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Theater UPTOWN flavor

Theater UPTOWN flavor
Justin Henine-Hardenne  |  by uptownflavor.wordpress.com. All rights reserved. 28.02 | 8:35

I ve had the pleasure of working with his wonderfully talented and extremely humble man in the past.  I was excited to see that he is finally receiving mainstream recognition for his mastery of the art of acting. Below is a piece that recently appeared in Playbill about this Harlem native and incredible stage actor Arthur French.

It is posted in it s entirety. Read the Q A after the jump:
Robert Simonson Tue Dec 19, 4:28 PM ET
Arthur French may not be a household name. But any drama critic or theatregoer who s haunted the black boxes of Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway over the past three decades knows this actor s work.


He first made his mark as an original member of the seminal Negro Ensemble Company, which was lead by Douglas Turner Ward. There he performed in such plays as Lonnie Elder III s Ceremonies in Dark Black Men and Joseph A. Walker s The River Niger.

He occasionally made it to Broadway, making his Broadway debut in Melvin Van Peebles Ain t Supposed to Die a Natural Death and appearing in several Circle in the Square productions. But smaller stages were more commonly his home, so much so that the awards committee for the Obies, which honor Off-Broadway theatre, honored him for Sustained Excellence in 1997. Currently, French is enjoying one of his most splashy acting opportunities in some years, playing the part of diner philosopher Holloway in the acclaimed Signature Theatre Company revival of August Wilson s Two Trains Running.

The New York native talked to Playbill.com about life uptown.
By MARGARET PUTNAM / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News FORT WORTH – Look at me!

Look at me! Arthur Mitchell cries. Forty-four heads turn.

The angle is perfect, chins raised just so, all eyes peering directly at Mr. Mitchell.
Arthur Mitchell, co-founder and artistic director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, teaches a master dance class to dancers at the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU.


He has them mesmerized.
The co-founder and director of Dance Theatre of Harlem was in town recently to teach master classes at Southern Methodist University s Meadows School of the Arts.


His presence is electrifying. What might have been an ordinary ballet class segues into theater as he coaxes students away from concentrating on technique to focus on drama. Make a mystery, a novel of intrigue, he tells dancers as they extend their legs in developpé.


Mr. Mitchell is undeniably a great teacher, but he also is at SMU to launch a new partnership between the Meadows School and his Harlem endeavors.
Wednesday, November 15th at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture, 515 MalcolmX Blvd.

at the corner of 135th Street for a Free Staged Reading
Petronia Paley. The performance will begin at 7:00p.m.

and there will be a
short question and answer session immediately after the play.
Last night, the stars were shining brightly from the highest point on Sugar Hill. The Harlem Stage premiered their 2006-2007 season with a performance by Roger Guenveur Smith titled Who Killed Bob Marley?

The hour long piece is probably the most personal work to date produced by Smith. I have been rewarded with an intensely personal experience which has demonstrated the power of water in unexpected ways.
The one man show is a multimedia piece that combines music (Marc Anthony Thompson), video (Arthur Jafa) and spoken word.

Smith is able to engage the audience in his very personal journey that meanders through memories of his father, Bob Marley, a woman who plays the role of Janet and the power of water. The energy of the piece is subdued, yet Smith keeps the audience transfixed with his intensity.
Who Killed Bob Marley is not a conspiratory theory about the death of the legendary reggae singer.

It actually takes its title from a film by the same name that is currently in production. Smith, an actor in the film, became inspired to create this piece while in Jamaica filming the movie.
Executive director of the Harlem Stage, Patricia Cruz, opened the program with an overview of the history, mission and upcoming programs.

She then introduced legendary actress Ruby Dee who shared her excitement about being part of the inauguration of the new space. She also spoke about her connection and relationship with Smith. The audience settled in to enjoy the show then walked across Convent Avenue to Aaron Davis Hall for a cocktail reception.


Other celebrities in attendance included Angela Bassett and her husband Courtney B. Vance, who took a break from their adorable twins for the evenings fesitivies. Cinamatographer Jafa (Daughter s of the Dust, Crooklyn) was also in attendance along with a host of local talent.


