Sun 7/14 @ 2-6PM
Karamu House was founded in 1915 to bring people of all different backgrounds together to bond over the arts. While its founders Russell and Rowena Jelliffe were white, the surrounding neighborhood had a burgeoning Black population and they were welcome at what was then called the Playhouse Settlement. It quickly developed a reputation for nurturing Black theater and arts talent. It’s now known as the oldest existing Black theater in the U.S.
Karamu went through many ups and downs over the years, both artistic and financial. When Terrence Spivey took over the theater program, which he ran from 2003-2016, he restored its artistic reputation and soon after, under Tony Sias’s leadership it was on firmer financial ground and began its renovation and expansion project.
This weekend it celebrates with a major fundraising party on Saturday July 13, and a Community Day, open to everyone for free on Sunday July 14. It will kick off at 2pm with Karamu Hall of Fame inductions including theater artist the late Reggie Kelly, actor/director/playwright and former politician Peter Lawson Jones, and Annette Bailey, a Karamu administrator for more than 50 years. Then there will be two performances of Idris Goodwin’s The Boy Who Kissed the Sky by the Summer Arts Academy, refreshments, tours of the renovated space, and a ribbon-cutting for the new East 89th and Quincy Plaza.
To register to attend the community day go here.
Cleveland, OH 44106