Stage & Story
The Call is a bold, new, queer African musical that places joy, artistry, and survival at the center of its storytelling. Rooted in Shakespeare’s The Tempest yet reimagined through South African history and queer lived experience, it uses African drag as a dramaturgical engine — a way of shaping narrative, conjuring spectacle, and celebrating the brilliance of marginalized communities. Rather than focusing solely on harm or exile, The Call foregrounds the color, creativity, and resilience of queer life on the African continent, offering audiences a story that is both deeply specific and globally resonant. (Producer)
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SOFT.BELLY. is a one-woman show that reimagines grief and loss through magical realism and performance poetry. A teacher living in Queens, discovers a secret family heirloom that opens up a whole new world of growth and possibilities. In her new world, she is reminded of what her family left behind for her and her loved ones. Using music, moving monologues, and powerful poetry to process her past, present and future as well as themes of identity, family heritage and Black American culture. SOFT.BELLY. Reminds us to remember, restore, and reimagine the wealth and wisdom our people leave with us. (Producer)
Our production partner 651 Arts is a Brooklyn based organization championing the awareness and appreciation for contemporary performance rooted in African diasporic culture.
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In 1905 New York City, Esther, a Black seamstress, is in great demand for the intimate apparel she creates for clients who range from wealthy white patrons to prostitutes. Though leading a life that provides joy to so many, she remains lonely and longing for a husband and a future. Through a mutual acquaintance, she begins a correspondence with a lonesome Caribbean man named George and soon he persuades her that they should marry, sight unseen. However, Esther’s heart is drawn to the Hasidic shopkeeper from whom she buys cloth, and his heart with her. When George arrives in the city, Esther is hit with the reality of the situation and she is forced to face a future that she is truly unprepared for.
The Hearth has revealed their 2024 season, which will feature two new plays developed by the company. In June they will present the World Premiere of Push Party by Nia Akilah Robinson, directed by Chesray Dolpha at Theaterlab. (Director)
Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC)
Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC), the organization committed to supporting the next generation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) producers by providing access to education, training, and mentorship, have announced their 2024 cohort for the fourth-annual education program – “Producing 101,” where aspiring producers are able to learn the fundamentals of commercial producing, including development paths, financing, budgeting, and more, with experienced BIPOC and White ally leaders as their guides, tuition free over 11 weeks.
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The Right/Write to Heal Residency is a 5 week, multi organizational organizing effort to creatively uplift and center the stories of formerly incarcerated women and femmes. This residency is co-produced by the Classical Theatre Of Harlem, The Center for Justice at Columbia University and V-Day. This 5-week writing and script development residency is designed to develop an original script through the lens of the participants’ lived experience, storytelling and creative writing. The residency aims to provide a safe and supportive environment for women to explore their experiences, heal from trauma, develop resilience, and share their stories with the world. (Producer/Director)
BRICKS has been described as “a 20-year music tour of retroactive-reparations,” reaching from modern-day Washington Square Park back to the biblical Jericho. Hear songs from BRICKS, including “Fog,” “Jericho,” “Let Me in So I Can Love You,” and other pieces centered around connecting our past to our futures. Produced by Charlene Jean and Chesray Dolpha, with co-production by En Garde Arts. Directed by Dolpha, with music direction by David Kawamura. (Producer/Director).
The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced on June 22 that the American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards® will present a trio of Special Tony Awards for the 2019–2020 Broadway season. The three recipients of 2020 Special Tony Awards will be the anti-racism advocacy organization Broadway Advocacy Coalition. (Artistic Director)
Rattlestick Theatre
bayou: a freshwater play by AriDy Nox (23/24 Van Lier New Voices Fellow)
Directed by Chesray Dolpha
Music Directed by Isabella Dawis
bayou is a story about interdependence and self-discovery, about what we do and do not owe to each other. It follows the growing relationship between a newly born Goddess, Little, Little's unwitting High Priestess Cove, and the village that depends upon them both. The first of a seven-play series, it is a birthing: of the series, of the village the series takes place in, and of the Goddess the village worships. It is undergirded by an experimental score of acapella musical monologues, toe-ing the line between play with music and musical.
THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL
Chesray Dolpha served as the Resident Director for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway. Tina tells the inspiring story of Tina Turner’s journey from humble beginnings to global superstardom, highlighting her resilience in overcoming adversity and her revolutionary impact on music and culture. Tina’s story continues to resonate deeply, especially with Black women, as a testament to strength, self-empowerment, and breaking barriers, leaving an indelible mark on the world. (Associate Director)