Arts Council to host Hattiloo Theatre Exhibition, Black Theatre Royalty
In Collaboration with the National Black Theatre Festival
Winston-Salem, NC (July 28, 2022) -- Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County will host Black Theatre Royalty: Portraits from the Hattiloo Theatre Collection in collaboration with the 2022 National Black Theatre Festival. The exhibition will be on view in the Main Gallery of Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts August 1 – 27. A private reception is scheduled for Monday, August 1, 1:30-3:30 PM after which the exhibition will open to the general public.
Black Theatre Royalty, an exhibition on loan from Hattiloo Theatre in Memphis, TN, celebrates actors, writers, directors, and producers who have defined the world of Black Theatre and those charting its course to the future. Hattiloo Theatre has also commissioned a portrait of Black Theatre Holy Ground’s royal couple, founder Larry Leon Hamlin and National Black Theatre Festival’s Executive Producer Emeritus Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin. The portrait will be unveiled at the 2022 National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF).
“The unveiling of the newly commissioned portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin is the perfect way to kick-off NBTF 2022” said Jackie Alexander, NC Black Rep Producing Artistic Director and NBTF Executive Producer. “NC Black Rep is truly grateful to Hattiloo Theatre for bringing their beautiful Black Theatre Royalty exhibition to Holy Ground.” The Hattiloo Theatre “art collection celebrates the work of the playwrights and actors who have and continue to contribute to the rich history and vibrant presence of Black theater,” said Ekundayo Bandele, Founder and CEO of Hattiloo Theatre. “The portrait of Larry Leon Hamlin and Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin makes this collection more complete, as it memorializes their role in establishing a national stage from which the Black voice, song, and cry can be heard and shared."
Bandele founded Hattiloo Theatre in 2006 with a small storefront in the Edge District of Memphis, TN. Named after Bandele’s two daughters Hatshepsut (Hatti) and Oluremi (Loo) Bandele, Hattiloo relocated to a newly constructed facility, debt free, in 2014 after a $4.3M capital campaign, which established a $500K endowment. As the only freestanding Black repertory theatre in five surrounding states, Hattiloo has developed a strong regional audience and is known for offering high-quality, free programming and performances staged throughout the city of Memphis.
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