Legacy in Layers: The Formation of Our Roots

National Black Theatre’s Alternative Learning & Social Impact department presents an intimate celebration of memory, legacy, and reclamation to use the past to inspire the FUTURE.

This special gathering draws on rare archival artifacts—from digitized manuscripts and photographs to VHS tapes and original Reel2Reels—to spark new ways of envisioning the future, grounded in the rich legacy of NBT’s beginnings. Through our ongoing residency with the Hemispheric Institute, we’ve had the powerful opportunity to carefully unearth and preserve original assets from NBT’s origin story. Over the past two years, this partnership has supported the digitization of 29 archival media items, helping to protect and make accessible vital pieces of Black theater history for generations to come.

Together, we’ll reflect on the enduring power of Black theater, the necessity of collective memory, and the stories that continue to shape our culture today. This work is more than an archival project—it is a call to remember, to re-center the voices of our elders and ancestors, and to honor the lineage that informs our creative future. In a time when book bans and cultural erasure threaten our narratives, this effort helps carve new pathways for study, inspiration, creation, and healing. It ensures that the brilliance of Black cultural memory is not only preserved, but remains a guiding force for what’s next.

“We are overjoyed to partner with The Hemispheric Institute to digitize the archives of the National Black Theatre. This historic undertaking ensures that the artistic, cultural, and social legacy of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, lives on in perpetuity and remains accessible to generations to come. It is deeply moving to know that the revolutionary work birthed in Harlem will now be a tangible source of academic research continuing to inspire and empower future generations worldwide.”
– Sade Lythcott, CEO, National Black Theatre

Event Details: During the two days we are doing three events

Visualizing Legacies and Futures—An Exhibition by The National Black Theatre
FREE but must RSVP to attend.

Opening Reception
Thursday, November 13, 2025
5 – 8 PM
20 Cooper Square, 5th Floor Gallery Space

Visualizing Legacies and Futures reflects the historical and contemporary memory of the National Black Theatre, the Fall 2025 Arts Institution in Residence at the Hemispheric Institute. The exhibition showcases a collection of historic archival photography and original NBT film footage that has never been publicly released. The exhibition will run from November 13, 2025 to February 27, 2026. Information on how to visit HERE.

National Black Theatre: Reflections from our Elders
FREE but must RSVP to attend

Thursday, November 13, 2025
6 – 8 PM
20 Cooper Square, 5th Floor

Join us for this intergenerational conversation with The Liberators, a group of original NBT company members. This intimate discussion honors the artists, organizers, and cultural workers who laid the foundation for the creation of the National Black Theatre and the Black Art Movement in the 1960’s. This public conversation will be moderated by Sade Lythcott, NBT’s CEO.

Soljourney Into Truth: Staging the Unpublished Manuscript
FREE but must RSVP to attend

Thursday, November 20, 2025
7 PM
16 Cooper Square (CBA Studio).

This one-night-only staged reading revives Soljourney Into Truth, a work by National Black Theatre Founder Dr. Barbara Ann Teer last performed in 1979. The play, which has never been published, will be directed by Ebony Noelle Golden, and is recreated by a contemporary ensemble.