Billie Holiday Theatre

The Billie Holiday Theatre is as 218-seat theatre located in the New York neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It opened in May 1972,[1] It was founded by the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.[2]

The Billie Holiday Theatre
Coordinates40°40′N 73°56′W
Public transit"a" train"c" train Nostrand Avenue station
OwnerBedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Capacity218
Construction
OpenedMay 1972
Renovated2015
ArchitectMurphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects
Website
http://thebillieholiday.org

The Billie Holiday Theatre is a nonprofit organization located at 1368 Fulton Street, inside the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's Restoration Plaza, and is part of a $6 million [3] superblock in Bedford-Stuyvesant eventually housing an ice-skating rink, a supermarket, and the theatre.[3]

Theatre background

Franklin A. Thomas, the first Black President of the Ford Foundation,[3] used his position to revitalize his hometown neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant through the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. The $6 million unit housed the 218-seat Billie Holiday Theatre. Thomas’ concept behind the theatre was “to expose the second largest black community in America to the arts while providing an outlet for local talent.” [3] Marjorie Moon was appointed as the theatre's executive director.[3] Under Moon, “the theatre built a community audience by placing Bedford Stuyvesant citizens on the theatre’s board.” [3]

Photo of award ceremony in which President Joe Biden presents the National Medal of Arts to the Billie Holiday Theatre.
President Joe Biden presents the 2023 National Medal of the Arts to Blondel Pinnock on behalf of the Billie Holiday Theatre at the National Arts and Humanities Medal Ceremony, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith)

In 2015, the theater moved to Fort Greene for two years while the Bedford-Stuyvesant location was being renovated.[4][5] The renovations to The Billie Holiday Theatre were designed by MBB Architects.[6] The newly renovated theater reopened in May 2017.[7] In 2023 the Billie Holiday Theatre received the National Medal of the Arts, the nation's highest arts award.[8] U.S. President Joe Biden called the theater "an incredible place" that is "nurturing a new generation of Black playwrights, performers.”[9]

Notable alumni

Well-known theatre actors who have performed at the Billie Holiday Theatre include Samm-Art Williams,[3] Samuel L. Jackson,[3] Debbie Allen,[3] Tichina Arnold,[10] Obba Babatunde,[10] and Rondell Sheridan[10]

Notable works

Young Gifted and Broke (1977) by Weldon Irvine ran for a record seventy-seven sold-out performances.[3]

In 2010 the theatre presented the award-winning play, What Would Jesus Do?.[11]

References
  1. "Billie Holiday Theatre at Restoration Plaza". Time Out New York.
  2. Johnson, Kimberle' "Community Development Corporations, Participation and Accountability: The Harlem Urban Development Corporation and the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 594th ser. ANAALS.AAPSS (2004): n. pag. Sage Journals. Web.
  3. Hill, Errol, and James Vernon Hatch. A History of African American Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.
  4. "Wendell Pierce to open Bed-Stuy theater’s Fort Greene run". By Matthew Perlman, The Brooklyn Paper.
  5. Stapinski, Helene (2017-03-15). "In Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ready for 'the Billie' to Return". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  6. Abarbanel-Grossman, Alex (March–April 2018). "An Icon's Second Act" (PDF). Retrofit. pp. 62–67.
  7. BWW News Desk. "Historic Billie Holiday Theatre to Reopen Next Week". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  8. "Billie Holiday Theatre Receives National Medal of Arts". American Theatre. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  9. Culgan, Rossilynne Skena. "Brooklyn's Billie Holiday Theatre just won the nation's most prestigious arts award". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  10. TNJ Life, ed. "The Billie Holiday Theatre." The Network Journal Magazine Version (September 2008): n. pag. Sept. 2008. Web.
  11. "Akin Babatunde, Daniel Beaty, Kenita Miller, and More Win 2010 Audelco Awards". Theatre Mania, Dan Bacalzo • New York City • Nov 17, 2010
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