A TRIBUTE TO BLACK THEATRE

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communications@sarahlawrence.edu

914.395.2219

Sarah Lawrence College Alumnus Kwame Johnson ’74, MFA ’77 Directs A Tribute to Black Theatre

YONKERS, N.Y., February 6, 2023— On February 18, 2023, the Sarah Lawrence College Theatre and Civic Engagement Program will present The Little Blue Room Theatre Ensemble and The Falcon Dance Team of the Theodore D. Young Community Center of the Town of Greenburgh, NY in A Tribute to Black Theatre. Directed by Sarah Lawrence alumnus Kwame Johnson ’74 MFA ’77, this production features the works of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Ntozake Shange, George C. Wolfe, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sam Cooke, along with work from the musical Dreamgirls. The show is choreographed by Jessica Parris.

As a student at Sarah Lawrence, Johnson frequently shared his skills with the local community. In 1972, as an undergraduate, he taught mime to teenagers who played basketball in a nearby park. Those lessons led to Johnson’s founding of the renowned Youth Theatre Interactions, still in existence today.

Johnson studied under faculty emerita and the former director of the Sarah Lawrence Theatre Program Shirley Kaplan, a strong proponent of sharing theatre skills with the wider community and of hosting area youth performances at Sarah Lawrence. “A responsible artist, Kwame Johnson was my student. For the past 50 years, he has been a real embodiment of Sarah Lawrence, who, in his directing, captures the heart and soul of community expression.”

Allen Lang, Director of the Sarah Lawrence College Theatre and Civic Engagement Program, says, “The Little Blue Room Theatre Company is widely considered to be the premier Black and multi-cultural theatre company in Westchester County, and Johnson’s upcoming show will mark his 52nd year of directing.”

Event Details

WHAT: A Tribute to Black Theatre, directed by Kwame Johnson ’74 ’77

WHEN: February 18, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Sarah Lawrence College, Reisinger Concert Hall in the Performing Arts Center

Free and open to the public

About Sarah Lawrence College

Sarah Lawrence is a prestigious, residential, coeducational liberal arts college. Founded in 1926 and consistently ranked among the leading liberal arts colleges in the country, Sarah Lawrence is known for its pioneering approach to education, rich history of impassioned intellectual and civic engagement, and vibrant, successful alumni. In close proximity to the unparalleled offerings of New York City, our historic campus is home to an inclusive, intellectually curious, and diverse community.

Photo Credit Olivia Hunter

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