Who Killed Bob Marley will be playing through October November 28th at the Harlem Stage. Show time is 7:30 p.m.

For more information visit their website
T. Conrad contributed to this article.
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On Thursday evening, Harlem Stage is sponsoring a public panel discussion in the new theater on the role of the arts in Harlem. The choreographer Bill T. Jones; the pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, the Rev.

Calvin Butts III; and the architect Max Bond will engage in a conversation moderated by Leonard Lopate.
Harlem Stage, formerly known as Aaron Davis Hall, has been presenting theater, dance, music, and literary events for more than 25 years, but this is the first time the organization will have a home of its own. (Its previous location was in Aaron Davis Hall, a City College facility just across the street from the Gatehouse.

) Ms. Cruz, formerly an actress and then a deputy director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, took the reins at Aaron Davis Hall in 1998. The renovation of the building, a grand Romanesque Revival construction from 1891, took three years and cost around $21 million, $18 million of which was provided by the city.

The other $3 million came from private donors.
The schedule for the first fall season at the Gatehouse includes four new commissions: Roger Guenveur Smith s Who Killed Bob Marley?, an experimental work of theater and film with site-appropriate themes of water and drowning; Sekou Sundiata s Days of Art and Ideas ; a piece of chamber music by the composer Tania León, and a new work by Mr.

Jones.
The four artists in this fall s series have all been in artistic residency at the company for two years, doing workshops and talkbacks with audiences about their process.
The historic Harlem landmark known as the world famous Apollo Theater has undergone phase one of its restoration and will relaunch with the legendary Amateur Night this coming Wednesday and the return of Dionne Warwick to the Apollo on September 21st.


Back in the New York Times published an article about the interior renovation of the Apollo. The Times informed us that:
Those renovations, known as Phase 1, have consumed about half of the $65 million renovation budget, which was financed by private contributions as well as a $4.5 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration and $20.

4 million from the city’s Economic Development Corporation
We replaced all the seats, [but] they re still a replica of the original ones, says Procope. We ve completely redone the stage, as well as our greenroom, which will make it better for cocktail parties and other pre-concert events.
Inside, the audience will see plasma screens on the walls, a brand-new stage, new seating and new stairs.

We ve taken a beating from fans for the way the place looked in the past. Now, when one comes to the Apollo Theater, they say, My God, look at this place.
As part of the renovation process, the original floor was torn up where used to shuffle sub-par amateurs off the stage.


I was crying when they tore up that floor - I know all the greats that have performed on that stage, [Billy] Mitchell says. I had the construction guys give me a piece of it. I m going to have it framed.


The rest of it was thrown away. People have come in and said, You could have put that on eBay.
In 2008, the theater is expected to close down again for more renovations known as phase 2 in preparation for the 75th anniversary.


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Aaron Davis Hall is now known as Harlem Stage at The Gatehouse. The facility will not only be sporting a new name but they will also relocate across Convent Avenue into the formerly vacant, newly renovated space known as The Gatehouse.


The Gatehouse, located at 150 Convent Avenue on the southwest corner of Convent and 135th Street was originally a pumping station used to distribute water from the Croton Aqueduct in Westchester County. It is a Romanesque revival building built between 1884-1890. The building was designated a landmark in 1981 yet it has been unoccupied since 1984.


The Gatehouse has been transformed into a state-of-the-art performance space with a 199 seat theater, de-mountable platform seating and stages, rehearsal and office space within the two story fully restored structure.
The official opening is not until October but there will be pre-opening events leading up to the premier season of artistic offerings. August 27th Jazz for Jazz will take place from 2-7 p.

m. A panel discussion moderated by WNYC radio host Leonard Lopate will take place on September 21 from 6-8 p.m.

titled, Visioning Harlem: Art, Culture, Place and will explore how the character of community can be preserved and strengthened. The discussion will be followed up with tours of The Gatehouse. The Up South International Book Festival will be hosted at the new Harlem Stage for 4 days at the end September.


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This coming weekend is Harlem Week and there will be plenty to do all around Harlem. Visit the for specific dates, locations and times.

