Billie Holiday Theatre

The Billie Holiday Theatre
Map
Coordinates40°40′N 73°56′W / 40.667°N 73.933°W / 40.667; -73.933
Public transit"a" train"c" train Nostrand Avenue station
OwnerBedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Capacity218
Construction
OpenedMay 1972
Renovated2015
ArchitectMurphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects
Website
http://thebillieholiday.org

The Billie Holiday Theatre (aka the "Billie," or the "BHT,") is an AUDELCO and Obie Award-winning theatre that aims to provide "complete and authentic portrayals" of the African diaspora experience, as well as "artistic and institutional residencies and ... educational programming to people of all ages."[1]

Founded in 1972, with roots in both the Civil Rights and the Black Arts Movements, the Billie has been called "one of the nation’s premier Black playhouses."[2] In 2023, it was recognized with a National Medal of the Arts, the nation's highest arts award.[3] U.S. President Joe Biden called the theater "an incredible place ... nurturing a new generation of Black playwrights, performers.”[4][5]

The first Black theatre to transfer a hit play to Broadway, along with 50 percent of the financing from the Black community, the Billie has cultivated some of the "[n]ation’s most renowned Black actors, writers, designers, and musicians," including Lena Horne, Smokey Robinson, Ben Vereen, Samuel L. Jackson and Jay-Z.[1][2][5] In 2020, the Billie was awarded a $5 million-dollar "Black Seed" grant by the Mellon Foundation to help Black theatres nationwide "forge national partnerships and new commissions."[5] In 2022, the New York State Senate marked the Billie's 50th Anniversary with a commemorative resolution in recognition of its contributions.[6]

  1. ^ a b "ABOUT". THE BILLIE HOLIDAY THEATRE. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  2. ^ a b "IN N.Y., ALL THE WORLD'S OUR STAGE NOW PLAYING ALL OVER TOWN: INTERNATIONAL & ETHNIC THEATER". New York Daily News. 1999-10-12. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  3. ^ "Billie Holiday Theatre Receives National Medal of Arts". American Theatre. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  4. ^ Culgan, Rossilynne Skena (5 April 2023). "Brooklyn's Billie Holiday Theatre just won the nation's most prestigious arts award". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  5. ^ a b c "The Billie Holiday Theatre". www.arts.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  6. ^ Zinerman, M. of A. (2021–2022). "Assembly Resolution No. 624". newyorkstatesenate.gov. Retrieved Mar 22, 2024.