America has always romanticized the struggles of the down trodden in society from cowboys to bootleggers. We glorify individuals who seek pathways through mountains of resistance. That is why America is infatuated with African-American life. We have survived atrocities of society for the persistent demand to be classified as human beings. These tendering experiences served as the motivation for some and the destruction of others. Blacken Blues Theater captures the essence of contemporary African-American life by romancing the drama of every day struggles with stories that are thought provoking and entertaining. We parallel art with the reality of living in urban America. We respect the classics, but our goal is to create new ones. We are dedicated to providing a forum for upcoming playwrights and artists to display their blessings. Blacken Blues Theater is an evolution in urban theater.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to share the rich culture of African-American life with the Dallas/Fort Worth community, and provide a forum for upcoming artists. By sharing our cultural experiences with the broader community, we hope to promote racial tolerance through education and understanding. We invite all emerging artists of all race and ethnicity to become part of the Blacken Blues experience.
ORGANIZATION
Blacken Blues Theater of African-American Life is a not for profit organization. Founded in 1998 by Willie Holmes as a forum for aspiring and professional artists. Our purpose is to promote cultural diversity through educational productions and improve the quality of life in the community by producing inspirational stories of African-American life and culture.
We have performed all over the Dallas Metroplex area including the Muse Cafe at the Dallas Convention Center, Trinity River Art Center in Dallas, Irving Arts Center, and the Scott Theater in Fort Worth. BBTAL is currently housed at the African-American Museum in the Fair Complex in Dallas. Some highlights are the Annual African-American Play Festival. The 2004 festival included the NAACP Image Award nominated production, "Batman and Robin in the Boogie Down" written and performed by Juliet Jeffers and directed by Hollywood Reggie Rock Bythewood (writer and director of the blockbuster "Biker Boyz" which starred Lawrence Fishburne and Lisa Bonet). Also, the company was invited to participate in National Black Theater Festival's Reader's Theater in North Carolina.
Our goal is to promote cultural diversity by producing contemporary stories of African-American life. We want to increase audience participation of all ethnicities so that at least 40% of the audience is non African-American. We want to employ a very aggressive marketing campaign reaching out to all races and ethnic groups. Theater unites diverse groups and brings them together to share an experience.
