On Friday, April 23 at 7pm ET CLASSIX held its inaugural CLASSIX Convergence | Sustaining and Dreaming With Black Theater Vanguards, a free virtual event with Elizabeth Van Dyke (New Federal Theatre and Going to the River), Erich McMillan-McCall (Project1Voice), Jonathan McCrory(National Black Theatre and Harlem9), Jamil Jude (Kenny Leon’s True Colors) and from CLASSIX, Dominique Rider and Awoye Timpo. Kamilah Bush(Portland Center Stage) moderated.

WATCH HERE 

This was a virtual conversation featuring visionary Black theatre institution builders and leaders in conversation about the past, the present and the future.

A CLASSIX Convergence is a series of gatherings where we bring together Black theater makers, scholars, writers, students and others in conversation at the intersection of Black theater, history, design, dramaturgy, activism and more. 

For our first Convergence we began with an invocation, followed by a celebratory evening with an intergenerational group of Black theater visionaries who have championed and produced Black narratives on the stage locally and nationally. We also heard from the leaders about the challenges they have faced in their roles as stewards and gate openers, sustainability and their dreams for the future of Black theater. A Q & A followed the conversation.

Moderated by Kamilah Bush, Portland Center Stage