Harlem Repertory Theatre

Harlem Repertory Theatre
HRT Promo
FounderKeith Lee Grant
Resident TheatreTato Laviera Theatre
Location240 E 123rd St, New York, NY
Years Active2004 -

The Harlem Repertory Theatre (colloquially known as Harlem Rep) is a non profit professional theater company in Harlem. It was founded in 2004 by Keith Lee Grant, a theatre professor at City College with a goal of making theatre accessible to the Harlem community. They primarily seek to present shows that explore issues of class and race.[1]

History

In 2004, the Harlem Repertory Theatre was founded by Keith Lee Grant, a former Broadway performer and City College of New York (CCNY) professor, with funding support from CCNY.[2][3] Its original home was Aaron Davis Hall on the CCNY campus in Harlem, where it performed for seven summer seasons. At this venue, the Harlem Repertory Theatre performed Hair, The Wiz, Vodu (a new musical theatre piece), Bye Bye Birdie, West Side Story, Cabaret, Dreamgirls, Tambourines to Glory, Dutchman, and As You Like It.[4] In 2009, Harlem Rep collaborated with the Theater for the New City on Flahooley.[5][6]

In 2010, Harlem Rep was forced to move off campus, which also cost the company its primary source for funding. It moved to the 133rd Street Arts Center, a 70-seat, second-floor theatre, with the assistance of Grant taking out a personal loan from his retirement fund to keep the company going.[4] It was at this venue that Harlem Rep's production of Dreamgirls ran and received AUDELCO awards in a number of categories.[7] After two seasons, the building was condemned, and Harlem Rep was forced to move again.[4]

In 2013, the company moved to a larger space in the Tato Laviera Theatre in East Harlem, which became their permanent home.[4][8] Among the productions at their East Harlem home are: A Raisin in the Sun (2017),[9] Harburg & Saidy's Jamaica (2017),[10] The Wizard of Oz (2019),[11] and Sweet Charity (2019).[12] Harlem Rep's production of Jamaica was the first New York production of the show since its original 1957 Broadway production.[10]

Awards

Year Award Production Category Nominee Result
2008 AUDELCO[13] Ain't Misbehavin' Best Performer in a Musical Michael J Nominated
Danyel Fulton Nominated
Alexandra Bernard Nominated
Best Choreographer of a Musical Keith Lee Grant Nominated
Best Director of a Musical Nominated
Best Musical Production - Nominated
2009 The Wiz Best Performer in a Musical Michael J Nominated
Danyel Fulton Nominated
Alexandra Bernard Nominated
Best Choreographer of a Musical Keith Lee Grant Won
Best Director of a Musical Won
Best Musical Production - Nominated
2012 Dreamgirls Outstanding Performance in a Musical – Male Oscar Aguirre Nominated
Best Musical Director Andrew Araango Nominated
2013 Outstanding Performance in a Musical – Female Dion Millington Won
Best Director of a Musical Keith Lee Grant Won
Musical Production of the Year - Won
2016 In The Heights Best Revival - Nominated
2017 A Raisin in the Sun - Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Halvorsen, Caitlyn (2019-02-26). "Black Theatres Across the U.S." AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  2. ↑ "Keith Lee Grant". Backstage.com. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  3. ↑ "Roundup of Harlem Theatres: Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage, Classical Theatre of Harlem, National Black Theatre and Harlem Repertory Theatre | TDF Stages | TDF - Theatre Development Fund". www.tdf.org. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Our Story | Harlem Repertory Theatre | Harlem, New York". Harlem Rep site. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  5. ↑ Gold, Daniel M. (2009-12-28). "Doll as Foil for Corporate Ills". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  6. ↑ "Harlem Repertory Theatre Announces Full Casting for Flahooley". Theater Mania. 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  7. ↑ "Online Featurettes, Awards, and Reviews". Harlem Repertory Theatre. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  8. ↑ Gonzalez, Aurea (2014-12-11). "West Side on the East Side". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  9. ↑ Armstrong, Linda (2017-09-14). "'A Raisin in the Sun' shines at Harlem Repertory Theatre". New York Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  10. 1 2 "Harlem Repertory Theatre Revives Jamaica by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg | TDF Stages | TDF - Theatre Development Fund". www.tdf.org. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  11. ↑ Colbert, Nicole (2019-07-25). "The Wizard of Oz". Off Off Online. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  12. ↑ Wild, Stephi (2019-03-09). "SWEET CHARITY In The #MeToo Era Comes to The Harlem Repertory Theatre". Broadway World. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  13. ↑ "Awards Reviews | Harlem Repertory Theatre | New York". Harlem Repertory Theatre. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.