Barrington Stage Celebrates Black History Month
Free Event February 26
By: Charles Giuliano - Feb 13, 2024
Barrington Stage Company’s Black Voices Matter Program is proud to present “Black History: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future” on Monday, February 26 at 6:00pm at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center (36 Linden St.)
The evening will feature performances from the Celebration of Black Voices Choir, CBV Talent Show winner Kendrah Bellevue and the Youth Voices Ensemble.
The performance is free and open to the community. Reservations are recommended by contacting the BSC Box Office at 413-236-8888.
Members of the Youth Voices Ensemble are Tula Brisiel, Kiara Burston, Mecca McClain, Mekhi McClain, Lynniesha Mayes, Karalin Melendez, Alivia Melville, Ena Parchment, Spencer-Mathias Reed, Nolan Reynolds and Gloria Williams.
Produced by Sharron Frazier-McClain and Melle Powers, under the direction of Sabrina Francis, with music direction by Gary Mitchell, Jr. Chynna Williams is the Teaching Artist.
During BSC’s 3rd Annual Celebration of Black Voices Festival last year, BSC piloted a week-long Performing Arts Camp for BIPOC identifying youth ages 10-18. The camp was created to address the accessibility barriers to quality performing arts programs for BIPOC children, the value of an affinity space to create authentic/culturally appropriate material based on lived/life experience, child care, and food insecurity. All camp participants received breakfast and lunch and a $100 stipend for participation. Staffing included a professional director, music director, choreographer, and teaching artist to assist/support the participants in the creative process. The participants performed as part of a youth ensemble at our CBV Festival in August 2023.
With special thanks to a grant from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, under BSC’s Black Voices Matter initiative, the Youth Voices Ensemble was created. The grant allowed two additional sessions for the cohort to return and work with the professional creative team to once again create an original play.
The Youth Voices Ensemble will meet February 19-23 at BSC’s Wolfson Center from 9:00-3:00pm. The Christian Center in Pittsfield will once again join BSC as a business partner providing hot lunch daily for the participants.
BSC is partnering with Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, where an African American Yogi will be meeting with the Ensemble to teach Mindfulness as a Tool, as part of the camp curriculum.