PAST EVENTS
BCC 2ND DIRECTORS SHOWCASE
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THE GEM OF AUGUST
The Gem of August Workshops are part of our new annual event "August in August," where we offer free workshops to the public inviting them to join us in exploring the tremendous works of the late and great August Wilson. Participants learn of Wilson's great contributions to the American Theatre, along with script analysis and character development on selected plays.
SEVEN GUITARS
A free stage reading performed as part of our new annual "August in August" summer program. Seven Guitars tells the story Blues singer Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton, who is asked to sign a record deal after a song he recorded months before becomes an unexpected hit. After a year of trials and tribulations, Floyd is ready to right the past year’s wrongs and return to Chicago with a new understanding of what’s important in his life. Unfortunately, his means of righting wrongs is inherently flawed. Wilson explores the African American male’s fight for his own humanity, self-understanding and self-acceptance in the face of personal and societal ills.
KING HEDLEY
A free stage reading performed as part of our new annual "August in August" summer program. King Hedley II tells the story of King, an ex-con and man whose self-worth is built on self-delusion. He sells stolen refrigerators with his friend, Mister, to try and make $10,000 in the feeble hope of making enough money to open a video store. Drawing on characters established in Seven Guitars, King Hedley II also shows the shadows of the past reaching into the present, as King seeks retribution for a lie perpetrated by his mother regarding the identity of his father. Wilson explores what happens when black men feel worthless and black women feel forgotten.
MINE FOR THE TAKING
Performed during our first INK-cubator Series: Playwright's Festival and in May - in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month - Mine for the Taken is current Playwright-in-Residence, Noro Otitigbe's powerful and thought-provoking story about how one family experiences multi-generational trauma, heightened by suicide, and the daughter who liberates them from it. This character driven play takes audiences on a journey of self-discovery and emotional healing. We are currently planning for a full production in 2023.
INK-CUBATOR SERIES
Our first Playwright's Festival in partnership with Richard and Tina Lawson's WACO Theater Center, where we presented five new and dynamic works by five of LA's finest Black writers.
UMOJA
UMOJA, our first full-length production produced in January of 2022 in partnership with our artistic collaborator, Shelli Boone, Artistic Director of The Willie Agee Playhouse. UMOJA was written by BCC member, LaDarrion Williams, and tells the story of six courageous Black students, who are desperate to be seen, heard and protected, set out to create their very own co-ed fraternity for the neglected Black population on the predominately white college campus of McMillan University. But, when their efforts are sidelined by racial tension and a scandal, these young friends are forced to band together, challenge their moral compasses, and face their dark secrets head-on.
WRITERS PANEL
An evening, in conversation with, the next generation of established playwrights, t.v. writers and screenwriters. The event was moderated by Center Theatre Group's Associate Artistic Director, Tyrone Davis.
DIRECTORS LAB SHOWCASE
Our 2020 Director's Showcase highlighted eight scenes from the works of BCC Member, LaDarrion Williams.