[GALLERY] On The Scene w/ Tameka Nichole: African American Theatre Preview
Have you ever been to a Theater Preview Performance? Sounds different…indeed it was, and don’t worry, you have access because Tameka Nichole was ‘On the Scene’ for Spectacular Magazine at the Triangle Friends of American Arts (TFAAA), African American Theater Preview Performance that was held Sunday, January 20th at 7pm.
This performance preview was set up similar to a choreopoetic sitcom to showcase area African American Performing Arts Organizations. The African American Theatre Preview was held at the Raleigh Little Theatre (301 Pogue St. Raleigh, NC), hosted by, Mike Williams (Founder of the Black On Black Project), giving his personalized thorough introduction of each act to come to stage, sharing an evening consisting of well-performed snippets from African American playwrights, songs, monologues and dramatic scenes from upcoming performances to be showcased this year, 2019, in Raleigh-Durham.
Empowering, Enlightening, Entertaining On The Scene with Tameka Nichole
As a new attendee of the TFAAA, it was enlightening to see how many African American Performing Arts Organizations there are throughout the Triangle area, where this event showcased 9 of them. It was empowering to watch and hear the support, love, laughter, hugs and congratulatory expression carried on during the showcase of each snippet and even during the intermission. The warmth that was felt in Raleigh Little Theatre, helped me to feel right at home, where I was empowered to feel, that I too, can get up on stage and be apart of one of the organizations future playwrights or monologues. These organizations were entertaining to all in attendance through strong stage presence and captivation where audience laugh, cried, clapped, yelled and stomped. This type of Performing Arts Theatre is entertaining in its own lane of bringing acting to life and more of a go-to in arts and entertainment for the African American community!
Empowering, Enlightening, Entertaining from Attendees
“First off if you’ve been in the theatre scene in this area you would see the growth of black performers, there are more black stories being told, not only by the established theatre companies in the area but more up and coming black theatre companies themselves telling our own stories. So, I think that’s EMPOWERING, there’s always power in seeing yourself on stage and seeing your story on stage.”
–Terra Hodge, Director for “The Dance on Widow’s Row” Play by Samm Art Williams; produced by the Agape Theatre Project at Burning Coal Theatre.
“I am not used to seeing a lot of theatrical shows, especially lately, so I think, for this, it was really ENLIGHTENING because it got me to understand different types of theatrical performances like I got to see monologues, I got to see musicals, I got a little bit of everything. It even made me more interested to go see these type of shows, rather than just seeing one type and to be like, I don’t like that, and you know for some it would just be the end of it.”
–Debbie, an attendee of the African American Theater Preview Performance with friend Megan
Photos: Qiana Hendricks
