6th Annual Bronze Collective Theatre Fest: 2020 Moving Forward

6th Annual Bronze Collective Theatre Fest: 2020 Moving Forward

The Rochester Bronze Collective

Directed by Various Producing Directors

read press release HERE

The Bronze Collective Theatre Fest: 2020 Moving Forward 

Rochester, NY -The Rochester Bronze Collective* announces the 6th Annual Bronze Collective Theatre Fest: 2020 Moving Forward on Feb. 16-23, 2020. Shows run 7:30PM Nightly with a special late-night Comedy/Spoken Word event @ 11PM on Feb. 22 and 2 PM matinee on Feb 23. at the MUCCC Theater. Tickets on sale at muccc.org.  

The 6th annual Bronze Collective Theatre Fest is seven days and eight different productions. Local African American producers showcase variations of African American life through the vehicle of theatrical drama. (See the full line up of shows below.) 

Of particular interest and relevance to Rochester are two productions that highlight the contributions of Rochester's famed Clarissa St. Clarissa St., once known for its nightlife is represented by: "Monologues on Clarissa St.", by Karen Culley which runs Saturday, 22 and "Clarissa St. Reflections", which includes a short film by RIT instructor and local filmmaker Tina Chapman DeCosta with live music from Paradigm Shift occurs during the Sunday 2 PM matinee.  

Audiences can see the productions individually or get in on the "Clarissa St. Package" deal for those interested in both.  Also new this year is the late-night "Laugh-N-Word Show" at 11PM on Saturday, Feb 22.  Various comics and spoken word artists will come together for a battle of wit and creativity to represent their genre.

Mon  Feb 17 7:30  PM     SmudgeStick Experience

Tues  Feb 18-7:30PM      Anansi Tales: Br'er Rabbit Edition

Wed  Feb 19 7:30PM      The Intervention by Delbra Brown

Thurs Feb 20-7:30PM     Yesterday by Grace Flores

Fri     Feb 21- 7:30 pm    Flawed Beautifully by Ashona Brown

Sat   Feb 22- 7:30 pm     Monologues on Clarissa St. by Karen Culley

Sat   Feb 22- 11:00 pm   Laugh-N-Word Show 11PM 

Sun   Feb 23- 2 pm         Clarissa St. Reflections

Mon., Feb 17 7:30 PM SmudgeStick Experience  with Almeta Whitis reaches into her treasure trove of stories and pulls out lore and tales to make you laugh and cry with special guest dancer Niema Neteri  Adkins.

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 Tue., Feb 18 Anansi Tales: Br'er Rabbit Edition 7:30 PM is introducing and reacquainting folktales of Br'er Rabbit and Anansi through puppetry, acting, and masks.

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 Wed., Feb 19 7:30 PM The Intervention by Delbra Brown. Ms. Debbie Cakes is back with her brand of comedic-intervention working with a wife and recent jail-released Antwon.

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 Thur., Feb 20,Yesterday by Grace Flores 7:30 PM takes a journey with five women on the cusp of adulthood navigating generational curses, nontraditional relationships, and family circumstances.

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 Fri., Feb 21, Flawed Beautifully by Ashona Brown 7:30 PM is Ashona's voyage of discovery and resilience triumph over pain; her hard life would mold her, it would not make her.

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 Sat., Feb 22, Monologues on Clarissa St. by Karen Culley 7:30 PM chronicles the essence of African American stories as they arrived in  Rochester in the 1930s.

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 Sat., Feb 22, Laugh-N-Word Show 11PM is a late-night event blending the two genres. Stand-up comedy and spoken-word or slam poetry together for one night to engage our reality with their words and antics.

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 Sun., Feb 23. 2 pm, Clarissa St. Reflections with Tina Chapman DeCosta featuring Paradigm Shift.

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The sixth Annual Bronze Collective Theatre Fest is a African American Theatre winter festival in Greater Rochester.

This year's Bronze Collective Theatre Fest theme of Moving Forward challenges audiences to both remember the past and blaze new ground in their own experiences. The Bronze Collective Theatre experience feels very much like a family affair.  Once audiences have been to the fest, they will feel like they are apart of an interconnected group.

The Bronze Collective Theatre Fest is one of a handful of winter festivals in Rochester, but it also points theatergoers to a season of African American Theater. Many shows in the festival because of time restraints are abbreviated, but go on to be fully mounted later in the current year. Audiences will see "sneak peeks" of shows coming up in the 2020 year. See you at the festival in 2020!

$15 in advance $20 at the door 

$49 week pass

About the Company For six years, The Rochester Bronze Collective has been a promoter of African American theater in the Greater Rochester Area.  This promotion has shown itself in the rise of African American theater, increased representation, provided a consistent infrastructure, and provided support for playwrights, actors, directors, and audiences to experience the performing arts through an African American lens.