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PRODUCTION

Director - Walter Dallas
Musical Director - John Stanley
Choreographer - Andrea Smith
Scenic/Lighting Designer - Christophe Pierre
Sound Designer - Jim Coughlin
Costume Designer - Jesse Harris
Production Stage Manager - William Chris Whelan*
ASM/Asst. to the Producer - Debra Ann Byrd*
ASM/Lighting Technician - Elizabeth Dickerson
ASM/Wardrobe Manager - Jolene Woodruffe
Sound Technician - Norman Small
Business Manager - Abisola Faison
House Manager/Concessions Manager - Aisha Wahab
Assts. to the Scenic/Lighting Designer - Robert Brown, Maurice Johnson, Cory Robinson
Assts. to the Costume Designer - Linda Brockington, Debra Ann Byrd, Ann Conyers, Gerald C. Veira
Program Design - TWAS Theatrical Forms
Rental Associate - Oforiwa Idawa
Receptionist - Karimu Hamilton

NTB Facility Staff: Richard Burke, Damian Gaillard, Maurice Johnson, Kiele Logan, Randy Logan, and Count Paul Stovall.

Production Volunteer Staff: Blazer, Sharon Eaddy, Damon Evans, andrea Ghersetich, Flora Gillard, Karimu Hamilton, Devon Huntley, Vincent Sollazzo Lampkin, Cynthia Moore, Tiffany Moore, Nicole Parker, Yvette M. Reed, L.K. Robinson, Klisha Thomas, and Eric Walker.

NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE INC. EXECUTIVE STAFF
Nabii Faison . Abisola Faison . Denyse Payne Jackie Jeffries . Debra Ann Byrd

MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
C. Ottley Strategies, Ltd.

C. Ottley Strategies & Cynthia Badie Associates Carol Friar . Ruth Innis . Sara Campbell

IT'S A MIRACLE ON 125TH STREET

A SONG OF VICTORY by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer

The steps of the New York City Courthouse promised to be full of potential Buyers who would be anxiously waiting to bid for the 64,000 sq. ft. of property on the corner of 125th Street and Fifth Ave. This piece of property, valued at fourteen million dollars, is located in the center of the renowned cultural capital of the Black World. It is also the home of Harlem's historical "living monument," THE NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE.

This unique landmark was to be placed up for public sale on April 26th, 2002. The bid was high, yet the property was valuable. As you could imagine, many Real Estate Moguls were standing in line.

Naturally, NBT was well aware of this fact a long time ago. Back in the days when Fifth Ave. and 125th Street was an unknown, drug infested, piece of property, we quickly moved into the third floor south tower loft. This move was made only three years after we were founded in September 1968. The building was finally purchased by NBT after a horrendous fire destroyed the entire south tower in 1983.

NBT being a product of the Harlem Community, immediately after the fire, went out into the streets and raised over 17,000 signatures from the people of Harlem and beyond to gift the Harlem community  with a first class state of the art cultural and educational facility. The strategy proved to be successful and the groundbreaking ceremony for this brand new facility took place in the spring of 1984. Harlem got its first revenue generating Black Theatre Arts complex in 1989.

This landmark building presently, houses the largest new sacred Yoruba art collection in the western hemisphere and is a "Cultural Center for Alternative Learning.

Against all odds including the survival of the untimely death of Robert Skip Moore, NBT's real estate project manager and Tunde Samuel, the successful theatre arts managing director. However, with only a few hours left before this cornerstone was scheduled to be placed on the auction block, Rich Dennis of Nubian Heritage and NBT formed a powerful partnership  and silently, behind closed doors, Nubian Realty, LLC, was formed. Together, we victoriously completed this multi million-dollar mortgage agreement. The debt was satisfied, the synergy was established and history was made in Harlem. It is with gratitude, deep respect and great love that we take this opportunity to thank all of those culturally conscious people whose prayers, allegiance and support helped us to complete this unprecedented four and a half years' ordeal. This foreclosure action was a significant experience that impacted our institutions' collective vision in a profound and meaningful way.