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The 2009 National Black Theatre Festival is very proud to announce that celebrity Co-chairs will be Wendy Raquel Robinson (television, film, stage actress, dancer and choreographer), and Ted Lange (a prolific actor of stage and screen, director, author, and educator). Robinson is best known for her role on “The Steve Harvey Show” but her career includes many appearances on television and in film. Lange is best known for his role as Issac Washington on the long-running television classic “The Love Boat”. A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Lange has written seventeen plays and garnered multiple theatrical awards.

The 2009 National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF), one of the most historic and culturally significant events not only in the history of black theatre but American theatre, will once again be held in the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina August 3 through August 8th. The festival founded by the late Larry Leon Hamlin will celebrate its 20 year anniversary. Officials say over 60,000 people are expected to attend the event. The event has more than an $8 million impact on the economy of Winston-Salem, known as Black Theatre Holy Ground!

The festival will open Monday August 3 with a star-studded gala. NBTF will be presenting special awards to industry greats during the Opening Gala. The festival will showcase between 25-30 black national and international theatre companies with over 100 performances throughout the festival. The shows will include some celebrity performances throughout the week.

The festival is also proud to bring back Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope. This dynamic musical was performed at the first festival in 1989 and will commemorate the festival’s 20th anniversary.

Other components of the festival include workshops, a reader’s theatre of new works, a film festival, a poetry jam hosted by actor Malcolm Jamal Warner, youth celebrity project, a vendor’s market and much more.

NBTF is proud to be in partnership with the following sponsors this year:
City of Winston Salem, The Millennium Fund, Wachovia Corporation, Reynolds American, American Express, Forsyth County Tourist Development Authority, GMAC Insurance, Hanesbrands, Inc., Twin City Quarter, Bank of America, Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T), Truliant Federal Credit Union, Segmented marketing Services, Inc. (SMSi) and “The Marvtastic Society”.

NBTF is the international outreach program of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company founded by Larry Leon Hamlin. Ms. Gerry Patton is currently the Executive Director and Mabel Robinson is Artistic Director. The festival has been held biennially since 1989. The NBTF attracts thousands of national and international patrons, theatre professionals and scholars to Winston-Salem, N.C. The NBTF was named one of the top 100 events in North America. This is the only national black theatre festival in the country offering six consecutive days of professional theatre, film, poetry, workshops, seminars and shopping.

For additional information and a schedule of events, call the festival office at (336) 723-2266 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. To visit our website, please click the post's title.