Theater Archives - Rolling Out

Opera singer Morris Robinson sheds light on diversity in classical music when it comes to the performers and audience.

Lottery Day is the culmination of playwright Ike Holter’s seven-play “Rightlynd Saga” series that tackles, among other themes, gentrification in Chicago’s fictional 51st Ward. Rolling out went behind-the-scenes to Chicago’s Goodman Theatre rehearsal room to chat with director Lili-Anne Brown and cast members J. Nicole Brooks and McKenzie Chinn to get their perspective on the…

Anthony Ekundayo Lennon lied about being a Black man and received a six-figure salary because of his deception. Lennon, a White man born to Irish parents, claimed that he stands as a “born-again” Black man, according to The Sunday Times. Lennon received a $406,500 grant from the Artistic Director Leadership Programme, a publicly-funded theater company in…

Dallas audiences are in for a life-changing experience at the theater. The stage play Soul Purpose is set to debut at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters – Naomi Bruton Theater and will run April 27-29. It centers on five strong African American women from different backgrounds seeking to discover God’s purpose for their…

Cornelia Dozier uses her gift of storytelling to change lives. As the founder of Coconut Grove Playhouse Children’s Theater, Dozier has worked tirelessly to inspire the next generation of actors, writers, and producers. On April 25, Dozier will be honored by JM Family Enterprises, Southeast Toyota Distributors and…

If we can count on anyone to show love to their hometown, Detroit knows that rapper Big Sean (Sean Anderson) will always come through. From surprising students at a recent Black Panther showing, to his donation of a state-of-the-art recording studio to Cass Technical High School, to contributing to victims of the Flint Water Crisis, the Bounce…

Hamilton is one of the greatest works on Broadway. The musical, which combines hip-hop and storytelling, has won numerous Tony Awards and remains the toughest ticket on Broadway. In August of 2016, Seth Stewart joined the cast of Hamilton as Marquis de Lafayette. Stewart recently spoke with rolling out to discuss the success of Hamilton and his role…

On Nov. 19, the Detroit Repertory Theatre celebrated its 60th anniversary for its 2016-2017 season. The theater opened in Detroit in 1957, originally performing children’s plays for students in the states of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The DRT, which lovingly came to be known as the Rep, is notable for being one of the…

The ’90s classic movie Love Jones‘ has been adapted for the stage starring some of the hottest music artists today. Grammy Award-winning, singer-songwriter Chrisette Michele stars in the play as Nina Mosley — a gifted photographer who recently ended a bad relationship only to find herself falling for another man. Rolling out spoke to Michele to…

Love Jones, the 1997 romantic comedy about Black, love has been adapted for the stage. This musical features music artists Chrisette Michele (who plays Nina Mosley), Raheem DeVaughn, Marsha Ambrosius, MC Lyte, Dave Hollister, Musiq Soulchild, and actor Tony Grant (who plays Darius Lovehall). The creative mind behind it all, Melvin Childs, sat down with…

Photo credit: Montez Miller/TheMontezGroup.com Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Raheem DeVaughn, known for albums such as The Love Experience and Love Sex Passion and songs like “Woman” and “Customer” is now hitting the stage in a new and major way. The singing sensation is now hitting high notes in the theatrical musical, Love Jones, a romantic comedy which…

On Oct. 21, the third annual Dead Iconz show was held at the Tangent Gallery in Detroit. Karl Jackson, Michael Taylor and Kyle Wright collaborated to bring the city a theatrical and musical adventure. Dead Iconz is a show where locals get the opportunity to display their talents by embodying an icon (mainly music) who has…

Ozara Odé captivates the audience as she portrays Nina Simone. This rising star dreams of taking on the big screen in the near future. What inspired you to get into the entertainment business? I was actually inspired to get into the entertainment business to draw attention to the causes that are most near and dear to…

Presented by The New Group, “Rasheeda Speaking” pushes buttons and plays with its perspective, but mostly hits it’s targets when examining how the relationship between two women who are “friendly but not friends”

(Photo credit: Dirty Sugar Photography) (Hair/Make-up credit: Camille Thompson) Having graced stages in countries such as Germany, Japan, France, Turkey and The Bahamas, actress and singer Patrice Covington has literally been around the world while fulfilling her wildest dreams. The Chesapeake, Virginia, native has been seen internationally belting tunes with all-star Broadway casts of such smash hit…

Holler If Ya Hear Me, the Broadway musical inspired by the life and lyrics of the late Tupac Shakur, has been forced to close on June 20th due to poor ticket sales. The non-biographical rap musical set in an inner-city neighborhood in the Midwest just opened a month ago, but it was met with low attendance and mixed reviews. Attendance was low, even during previews in early June.

Since starting her company in 2007, Mita Vain has seen it’s popularity grow steadily and reach heights she never imagined. 2012 proved to be an especially historic year for Mita Vain Inc., as this was the year that her company made waves within Chicago’s ever difficult theater community. Mita’s vision of creating and delivering one of a…

On the “A” w/Souleo Nearly 12 years ago, Sage Gallon was just getting clean after a decade of smoking crack. He’s now reliving those days of substance abuse but this time as a photographer. In his photographic essay, “Crack(s)” Gallon presents Baby Dee, a man in his mid-30s and in the throes of drug abuse.…

On the “A” w/Souleo During an evening inspired by the whimsy of “The Wizard of Oz,” attendees at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s (NJPAC) 18th Annual Spotlight Gala didn’t hesitate to delve into less lighthearted topics such as the government shutdown and controversial pop stars. Speaking from behind a shimmering black mask during the masquerade…

Trey Songz and the Texas Chainsaw 3D franchise pulled off a surprising upset at the box office. In the first week of its release, Texas Chainsaw 3D earned $23 million across the nation. The earnings were better than blockbuster hits Django Unchained, The Hobbit and Les Miserables. Trey Songz, starring in his first film, played…