The Nebraska Repertory Theatre and the Saint Louis Black Repertory Company continue to collaborate for #realchange Friday, Nov. 6 at 6 pm with “#realchange Baldwin and the American Theatre.”
Focusing on contributions to the American theatre by noted African-American playwright James Baldwin, the event features "A Conversation with Dick Cavett." In a conversation with The Black Rep’s Ron Himes, Cavett will elaborate on his historic 1969 interview with James Baldwin, as well as discussing what he might ask Baldwin in 2020 about race in the current climate of the Black Lives Matter movement. The free event is online only at this link: https://go.unl.edu/baldwinamericantheatre.
The evening also includes performance excerpts from “Blues for Mister Charlie” and “The Amen Corner” featuring The Black Rep’s Professional Acting Intern Company members Christian Kitchens, Theorri London, Brian McKinley, Jesmelia Williams and Christina Yancy. There will also be a panel, hosted by The Black Rep’s producing director Ron Himes, that includes panelists Michael Dinwiddie, Associate Professor of Dramatic Writing at New York University; Nkenge Friday, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives at UNL; Woodie King, Jr., Founder/Producing Director of New Federal Theatre; and Jeffrey Q. McCune, Jr., Associate Professor of African & African American Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.
The Nebraska Rep and The Black Rep launched a two-year partnership with “The Continuum: Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter” on Oct. 2. This partnership aims to bring about positive social change at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and beyond.
“This collaboration with The Nebraska Rep and the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film is consistent with our mission to heighten the social, cultural and educational awareness of our audiences,” Himes said. “Our company was cast in the spirit of the Black Arts Movement, and our work has always addressed issues of social justice and disenfranchisement of the BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) communities in American, then and now.”
Nebraska Rep’s Executive Director Christina Kirk said, “It is particularly important for current UNL students to know about Baldwin’s writing, his activism and his profound influence on the way we think about race today. Baldwin’s life work is especially relevant to the current Black Lives Matter movement.”
For more information, visit http://nebraskarep.org.