Here is a general rundown of events:
On August 19th, and 20th, HARLEM WEEK invites everyone to take part in one of New York City’s most exciting weekends, beginning with the annual “Uptown Saturday Nite” music festival.
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-Get in touch with your artistic side by going to the Harlem Renaissance Jazz, Film and Art in the Park [ ]
-Dance with glee as 152nd Street becomes the Dance Theatre of Harlem Way.

There will be a street fair and special dance performances. [ ]
-Get in touch with your romantic side with a live outdoor performance of Romeo Juliet. [ ]
-Get sexy at the Marcus Garvey Pool Party Fundraiser.

[ ]
-Get in touch with the neighborhood youth by attending the MNN Youth Channel Block Party at Jackie Robinson Park. [ ]
-Get where you are going on time by using the for weekend service changes or for directions.
Just a few doors down from its famous neighbor the Apollo Theater, the Victoria went from being celebrated as one of the city s largest and most beautiful theaters to failing as a five-screen multiplex that opened in 1987 and closed just two years later.

Since then, the theater s Ionic columns and terra-cotta rosettes have decayed and the stage has remained bare, except for occasional small theatrical productions or church services. The marquee recently advertised a lingerie sale across the street.
Now, seven teams of developers, hoteliers and cultural organizations are competing to reimagine the site as a major new entertainment-hotel-residential complex.

New York State, which owns the property, is interviewing the applicants and expects to make a decision in March.
The Empire State Development Corporation, which is evaluating the proposals with the Harlem Community Development Corporation, its subsidiary, declined to identify the applicants or describe their proposals.
But documents obtained by The New York Times show that the state has narrowed the field to seven groups.

Under terms set by the state, each team has enlisted an arts organization as part of its proposal, like the Bottom Line, the jazz club that recently closed in Greenwich Village; or the Jazz Museum in Harlem, which has yet to find a home. The development teams include hoteliers like Starwood and Ian Schrager; architects like Fox Fowle, Davis Brody Bond and Lee Harris Pomeroy; and developers like Related Companies and Apollo Real Estate Advisers, which together built the Time Warner Center.
This is a great opportunity for Harlem and more specifically for 125th Street as it inches toward becoming an even grander destination, said Derek Q.

Johnson, chairman of Integrated Holdings, which has partnered with Related.
But development projects involving historic buildings are often magnets for controversy, and the Victoria is no exception. While the theater has been deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, it is not a designated landmark - and the state is not requiring that the neo-Classical theater, with its ornate moldings and ceilings, be preserved.


That is effectively a smack in the face to the community, said City Councilman Bill Perkins, who represents parts of Harlem. There is going to be a little bit of a fight on this, I can guarantee you.
That s a historic theater, and we d like to see proposals recognize that, he continued.

The preservation issue is compatible with the development issue.
At a meeting on Friday of the Harlem Community Development Corporation, the issue of preservation was addressed. While all of the proposals would involve retaining the facade, only two specify restoring some interior features.

Michael Henry Adams, the Harlem historian and author of Harlem: Lost and Found (Monacelli Press, 2002), said he found this troubling. Whatever happens, I would like it to incorporate the beautiful interiors of this historic Harlem theater, he said.
In particular, Mr.

Adams cited the elliptical anteroom on the second floor, the bas-relief decoration on the theater s saucer dome ceiling, the long mirrored lobby and the theater s gilded bronze and crystal chandeliers.
The 2,394-seat Victoria was designed in 1917 by Thomas W. Lamb, who built dozens of Loew s theaters around the world and several Broadway houses.

It should not be allowed to be destroyed, Mr. Adams said. Were it restored, it would be one of the most distinguished theaters in New York.


Over the last few years, Harlem has seen an explosion of commercial development, from a new Marriott Hotel to Harlem U.S.A.

, a retail center, both on 125th Street. Developers say there is still a demand for more hotel rooms as well for apartments to accommodate professionals. But some people who live and work in Harlem are concerned that the influx in large-scale development will compromise the neighborhood s character and displace longtime residents.


Mr. Perkins argues that the Victoria development project - indeed, the overall influx of commercial building in Harlem - should not be mistaken for a larger revival. These days, renaissance is defined by real estate, he said.

