Between the World and Me
Tour
Overview
Between the World and Me arrives at a time when art itself bookmarks significant moments in our lives. Based on the award-winning book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, this theatrical reading takes difficult, but necessary conversations in the African American community and places them at center stage. The cast is a collective of actors whose narration along with an animated digital backdrop helps to put a magnifying glass to Black life and death. The performers and characters are interchangeable and can be filled with both community actors as well as international celebrities. Between the World and Me is an opportunity for each institution to put art at the front and center of a critical and necessary dialogue.
Touring Locations
Our objective is to tour this work to cities across the United States and abroad, with the hope to build a greater social impact, raise awareness around issues, and ultimately spur dialogue across the country. In each city that the work is presented, we would curate a cast of national and local figures to participate in the reading. For example, alongside an Angela Bassett would be a local community figure (ie, teacher, community leader, etc.).
ATLANTA PERFORMANCES:
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 / 3pm & 7:30pm
NEW YORK PERFORMANCES:
Friday, October 25, 2019 / 8pm
Saturday, October 26, 2019 / 8pm
Monday, October 28, 2019 / 8pm
Possible additional locations:
Bay Area, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, Ferguson/St.Louis MO
About The Apollo Theater
The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo, 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella, the annual Africa Now! Festival, and the recent New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved. The Apollo is a performing arts presenting organization that also produces festivals and large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; global festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention; international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.
About The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
President Kennedy’s words resonate more strongly than ever for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the 21st century. The Center, which opened on September 8, 1971, continues its efforts to fulfill President Kennedy’s vision by producing and presenting an unmatched variety of theater and musicals, dance and ballet, orchestral, chamber, jazz, popular, world, and folk music, and multimedia performances for all ages. Each year, the institution that bears President Kennedy’s name brings his dream to fruition, touching the lives of millions of people through thousands of performances by the greatest artists from across America and around the world. The Center also nurtures new works and young artists, creating performances, broadcasts, and touring productions while serving the nation as a leader in arts and arts management education.