International Black Theatre Festival, performing three shows for more than 2,200 patrons
Members of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT) of Sarasota say they were thrilled to participate for the sixth time in the “prestigious International Black Theatre Festival (formerly the National Black Theatre Festival),” which took place from July 29 through Aug. 3 in Winston-Salem, N.C., a news release points out
“This year, WBTT brought two shows to the festival” — the original musical Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition and a one-act play, Float Like a Butterfly — while the arts organization collaborated on a third, one-act play, From Birmingham to Broadway, the release notes.
By the end of the festival, WBTT had presented Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition five times over the course of three days; the one-act plays were performed four times over the course of two days, the release adds. Altogether, more than 2,200 people attended WBTT’s performances, the release adds.
Soul Crooners is an original musical revue — “a celebration of the most renowned soul and R&B artists and hottest hit songs of the late 1960s and through the 1970s,” the release explains.
Float Like A Butterfly, which was written by Michael Jacobs, premiered during WBTT’s 2021-2022 season; its original star, Darius Autry, returned to star in the play, which pays tribute to Muhammad Ali, “the greatest-of-all-time heavyweight boxer,” the release points out. Frequent WBTT artist Tarra Conner Jones starred in Winston-Salem in From Birmingham to Broadway, which also premiered during WBTT’s 2021-2022 season, the release notes; she wrote that play, as well. It was presented in tandem with Float, “a tour-de-force tribute to Broadway singer and TV actress Nell Carter,” the release says. The director was WBTT founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs.
“Attending the International Black Theatre Festival this year was a huge endeavor but one that WBTT staff was totally up for,” said Jacobs in the release. “I have been privileged to be involved with the festival since 2001, when founder Larry Hamlin invited me to perform — and produced — my one-man show, Aunt Rudele’s Family Reunion,” Jacobs added. “Having an international stage to showcase our work never fails to be a thrill for all involved.”
To present the three shows, WBTT brought the following to Winston-Salem, the release points out:
- Nine performers.
- Five musicians and their instruments/equipment.
- Two costumers.
- 14 backstage and technical crew members.
- Scenery for all three shows, transported in a 26-foot rental truck.
“Returning home proved to be a bit difficult due to Hurricane Debby,” which left much of WBTT’s crew stranded in Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Jacksonville, the release notes. “Thankfully, everyone eventually made it home safely.”
“It was a tremendous honor for our organization to enjoy our sixth consecutive invitation to this renowned international event,” added WBTT Executive Director Julie Leach in the release. “We were immensely proud of our artists, musicians, creative team and crew for representing Sarasota so well in front of theater fans from around the globe!”
On July 25, in advance of its departure for the festival, WBTT presented a sold-out, one-act festival send-off performance of Soul Crooners Solid Gold Edition,” the release continues. The proceeds from the event helped to defray the expenses related to attendance at the festival, the release says.
“The International Black Theatre Festival is a renowned outreach program of the North Carolina Black Repertory Co., founded in 1979,” the release explains.
“Except for the pandemic interruption, the festival has been held biennially since 1989,” the release adds. The event “attracts tens of thousands of national and international patrons, theater professionals, and scholars,” the release says.
For more about WBTT, visit westcoastblacktheatre.org.