News: Stage stars join Thespie for concerts celebrating Black and LGBT+ artists

Leading stage stars are set to join arts platform Thespie for a series of talks and concerts that celebrate Black and LGBT+ theatre artists. Raising money for charity, the events coincide with the US’s Black History Month and UK LGBT+ History Month.

With free talks and new concerts that support Stonewall and Black Lives Matter, the programming features two filmed concert premieres: The Road to Prominence, which celebrates Black musical theatre creators, and Break Free, which features LGBTQ artists sharing stories and performances about their personal journeys.

The Road to Prominence celebrates Black musical theatre writers and composers and includes performances and interviews with UK theatre performers Zoe Birkett, Adrian Hansel, Waylon Jacobs, Aisha Jawando, Bobby Little, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Alex Thomas-Smith and Andrew Patrick-Walker. The filmed concert is directed by Dominic Powell, and features his musical Cases, as well as The Wiz, The Color Purple, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Shuffle Along. Proceeds go to Black Lives Matter UK and the concert premieres Friday 26 February.

Break Free premieres on Friday 19 February, and is a powerful celebration of LGBT+ theatre artists. Cast includes Natasha Agnew, Paul Baker, Allie Daniel, Eloise Davis, Andrew Derbyshire, Nick Hayes, Mark Inscoe, Eleanor Kane, Millie O’Connell, Alex Thomas-Smith, Courtney Stapleton, La Voix, Andrew Patrick-Walker, Shona White, Layton Williams and Charlotte York. Proceeds go to LGBT+ charity Stonewall UK.

Conversations In the Room run throughout February, featuring star of upcoming film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Max Harwood on 3 February, plus cast members from the Leicester Curve production of The Color Purple in conversation with Dominic Powell on 10 February.

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