To mark their 50th season, Black Theatre Troupe presents as its opening night production the smash hit SISTAS THE MUSICAL by Dorothy Marcic at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center.
SISTAS was originally scheduled to open 18 months ago in March of 2020, but was postponed shortly before opening night due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the sets, costumes and lights have all been sitting on the Black Theatre Troupe stage waiting for the time the theater would reopen to welcome audiences to this musical celebration.
Now, with much fanfare, this high energy show will kick off Black Theatre Troupe's 50th Anniversary Season.
Currently running Off-Broadway, SISTAS THE MUSICAL is a nonstop celebration of African American women told through Top-40 music, from Bessie Smith to Beyoncé. The story follows five women as they prepare to bury the matriarch of their family. As they clean Grandma’s attic the women discuss their family history and the history of African-American women.
They find love and old memories packed away, as well as hit tunes that trace the history of black women, from the trials of the 1930s through the Girl Groups of the 60s to the empowerment of the 90s. Songs include Oh, Happy Day, Mama Said, I Will Survive, Tyrone, I am Not My Hair and A Woman’s Worth.
Here's a trailer from the Off-Broadway production:
SISTAS THE MUSICAL will be presented from September 10-September 26 at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 E. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85034.
Tickets are $44 and are on sale beginning Aug. 20 at blacktheatretroupe.org or by calling 602-258-8128.
SISTAS THE MUSICAL is directed by Patdro Harris and features Christal Roundtree (Gloria), Ashley White (Roberta), Cherylandria Banks (Dr. Simone), Sarah Shockley (Tamika) and Raven Woessner (Heather). SISTAS THE MUSICAL will be performed with a live band and under the direction of Brenda Hankins, Musical Director.
About Black Theatre Troupe
Founded by Helen K. Mason in 1970 as a space for underserved artists to share the Black experience, Black Theatre Troupe began performing small plays, poetry readings, and musical performances in a community center in Phoenix’s historic multi-cultural Eastlake Park. The Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center is now the company’s permanent home, a state-of-the-art facility located at Washington and 14th Streets in downtown Phoenix – exactly two blocks from where it all began. It features a 150-seat theatre, rehearsal space, costume shop and administrative offices.
The Black Theatre Troupe’s main-stage productions and educational outreach programs serve constituents from seniors to young adults and children.
Recognized as one of the longest, continuously operating Black theatre companies in the United States, Black Theatre Troupe has become one of Phoenix’s major cultural attractions, providing training, employment and performance opportunities for multi-ethnic and underserved artists for over 50 years. Black Theatre Troupe's productions and educational outreach programs broaden and enhance relationships within the community, from seniors and young adults to children, fostering understanding outside the Black community and bridging divisions which have too often separated people of color from the majority population.