2021 HUMANA FESTIVAL

UP NEXT IN THE

2021 HUMANA FESTIVAL

STORY WORLDS, MUSIC, COLLABORATIONS, AND A CONVERSATION

TThe Humana Festival of New American Plays has always been about bringing together inventive artists and expanding the possibilities of form and content, and in that spirit, this year Actors Theatre of Louisville has transformed our annual celebration of world premieres into a 2021 virtual exhibition of new work and emergent technologies. Throughout the season, we’ve taken a deep dive into digital production, becoming an interdisciplinary laboratory for a storytelling (r)evolution. Adding to a growing library of virtual experiences, we’re continuing to roll out projects that transport audiences into surprising, previously unimagined story worlds — where you can journey with a young Blues singer or with history-making athletes through virtual and extended reality, jam at an R&B concert in a virtual pub, and more.

Upcoming next in the Humana Festival, the remarkably versatile hyphenate performers Christina Acosta Robinson and Ken Robinson will share their creative partnership and original work in Still Ready, a music-filled docuseries that celebrates love, joy, and expansive Black artistry. In addition, Actors Theatre of Louisville will soon be releasing several new experiences produced in collaboration with one of our creative innovation partners, Crux Cooperative, a Black-led home for artists working in extended reality (XR).

Beyond the Crossroads is co-created by Crux co-founder Ruffin and playwright Candrice Jones, while Ali Summit brings the voice of playwright and break beat poet Idris Goodwin (How We Got On, Hype Man) back to Actors Theatre. In conjunction with Ali Summit, Actors Theatre of Louisville will host our annual Community Conversation event online on the evening of May 20, as part of our ongoing work to connect the arts and civic dialogue.

Read on for an overview of offerings planned for May, and please stay tuned at ActorsTheatre.org to learn more about specific release dates, reservation information, and additional details as the 2021 Humana Festival continues to unfold.

 Actors Theatre of Louisville presents Still Ready, an original docuseries in Three Parts. Graphic courtesy of Actors Theatre.

STILL READY

A musical docuseries in three parts

Created and performed by Christina Acosta Robinson and Ken Robinson Directed by Robert Barry Fleming Commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville They met at the Yale School of Drama, got married, and became parents. He writes songs, she’s a poet and visual artist, and they both have navigated careers as Black performers on the Great White Way. Presented as three unique offerings, this music-filled docuseries shares the creative partnership between the Robinsons, in love for more than a decade and still surprising each other all the time.

For more details about Still Ready and to reserve tickets, please visit ActorsTheatre.org.

BEYOND THE CROSSROADS

Created by Candrice Jones and Ruffin Produced in collaboration with Crux Cooperative Commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville In this interactive adventure from the minds of playwright Candrice Jones and creative media technologies thought leader Ruffin, you can help a young Blues singer chart her own path and liberate the music that’s in her heart. It’s a branching narrative journey that springs from the collaboration between two remarkable Black women, both innovative thinkers in their respective fields.

ALI SUMMIT

Written by Idris Goodwin Directed by Robert Barry Fleming Produced in collaboration with Crux Cooperative Commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville In 1967, nobody could doubt the athletic strength of boxing champ Muhammad Ali. But what about the strength of his convictions? Inspired by the summit of prominent Black sports figures who questioned Ali about his conscientious objection to military service, this virtual project is a collaboration between playwright Idris Goodwin, director Robert Barry Fleming, and the extended reality storytellers and immersive artists of Crux Cooperative.

This work was supported by a Building Demand for the Arts grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATION

The Community Conversation is an annual event hosted by Actors Theatre of Louisville that brings members of the community together to explore important topics in Louisville's cultural landscape. This year, our event centers on themes from the upcoming Humana Festival entry, Ali Summit, as well as the entire year of programming at Actors Theatre of Louisville and our evolution into an arts and culture organization as social enterprise. The Community Conversation takes place online on Thursday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Please RSVP here to receive updates about the Community Conversation, information about the panelists, and the link to watch.

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