Crossroads Theatre facts for kids

Crossroads Theatre is a special theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It focuses on telling stories about the Black American experience and people of African heritage from all over the world. The theater is located in the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2019.

About the Theatre Company

Crossroads Theatre is a Black theater company that celebrates the culture, art, and voices of people from the African Diaspora. It was started in 1978. In 1999, it won a big award called the Regional Theatre Tony Award. This award is a huge honor for theaters.

How Crossroads Theatre Started

Ricardo Khan and Lee K. Richardson met at Rutgers University. They were both studying to get their Master of Fine Arts degrees. After they finished school in 1977, they decided to start the theater company in 1978.

With some help from George Street Playhouse and money from a government program called CETA, the theater began putting on shows in New Brunswick. It became New Jersey's first professional Black repertory theatre. This means it was the first professional theater in New Jersey to focus on Black stories and actors. By 1985, the theater was doing very well and had many people who bought tickets for the whole season.

The company wanted to attract audiences from all backgrounds. At first, they performed older plays. But by 1985, the Artistic Director, Lee Richardson, wanted to focus on new plays. He believed it was time to show new stories.

In 2000, the theater had to stop its shows for a short time. But Rick Khan came back to help, and with support to pay off its debts, Crossroads Theatre was able to open again.

Since it began, Crossroads has put on more than 100 plays. Many of these were brand-new plays by African and African-American artists.

Some of Crossroads' most famous world premieres include The Colored Museum. This play started at Crossroads in 1986. Millions of people later saw it on national public television as part of "Great Performances." Another important play was Spunk. Both of these plays were written by the award-winning writer George C. Wolfe.

Crossroads Theatre's Impact

In 1999, Crossroads Theatre received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. This award recognized the theater's 20 years of amazing artistic work. It was given by important theater groups like the American Theatre Critics Association and the American Theatre Wing.

More than 50 new plays have been performed for the very first time at Crossroads. These plays include works by famous artists such as August Wilson, Anna Deavere Smith, George C. Wolfe, Ntozake Shange, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis. Even former US Poet Laureate Rita Dove had a play premiere there.

Plays You Might Know

Crossroads Theatre has produced over 100 plays. Many of these were new plays by African and African-American artists. Here are some of the plays Crossroads has produced:

• The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe. This play had its first show at Crossroads in 1986. It later appeared on television.
• Spunk by George C. Wolfe. This play also had its first show at Crossroads.
• Jitney by August Wilson.
• Fly by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan. This play had its first show in October 2009.
• It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues by Ron Taylor, Lita Gaithers, "Mississippi" Charles Bevels, Randal Myler, and Dan Wheetman.
• The Love Space Demands, a special kind of poem-play by Ntozake Shange.
• Black Eagles by Leslie Lee. This play tells the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen from World War II. They were a group of African-American military pilots.
• Sheila's Day. This play was a team effort between six South African and six African-American women. It was written by Mbongeni Ngema, who also created Sarafina!. After playing at Crossroads, Sheila's Day toured the US, Britain, and South Africa.
• And Further'Mo, a popular musical by Vernel Bagneris.
• The Darker Face of the Earth, the first play by former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove.
• Lost Creek Township by Charlotte A. Gibson.
• Flyin' West, written by Pearl Cleage and starring famous actresses Ruby Dee, Trazana Beverley, and Olivia Cole.
• Nomathemba, a musical by Ntozake Shange and Joseph Shabalala. He was the founder of the Grammy Award-winning South African music group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
• Two Hah Hahs and a Homeboy, written by and starring Ruby Dee, her husband Ossie Davis, and their son, musician Guy Davis.

Crossroads is also a part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.