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Two Sides to Black written by Efeoghene Rhoder. Photo: Bonita Gladney
The next generation of Black storytellers is stepping into the spotlight at Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts Oct. 9-11 to present “Young Griots: New Works for the Stage,” a showcase of four original 10-minute plays written by student playwrights exploring love, identity, and the many shades of Black joy.
Directed by Professor Denise J. Hart, the production highlights the creative voices of Essence Jackson, Kevoy Sommerville, Joycelyn Sophia Jackson, and Efeoghene Rhonor, students in Howard’s Playwriting minor program. “5 Minutes,” “Echo Chamber,” “Incline,” and “Two Sides to Black” will debut at the Al Freeman Jr. Environmental Theatre Space in Childers Hall.
This is the inaugural showcase from the department and they are anticipating it for years to come. “I conceived this project, which I've coined Young Griots: New Works for the Stage. It was designed to support these very talented student writers who I have been training for over 20 years, and to create a fully student-centered production—from the playwrights and actors to the designers and producers, " said Professor Denise J. Hart
"Ever since the 2020 pandemic, Black joy has been a trending topic,” said Hart. “Whether it’s on stage or screen, audiences want to experience stories that reflect the diverse expression of the Black diaspora. These playwrights reclaim and interrogate Black joy through deeply vulnerable relationships — siblings, partners, marriages, and friendships — and I’m moved by how they pursue joy by any means necessary.”
The student playwrights view the experience as both an artistic milestone and a journey of personal growth. “Before coming to Howard, I had no intention of becoming a playwright,” said Sommerville. “Being here has shown me that I have a voice worth sharing with the world — and a responsibility to be a contributor, not just a consumer.”
Dr. Khalid Y. Long, associate dean for research and creative endeavors and interim chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, emphasized the showcase’s importance to Howard’s artistic mission. “Events like this help us fulfill our role as the center of the Black dramatic narrative,” he said. “These plays demonstrate rigor, creativity, and a deep seriousness about the craft of storytelling.”
When asked about the audience reception, Professor Hart said the proof is in the pudding. “It was absolutely outstanding, and that’s because the audience response tells the tale. When you have a production where the audience doesn’t want to leave the lobby afterwards, that’s a very significant sign of how deeply they were engaged,” she said.
As one of the nation’s leading institutions for arts education, the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts continues to honor its namesake’s legacy by nurturing bold voices and expanding the canon of Black theatre. With “Young Griots,” Howard once again affirms its place as a cradle of creativity where young artists write, act, and imagine futures rooted in truth, culture, and joy.
Howard University and the Birth of a New Black Theatre Tradition
Howard University and the Birth of a New Black Theatre Tradition
"Howard University’s impact on Black theatre."
by Sholnn Freeman (MA '12, PHD '21)
For decades before the 1920s, even at historically Black colleges and universities, theatrical training meant performing the works of European playwrights. Shakespeare, the Greeks, and other white authors of the Western canon were considered the gold standard for “serious” drama, even on campuses meant to nurture Black minds.
However, at Howard University, Alain Locke — a young philosophy professor who would later be called the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance” — and Thomas Montgomery Gregory, an English professor, envisioned a new kind of theatre. Instead of simply mirroring the white classics they had been trained in, they sought to create a stage that centered Black stories and expressed the realities and beauty of Black life. This vision set the stage for a pivotal moment in Howard’s theatre history and, by extension, Black theatre more broadly. It led to a national revolution in how Black people were presented on stage and the subject matter they addressed in their productions.
FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE
DC Theatre Arts review CLICK HERE for full article.
Under the title Young Griots: New Works for the Stage, the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts Department of Theatre Arts at Howard University showcased works from four students in its Playwrights minor program. The production, directed by Professor Denise J. Hart, was performed October 9 through 11, 2025.
All times can be said to be difficult in some ways, but in the face of our current difficult times, Young Griots: New Works for the Stage offered visions of a way forward. As I watched and absorbed the efforts of these young playwrights at the beginning of their journeys, I felt a sense of hope that continued to grow as each successive play unfolded.
A look back on the Howard Players: the oldest Black student acting group in the country
A look back on the Howard Players: the oldest Black student acting group in the country
by Robert Burton/ABC7Thursday, February 11th 2021
Click here to watch the recorded segment.
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — In honor of Black History Month, ABC7 is putting the spotlight on the oldest Black student acting group in the country.
The Howard Players of Howard University were official established 114 years ago, 1907. However, the groundwork began year before that by Carlie Franklin Cook. Cook, a descendant of slaves, taught elocution at Howard in in the 1890’s.
Notable members of the acting group include Phylicia Rashad of The Cosby Show, Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison and Chadwick Boseman a.k.a. The Black Panther.
The Howard Players changed the game for black theatre as it was nearly nonexistent in the early 1900’s in Washington D.C.
Howard Professor of Theatre Arts Denise Hart told Good Morning Washington’s Robert Burton this group gave Black people a chance to see themselves on the stage.
“Once the Howard Players began to have seasons and produce, Black people of means, who had the finances and the desire could come and see theater produced for, by and about African Americans and black folk” says Hart.
“It gave an avenue for other people, not only Black people, to see the narrative, the stories centered around the Black experience”
Howard Players 1940-50 (Moorland Spingarn Research Center photo credit)
Howard Players 1911THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (comedy) written by William Shakespeare. Presented at the New Howard Theatre. March 2-3, 1911.(Moorland Spingarn Research Center photo credit)
Howard Players 1940Rehearsl led by faculty Director, Anne Cooke.(Moorland Spingarn Research Center photo credit)
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