Negro Ensemble Company Inc

FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2020, NEC PRODUCED A REIMAGINED WORK, A PHOTOGRAPH - LOVERS IN MOTION, BY NTOZAKE SHANGE AND DIRECTED BY IFA BAYEZA. NTOZAKE SHANGE IS A WORLD-RENOWNED PLAYWRIGHT, ACTOR, AND ACTIVIST. HER CHOREOPOEM, FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF, HAS BEEN LAUDED AS MASTERFUL. WITH COLORED GIRLS, SHANGE CREATED A NEW AND TO THAT POINT NOT CATEGORIZED THEATRICAL PRESENTATION FORMAT, THE CHOREOPOEM. WRITTEN AND FIRST PRODUCED IN THE EARLY 1970'S, THIS WORK REMAINS RELEVANT. SIGNIFICANTLY, THIS CELEBRATED WORK IS CURRENTLY ENJOYING A REMOUNT AT THE PUBLIC THEATRE. A PHOTOGRAPH - LOVERS IN MOTION SHARES THE EXPANSION OF THE DRAMATIC FORMAT BY THE ADDITION OF POETRY AND LYRICISM IN MONOLOGUE AND OFTEN DIALOGUE. THIS PIECE ALSO CONTAINS DANCE AND JAZZ MUSIC, COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY CELEBRATED JAZZ TRUMPETER AND COMPOSER DAVID MURRAY. THE PIECE INCLUDES A CAST OF 5 ACTORS, 3 WOMEN AND 2 MEN ALL OF WHOM HAVE MOVEMENT, MONOLOGUE AND POETIC DIALOGUE. A PHOTOGRAPH IS ONE OF FOUR WORKS THE PLAYWRIGHT COMPLETED AND HAD PRODUCED. SHANGE ROSE TO A LEVEL OF ESTEEM WTIH COLORED GIRLS AND REMAINS WIDELY RESPECTED TODAY. THE SECOND PRODUCTION WAS GRANDMA'S QUILT, BY KAREN BROWN. THIS PIECE IS A ONE-WOMAN SHOW THAT SPANS ALMOST THE ENTIRETY OF THE CENTURY. THE PRIMARY CHARACTER, OVER 90 YEARS OLD, DETAILS HER LIFE IN RURAL SOUTHERN-MIDWEST BEGINNING AROUND 1910. BROWN IS THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF NEC. SHE BEGAN HER NYC CAREER AT AMERICAN PLACE THEATRE'S URBAN WRITES PROGRAM, TEACHING PLAYWRITING TO MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. SHE THEN MOVED ON TO NEW FEDERAL THEATRE WHERE SHE WAS THE ASSOCIATE PRODUCER FOR THE NATIONAL BLACK TOURING CIRCUIT, AS WELL AS ONE OF THE PLAYWRIGHTS AND ACTORS ON THE CIRCUIT. SHE ALSO TAUGHT PRODUCING AT ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE IN THE EARLY 2000'S. FINALLY, NEC CREATED A ZOOM SERIES. ACCOMPANYING PROGRAMMING WAS OUR "COVID PROGRAMMING" PRESENTATIONS ON THE Z OOM PLATFORM: 1 COMEDY PERFORMANCE WITH 6 PERFORMERS, AND 1 POETRY SLAM WITH 9 POETS. NEC DEVELOPED A COVID PROGRAMMING SERIES CONSISTING OF COMEDY PRESENTATIONS, POETRY SLAM FORMAT. WE USED OUR Z OOM PLATFORM TO PRESENT COMEDY MAY 8, 2020, AND POETRY MAY 22, 2020. THE COMEDIANS WERE LEIGHANN LORD, LA HARDY, LAZ VIC, KENNY WILLIAMS, AND RHONDA HANSOME HOSTED BY GIL TUCKER. THE POETS WERE SHASHAMENE CLARKE, KHALIL KAIN, ALEXANDRA LEWIS, RENEE MCRAE, SHADENIA SIVAD, LAUREN MARISSA SMITH, LEVY LEE SIMON, STANLEY WAYNE MATHIS, AND BRAD WALROND HOSTED BY DANIEL CARLTON. BOTH PRESENTATIONS WERE APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS.