Red Bull Theater is dedicated to revitalizing the classics for today's audiences. Our online projects cannot replace the live theater experience. There is simply no replacement for live theater. But we're committed to continuing connection during this historic time. Join us for these free LIVE Broadcast events.

LIVE BENEFIT READING

THE AFRICAN COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III

by CARLYLE BROWN

Monday, January 11, 2021 | 7:30 PM EST  LIVESTREAM

Directed by Carl Cofield

Featuring Clifton Duncan, Edward Gero, Dion Johnstone, Paul Niebanck, Antoinette Robinson, Charlayne Woodard, and more to be announced. 

In 1821—forty years before the abolition of slavery, and fifty years before Black Americans earned the right to vote—two productions of Shakespeare’s Richard III are on the rialto. One is presented by the African Company of New York, known for putting on plays in a downtown Manhattan theatre to which both Black and white audiences flocked. The other is helmed by Stephen Price, an uptown theater impresario who—fearful of the African Company’s production, which is garnering large white audiences—manipulates the law and employs his privilege to shutter the competition. Shakespeare is the cultural battleground in this inventive, emotional, and energetic retelling of a pivotal moment in American theater history.

“The personal and the historical, the comic and the angry propels The African Company...theatrical and social concerns entwine with powerful resonance...Mr. Brown is a writer with a distinct voice and a powerful story to tell.” – The Washington Post

This event will premiere LIVE on Monday, January 11. A recording of the livestream will be available until 7:00 PM EDT on Friday, January 15 – then it disappears.

For tickets click HERE.

Photo: Dion Johnstone. © 2012 Corey Berry.