JaMeeka Holloway-Burrell gives us the scoop on The Bull City Black Theater Festival, a vital, NEW, and upcoming event in Durham, NC. Why a festival rather than a stand-alone performance? Why focus on local artists? Who should attend? Why this festival now? JaMeeka answers those questions and more with gratitude, grace, and enthusiasm. Be there.
From the BCBTF website: “Hosted by Black Ops Theatre Company, The Bull City Black Theater Festival is a new event in Durham, North Carolina created to celebrate Black Theater Arts, Artists, and Culture. The festival will showcase the voices of current, local movers and shakers while encouraging and empowering upcoming and aspiring professional Black Theatre artists, administrators and practitioners. “
Festival Dates:
March 15 – 24, 2018
TICKETS on the Manbites Dog Theater website
Additional info on the Bull City Black Theater Festival website
JaMeeka Holloway-Burrell is a theatre events curator, administrator, and Director passionate about advancing the legacy of Black Theaters and Black Theatre Practitioners. In 2011 after studying Technical Theater at North Carolina Central University’s Department of Theatre, she interned in Arts Admin and worked as a stage manager for The Lark Play Development Center in New York City. In 2013 JaMeeka was the company management resident at Cape May Stage in Cape May, NJ. JaMeeka serves as Artistic Director and Producer for Black Ops, a theatre company in Durham, NC which she founded in 2015. She just recently returned to her hometown after spending 3 months as an assistant director at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Additionally, JaMeeka is also Project Manager for The Black Theatre Commons, a national advocacy group and resource sharing network for Black Theaters and practitioners.
This episode is brought to you by the Soapboxers, the official patrons of the Artist Soapbox. If you like these episodes and want more, get on the Soapbox! This episode was recorded at the ASBX home studio.
Time break-down:
[0:00] Episode intro, thanks to patrons Tim McMackin and Julie Rhodes, JaMeeka’s bio, and description of the Bull City Black Theater Festival
[2:47] What is JaMeeka’s role in this festival?
[3:06] Why a festival rather than a stand-alone play or single event?
[4:24] Why focus on local artists as leaders and presenters for this festival?
[7:00] The Bullcity Creative Development Team — Who are they?
[10:04] How did the team decide what to offer during the Festival?
[13:35] JaMeeka takes us through the festival events: staged readings, workshops, a master class, and community conversations over two weekends! This line-up is incredible, so check out the BCBTF website for details: Events Performances Festival Artists and Workshops (Most of the events are free/donation based.)
[21:06] What would JaMeeka say to potential festival participants who are nervous about attending?
[24:43] What has JaMeeka heard from the artists who’ll be leading the Festival sessions?
[27:43] Quote from the BCBTF website: “Our festival welcomes allies and is not exclusionary, but, explicitly challenges white supremacy, misogyny, under and mis-representation in the theatre by affirming equitable, diverse, and inclusive practices at the beginning and end of our journey with art and as artists.” Why was this important to include on the website?
[30:26] What is JaMeeka looking most forward to about this festival? Getting together with Black Ops, MOJOAA, Black Poetry Theatre
[31:55] What are some of the goals of the BCBTF?
[34:40] Is this going to be an annual event? National Black Theatre Festival occurs every other year.
[35:37] Why is this the Bull City BLACK Theatre Festival? What was missing locally that motivated the artists to put up a festival of this sort?
[37:29] What’s next for JaMeeka Holloway-Burrell?
[44:10] Thanks and sign-off
Artist Soapbox podcast is a listener supported podcast. If you listen, please support the podcast by sharing episodes with friends and contributing via our Patreon campaign.
If you have feedback, questions, suggestions, please email artistsoapbox@gmail.com. FEEDBACK IS EVERYTHING TO ASBX.
People and Orgs Mentioned:
018: Artist & Leader Monèt Noelle Marshall speaks thru BUY MY SOUL AND CALL IT ART
010: Playwright Ian Bowater reaches out for feedback on his MILLENNIUM BOY
005: Director JaMeeka Holloway-Burrell gives voice to the value of community
