Black Nativity 2023 banner
Black Nativity, presented by Black Arts MKE, is a celebration of culture and season that is presented by an impressive array of local talent. Each year of the production contains new aspects to the performance, but this eighth year features a new director, which has allowed for a refresh to the beloved classic story. One can expect updated music, new dancers, and more opportunities for performance accessibility from this year’s stunning show.
This year’s Black Nativity will run from December 7-10 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall. For tickets and more information, visit marcuscenter.org/event/black-nativity.
Ashley Jordan, Stage Director, and Wanyah Leon Frazier, Artistic Director, have been working together throughout the creative process. Both are experiencing their first years in these roles for the production and have a variety of new ideas and directions to take the poignant production.
“What we’re looking to do is take all the energy and great components and figure out what worked for the production and things we want to add on or take in a new direction,” says Frazier. “Things like contemporary dance, which has led to the incorporation of hip hop. It’s an amalgamation of a lot of people, a lot of influence, and a lot of legacy.”
With the Community
For Jordan, this first year allows for new artistic opportunities to work with the community in presenting this show, especially with a majority of the cast being composed of performers who have not before participated in Black Nativity. “This is my first year directing this production. This year there’s so many moving parts. Making sure that everyone is on the same page. This provides an opportunity for directors to bring new fresh ideas and new energy,” says Jordan. “Our cast this year is predominantly new artists who have not yet experienced Black Nativity. We’ve got new energy and a new show. I’m looking forward to what the performers will do with their own story.”
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Both Frazier and Jordan have an appreciation for the beauty of a process, of a long road full of changing elements that only gets better each year. “The planning and then implementing it into action is the most rewarding part. Having a collaborative team and putting our skills to use,” says Jordan. “I talk about storytelling with underlying themes of collaborations and uniting as one.”
“I love being in a space and engaging with people,” says Frazier. “The most rewarding part of any project for me is seeing how people grow and develop. From ideation to actualization is always a really fun process to witness and fun to be a part of.”
This year’s production will also feature an ASL interpreter, to make the show even more accessible for all members of the community. “We decided to advocate for an ASL interpreter,” says Jordan. “It’ll be a part of the matinee performance. It’s something that has to happen, so we’re going to add this as an element. Finding those partnerships and connections that impact the community so the community can feel connected through the story is the goal and what I’m most excited for.”
The goal of this show is representation, to highlight the voices of people of color and give communities a space to celebrate art and culture through performance. This year’s performance will feature many aspects of African diaspora, music, poetry, and dance, as well as many elements that modernize the production to make it even more applicable to the world we live in today. “It’s a diamond under pressure, there’s pressure but it’s beautiful,” says Jordan. “Just having everyone in the room. This is one of the largest productions in Milwaukee that has the most Black and Brown people and that’s so noteworthy.”
“I’m a process person. I think what this year represents for me is stage one of a larger transformation. It’s integrated different pieces and new ideas to see what’s possible,” says Frazier. “This production can lead the arts community, specifically the Black and Brown arts communities to what's possible when it comes to how we tell stories. What can happen when you have a lot of POC creators come together with space to be their natural creative selves. I look forward to seeing this first step completed so we can keep building and elevating the production, and through the production, elevate the community, and through the community, elevate the culture.”
