Jazzanooga is celebrating Black History Month with a new artistic program; The Soul of Broadway Songbook Series. This series honors the history and cultural impact of theatrical and musical productions written by and about African Americans.
“The focus of our 2018 programming is to address the lack of diverse arts and cultural programming in our city,” said Shane Morrow, Jazzanooga director. “As Chattanooga continues to grow into an inclusive city, we still have pockets of our local communities of color that aren’t being fully embraced or recognized for their cultural significance and contributions to the creative landscape. It is my personal goal to ensure that we not only showcase these artistic local contributions and talents, but that we work to empower our whole community through the power of the arts.”
The Soul of Broadway Songbook Series presents equal parts live entertainment and education through performances which feature local, talented artists of color in a cabaret style setting.
The first of the four installments planned for 2018 is a live musical performance paying homage to the super soul musical, The Wiz. Mr. Morrow directed a sold-out stage production of this musical last year for The Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
“Though I was extremely pleased by the overwhelming community response to the CTC stage production, I wanted to present just the music of the production this time around, in a more direct and intimate way so that the audience can just feel the spirit and power of the songs,” said Mr. Morrow.
The series will showcase a group of community performers featuring the voices of Maya Jaffar, Neshawn Calloway, Darryl Wheeler, Jr., Donel Solomon, Tiffany Williams, Karen McReynolds, Donyea Mitchell, Brandalyn Shropshire and Felicion McMillon. Costumes are provided by local fashion designer, Terrance Wright.
The performance will take place at The Camp House, 149 E. MLK Blvd., Thursday, Feb. 1, through Saturday, Feb. 3. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available online at www.jazzanooga2018.eventbrite.com.
For more information about Jazzanooga and their programs and services, go to www.jazzanooga.org or call directly at 402-0452.