WASHINGTON – Students of the Howard University Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) Musical Theatre Area of the Department of Theatre Arts will make a special peformance of its upcoming musical production Pippin, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall, Saturday, February 22, at 8 pm, as part of the company’s month-long series of special events and programming, titled, Amen, Baldwin!: A Living Celebration. The department, along with the Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies and locally-owned restaurant chain Busboys and Poets, will celebrate the legacy and impact of James Baldwin through events supporting the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of The Amen Corner, Baldwin’s groundbreaking drama that made its world premiere at Howard University in 1955.

The Department of Theatre Arts worked closely with the Shakespeare Theatre Company to create a College Night for performers of local colleges and universities, to attend the showing of The Amen Corner and catch glimpses of fellow student performers from Howard University during a pre-show lobby performance featuring excerpts from Pippin. Audience members are invited to stay after both performances for a moderated discussion with local faculty members and members of The Amen Corner cast. According to the Shakespeare Theatre, tickets for College Night will be specially priced for all local college students with active student identification cards. For ticket information, visit http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/amen-baldwin/. 

Beginning Tuesday, March 3, the Howard University Department of Theatre Arts presents Pippin, an original Broadway produced production that follows the journey of a man as he explores what it means to live an extraordinary life. Under the direction of students Rickey Ramon, as director, Brittany Johnson, musical director and Lashwanda Batts, as choreographer, the Department is promising a story filled with spectacle, excitement and drama. For ticket information and performance dates, visit https://theatrearts.howard.edu/stage. 

As part of the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Amen, Baldwin!: A Living Celebration, which runs through March, the company has announced two additional collaborations with the local restaurant chain Busboys & Poets and the Center for Hellenic Studies. Visit http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/amen-baldwin/ for complete details.

###

ABOUT THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

Shakespeare Theatre Company produces and presents the highest-quality classic theatre productions across genres, bringing them to vibrant life in a provocative, imaginative and accessible style. With Shakespeare at our core, we explore plays of national and international relevancy—those with profound themes, complex characters and heightened language—through a contemporary 21st century lens. We expand the classic theatre repertoire in America by reviving and commissioning adaptations and translations of important forgotten works. We create impactful and responsive arts education and community engagement programs to connect audiences to the significance of classic works and themes. We provide a home for leading classical artists and a training ground for the next generation of theatre artists and arts administrators. For more information, visit http://www.shakespearetheatre.org. 

ABOUT HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 70 Fulbright Scholars. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media contact: Ramzey Smith, Office of University Communications, ramzey.smith@howard.edu