James Black News

Get ready to buy tickets to SOLITARY MAN in Sydney and Melbourne

Black Arts MKE collaborated with Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc. Epsilon Kappa Omega Chapter Sorority to provide a unique week-long summer camp opportunity in dance.  I AM. Masterclass will expose local youth to James Gilmer, an accomplished Black artist with the internationally acclaimed African American dance company – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

What a gut punch of a play is Branden Jacob-Jenkins’s Gloria, and what a tight and well-paced rendition 4th Wall Theatre Company has offered. The script maintains a remarkable self-awareness that manages to stay ahead of the audience’s assumptions and even subvert them. All of this is tapped into to great effect by director James Black, along with a talented cast of actors. 

4th Wall Theatre Company, Houston’s home for extraordinary performances up close, is proud to present the Houston Premiere production of the explosive Pulitzer Prize Finalist play GLORIA by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

The 2022 winners of Douglas Lyons' Next Wave Initiative have been announced.  NWI is a developmental branch of The Directors Company committed to amplifying future Black voices in The American Theatre. Each winner will receive financial scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,959 to support their undergraduate or graduate education.

4th Wall Theatre Company will present the Houston Premiere production of the explosive Pulitzer Prize Finalist play GLORIA by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. 

Written by Chisa Hutchinson and directed by James Black, Amerikin plays in the Neuhaus Theatre at the Alley Theatre now through March 13, 2022.

The Tony Award®-winning Alley Theatre has announced the cast and creative team of Chisa Hutchinson’s world premiere drama Amerikin. The play is directed by former Resident Acting Company Emeritus member James Black and runs February 11 – March 13, 2022 in the Neuhaus Theatre.

In this era of reality TV and lightning fast virality, it's extraordinary when an artist can achieve fame for more than 5 minutes. Cue: The Black Sorrows. Nearly 40 years after their hometown debut, the legendary Australian roots rock band has amped up their enviable catalogue with another in a long line of chart-busting albums and blistering new singles - Saint Georges Road and 'Revolutionary Blues' are available now.

For the last 17 years, Andy Kim has been gathering friends and fans together to celebrate the spirit and generosity of the musical community with all proceeds going to CAMH Gifts of Light.

As the Theatre begins to reopen, the Alley will keep guests updated on any changes to subscription packages, seating capacities, ticketing options, and safety protocols for returning. 

4th Wall Theatre Company has announced its return to in-person theatre for the 2021-2022 season. This landmark season is completely comprised of Houston Premiere productions and features four of the most exciting plays 4th Wall has ever assembled.

After having closed its doors to the public in March 2020 due to COVID-19, the Alley Theatre has announced its plans to reopen the theatre in Fall 2021. Reopening the Alley Theatre coincides with its 75th Anniversary Season with performances beginning on October 1, 2021.

Spring Arts Awakening features nine weeks of entertainment, outdoors under a tent in the venue's parking lot.

Amber James, Black Apron Entertainment and English Touring Theatre today announce Children's Children – a series of five short films, curated by Amber James, exploring the interaction of past with the present, and celebrating Black history.

Wendell Pierce (Olivier nominee for Best Actor for Death of a Salesman) will make his University Musical Society (UMS) debut with a Digital Artist Residency that will feature a filmed, fully-staged production of James Anthony Tyler's 2015 play, Some Old Black Man. The two-person play also features veteran actor Charlie Robinson.

Wynton Marsalisa's exploration of socio-cultural and political issues has yielded some of his most inspired and provocative work over the last four decades - learn more about the album.

On August 21, 2020, Blue Engine Records will release The Ever Fonky Lowdown, the latest Marsalis composition to directly address the irresistible cocktail of deception, racism, greed, and gullibility that subverts the global fight for human rights and corrupts the possibilities and promise of democracy in America and around the world.

Available exclusively on digital platforms, The Ever Fonky Lowdown features the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and vocalists Camille Thurman, Ashley Pezzotti, Christie Dashiell, and Doug Wamble.

BLACK BROADWAY MEN is a new and exciting non-profit organization which utilizes social and educational opportunities to strengthen the bond of healing and unity for ALL Black men in both the Broadway and theatre community.