*This date celebrates the opening of the Billie Holiday Theatre in 1968. Serving some 30,000 people annually for more than 30 years, the Audelco and Obie award-winning Billie Holiday Theatre has garnered a well-earned reputation for providing outstanding professional theater productions at affordable prices.
The 200-seat theater has a 40-week season and is a training ground for aspiring theater professionals. It has nurtured the careers of actor Samuel L. Jackson, performer, choreographer, and director Debbie Allen; television, film, and theater producer Samm-Art Williams; actress Tichina Arnold; scenic designer Felix Cochren; and many others.
The Theatre is the original New York producer of many hit shows, including Lotto, In Accent Black, and The Five Brothers, which went on to Broadway; One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show, which toured nationally with Kim Fields and Ted Lange; and the musical Over Forty.
Located in Bedford-Stuyvesant is the Billie Holiday Theater and Skylight Gallery. The theater produces plays written by promising but undiscovered writers, and the art gallery features rotating exhibits by up-and-coming artists.
The Theater is located at 1360 Fulton Street; 718-636-6937, (718) 857-6363.
