Coordinates | 40°40′N 73°56′W / 40.667°N 73.933°W |
---|---|
Public transit | Nostrand Avenue station |
Owner | Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation |
Capacity | 218 |
Construction | |
Opened | May 1972 |
Renovated | 2015 |
Architect | Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects |
Website | |
http://thebillieholiday.org |
The Billie Holiday Theatre is as 218-seat theatre located in the New York neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It opened in May 1972,[1] It was founded by the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.[2]
The Billie Holiday Theatre is a nonprofit organization located at 1368 Fulton Street, inside the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's Restoration Plaza, and is part of a $6 million [3] superblock in Bedford-Stuyvesant eventually housing an ice-skating rink, a supermarket, and the theatre.[3]
Theatre background
Franklin A. Thomas, the first Black President of the Ford Foundation,[3] used his position to revitalize his hometown neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant through the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. The $6 million unit housed the 218-seat Billie Holiday Theatre. Thomas’ concept behind the theatre was “to expose the second largest black community in America to the arts while providing an outlet for local talent.” [3] Marjorie Moon was appointed as the theatre's executive director.[3] Under Moon, “the theatre built a community audience by placing Bedford Stuyvesant citizens on the theatre’s board.” [3]
In 2015, the theater moved to Fort Greene for two years while the Bedford-Stuyvesant location was being renovated.[4][5] The renovations to The Billie Holiday Theatre were designed by MBB Architects.[6] The newly renovated theater reopened in May 2017.[7] In 2023 the Billie Holiday Theatre received the National Medal of the Arts, the nation's highest arts award.[8] U.S. President Joe Biden called the theater "an incredible place" that is "nurturing a new generation of Black playwrights, performers.”[9]
Notable alumni
Well-known theatre actors who have performed at the Billie Holiday Theatre include Samm-Art Williams,[3] Samuel L. Jackson,[3] Debbie Allen,[3] Tichina Arnold,[10] Obba Babatunde,[10] and Rondell Sheridan[10]
Notable works
Young Gifted and Broke (1977) by Weldon Irvine ran for a record seventy-seven sold-out performances.[3]
In 2010 the theatre presented the award-winning play, What Would Jesus Do?.[11]
References
- ↑ "Billie Holiday Theatre at Restoration Plaza". Time Out New York.
- ↑ Johnson, Kimberle' "Community Development Corporations, Participation and Accountability: The Harlem Urban Development Corporation and the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 594th ser. ANAALS.AAPSS (2004): n. pag. Sage Journals. Web.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hill, Errol, and James Vernon Hatch. A History of African American Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.
- ↑ "Wendell Pierce to open Bed-Stuy theater’s Fort Greene run". By Matthew Perlman, The Brooklyn Paper.
- ↑ Stapinski, Helene (2017-03-15). "In Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ready for 'the Billie' to Return". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ↑ Abarbanel-Grossman, Alex (March–April 2018). "An Icon's Second Act" (PDF). Retrofit. pp. 62–67.
- ↑ BWW News Desk. "Historic Billie Holiday Theatre to Reopen Next Week". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ↑ "Billie Holiday Theatre Receives National Medal of Arts". American Theatre. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- ↑ Culgan, Rossilynne Skena. "Brooklyn's Billie Holiday Theatre just won the nation's most prestigious arts award". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- 1 2 3 TNJ Life, ed. "The Billie Holiday Theatre." The Network Journal Magazine Version (September 2008): n. pag. Sept. 2008. Web.
- ↑ "Akin Babatunde, Daniel Beaty, Kenita Miller, and More Win 2010 Audelco Awards". Theatre Mania, Dan Bacalzo • New York City • Nov 17, 2010