Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Fundraiser Streams Monday Evening

Sarasota FL

05 April, 2021

4:02 PM

Description

SARASOTA, FL — For more than a decade, the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota has hosted its April Fools Fête as a fundraiser to support its educational programming. All funds raised benefit Stage of Discovery, the organization's intensive summer youth camps; in-school performances and educational programs for high school and elementary students; and the Young Artist Program. Last year, WBTT was forced to postpone its fundraiser, typically held in early April each year, because of the coronavirus pandemic. The troupe pushed the concert to the end of May, offering a pre-recorded program for streaming over a four-day period. This year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues, WBTT's spring tradition is back as a hybrid event with limited in-person tickets available and an option to stream the show from home. The show takes place Monday evening, 7 to 9 p.m. Though the in-person tickets sold out weeks earlier, those who want to catch an amazing performance while supporting the nonprofit arts organization can still stream the concert from home. The cost to stream the show is $50 per household. Livestream tickets can be purchased online here. The concert features WBTT performers and Stage of Discovery students and alumni performing jukebox hits of the 1960s. Favorite WBTT performers include Syreeta S. Banks, Ariel Blue, Michael Mendez, Raleigh Mosely II, Dave Pitts, Leon S. Pitts II and Henry Washington. Stage of Discovery performers include Janiah Gregory, Tianna Harris, Aliciana Harvey-Lopez, Astrid McIntyre, Zion Thompson, Canela Vasquez and Samuel Waite, show their stuff. Artists will be accompanied by WBTT's live band: music director James "Jay" Dodge II on bass, Todd Bellamy on piano, Jamar Camp on auxiliary keys, Brad Foutch on guitar and Etienne "EJ" Porter on drums. Like many nonprofit arts organizations, 2020 was a difficult year for WBTT because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Julie Leach, executive director. "It was a very tough year," she said. "Last year, we had most of the seats sold at the start. We were lucky that 50 percent of ticketholders said we could keep the money. This season, we walked into it with no presales. We're selling as we go and relying on grants and government help." Normally the troupe, which celebrates the African American community's culture and theater, schedules an entire theater season from October to May, she said. When the regular season ends, it hosts numerous summer shows out in the community. Much of this was put on hold or switched to virtual programming last year because of the potential spread of coronavirus, Leach said. This was disappointing as the theater was coming off a strong year, which included the completion of a capital campaign and major theater renovations, at the start of the pandemic, she added. So, WBTT documented its successes and accomplishments in its first-ever impact report. "We accomplished so much that year we didn't want it to get lost," she said. During the pandemic itself, WBTT offered some streaming programming, but mostly focused on training aspiring artists, she added. The troupe tried to bring back live performances in October with its "Light Up the Night!" open-air concert series, but "a backstage COVID outbreak" forced them to shut down the live shows in November. After that, "COVID was so prevalent in the communities through the holidays it didn't seem like the time to open a show. It didn't feel safe," Leach said. Things feel better the troupe's spring season underway, she added. "Things feel much better and we're ready to go. We have lots of protocols in place and more safety measures. We should be good." Moving forward, all live performances will be hosted in outdoor theaters with an emphasis on social distancing and limited capacity. Leach is hopeful that once more residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine, things will normalize even further, and people will feel more comfortable attending live theater. In the meantime, she, and WBTT's staff, volunteers and performers are ready for anything. "Things are feeling a lot better now, but I still get up every morning and look at the COVID statistics," she said. "If they go in the wrong direction, then we have to make a change." Upcoming shows and programs from the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe: "April Fools Fête: Nate Jacobs' Jukebox" — Monday, 7 to 9 p.m. Buy a livestream pass here."Pipeline" — live, in-person performances in an outdoor theater April 24-30; available for virtual screening May 1-25.WBTT Live! — Find on-demand streaming videos and interviews with WBTT artists here.