It s not a term to describe an intellectual, cultural, educational rebirth.
What these people want us to do is be grateful that deals are being made, he said. The easy way out is to tear something down and put something up.


Tensions are also brewing between the two agencies responsible for choosing a development plan for the site. Keith L. T.

Wright, chairman of the Harlem Community Development Corporation, said his organization had been excluded from decision-making by the Empire State Development Corporation. There has been no consultation whatsoever, said Mr. Wright, also a state assemblyman whose district includes Harlem.

It s plantationism at its best.
This is the last big development piece on 125th Street, he said. I just want to make sure some of my community groups are taken care of.

They want a piece of the action.
But Deborah Wetzel, a spokeswoman for the Empire State Development Corporation, said that the Harlem Community Development Corporation had been fully consulted. We ve been working very closely with them, she said.

We re assisting them every step of the way; they sit in on every meeting and their board has final approval. The Harlem Urban Development Corporation, a precursor of the community development corporation, acquired the Apollo and the Victoria in the mid-1980 s to save them from conversion to nontheater use.
Two of the proposals feature the Jazz Museum, which was founded four years ago to present exhibitions and further jazz education.


The proposal submitted by the RD Management Corporation, a real estate investment and development company, calls the Jazz Museum the jewel in the crown of its $116 million multi-use development. The proposal plans to retain the theater s façade with a new marquee and overall design by Fox Fowle Architects.
Taking a page from the new Jazz at Lincoln Center building at Columbus Circle, which - in addition to its main stage - includes a jazz club and a theater with a glass wall overlooking Central Park South, the proposal calls for a jazz cafe on the second floor for small ensembles.

A bandstand would be framed by a large window on the 125th Street side of the building.
Now that Jazz at Lincoln Center is open in the Time Warner Center, the proposal says, momentum has been created for a Harlem-based jazz institution whose aesthetic will be informed by the sensibilities of the uptown community.
RD Management s submission also includes a 150-room hotel that would house a gallery for African-American art and a Harlem-themed restaurant.

For example, the proposal says, the menu might offer a Zora Neale Hurston salad, a Romare Bearden pasta, a Miles Davis omelette and a Denzel burger.
The Jazz Museum would also be the cultural centerpiece of a $123 million proposal by Integrated Holdings and Related for a 150-room boutique hotel - with Inter-Continental as a possible operator - and 90 residential condominium units.
Apollo Real Estate Advisers, along with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, has proposed a $103 million W Hotel with 156 rooms, 58 residential condominiums and 4,000 square feet of office space for the Apollo Theater Foundation.

The Apollo Theater space would include rehearsal and education areas, a black box theater and an Apollo cafe. The architect on the project is Davis Brody Bond.
A proposal by the Victoria Tower Development suggests a $150 million B.

B. King Entertainment Center with a jazz dinner club; an art gallery run by the Studio Museum in Harlem; and a five-star, 304-room hotel. The other groups in the running are Full Spectrum, which has proposed a $111 million complex including 78 luxury condominiums and two clubs - Victoria Small s Paradise and 930 Blues Cafe with programming that reflects black and Latino culture.


Thor Equities, which specializes in urban real estate projects, proposes a $70 million complex, including boutiques like Armani Exchange, Club Monaco and Kay Jewelers; a revived Bottom Line club, possibly with a recording studio; and a 238-room hotel.
Danforth Development Partners proposes creating a $113 million new Savoy Ballroom with banquet space for 300 people, a 90-room hotel designed by Mr. Schrager and two new theaters for Harlem-based performing arts companies like Classical Theater of Harlem, Bill T.

Jones Dance Group and the Harlem School of the Arts.
At the meeting on Friday, it was clear that several Harlem Community Development Corporation board members were worried that a treasured neighborhood landmark would be erased. One board member asked, Can this theater be demolished?


Diane P. Phillpotts, president of the corporation, replied that substantial changes to the building would require consultation with the New York State Historic Preservation Office.
I understand the importance of preservation, she said.

We also have to balance that against the economic development potential of the property.

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Keywords: Development Corporation, Harlem Stage, Community Development Corporation, Community Development, Harlem Community Development, Bob Marley, Harlem Community, Aaron Davis, Real Estate, Aaron Davis Hall
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