Milwaukee Black Theater Festival Celebrates Theater and Culture

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Image courtesy Milwaukee Black Theater Festival

Milwaukee Black Theater Festival logo

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Image courtesy Milwaukee Black Theater Festival

Khloe's Beautiful Blues

The 3rd Annual Milwaukee Black Theater Festival is a week-long celebration of Black arts and culture with events throughout the city. This year’s theme, “The Black Family: Generations Speak!” involves multiple generations of Milwaukee-based Black artists with an emphasis on unity and healing.

Running August 10-14, the festival features full theater productions as well as staged readings; an R&B and Gospel fundraising concert; spoken word, music and dance performances; plus talk back and panel discussions, at venues such as the Marcus Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, St. Ann Center Indaba Community Band Shell and The Table Vocational Center.

The event is presented by Black Arts MKE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the availability of Black arts. The goal is to showcase up and coming young Black playwrights, as well as professional theater organizations. This is the first year that the festival will expand to multiple venues, giving greater exposure to a wide range of Black talent and culture.

“We’re honoring the Black family during the third year of the Milwaukee Black Theater Festival which provides an opportunity to tell stories which entertain us while sharing our history, exploring our challenges, uniting our generations, and celebrating our beauty!” says Sheri Williams Pannell, co-founder Milwaukee Black Theatre Festival and Bronzeville Arts Ensemble producing artistic director.

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Image courtesy Milwaukee Black Theater Festival

MKE Black Theater Festival 'Hidden Heroes'

This year, the festival will include a reading of Shà Cage’s Hidden Heroes, a story of the Black women of NASA produced by First Stage and directed by Samantha Montgomery; the Family Reunion Concert Fundraiser produced by Antoine Reynolds featuring talented Milwaukee R&B and Gospel artists; the “Healing Through the Arts Showcase,” with performances presented by artists-survivors as portrayed in Milwaukee Voices of Gun Violence; the Milwaukee Black Theater Community’s Let’s Talk! which includes a history of Milwaukee Black theater; and an Adolphus Ward Scholarship presentation produced by Dimonte Henning of Lights! Camera! Soul!; as well as many more examples of the city’s growing Black culture scene. All events are open to the public and free, except for the fundraiser concert, which requires a ticket.

For more information on this year’s Milwaukee Black Theater Festival, visit Season & Events · Black Arts MKE