Mr. Phillip E. & Dr. Ethel Pitts Walkerat AADC Las Vegas Retreat
BLACK THEATRE TROUPE DELIVERS ORIGINAL AFRICAN AMERICAN DRAMA
Mr. Phillip E. & Dr. Ethel Pitts Walkerat AADC Las Vegas Retreat
The internationally traveled African American Drama Company of California (AADC) is the Nation’s most extensively toured fine arts organization. As the only such group of any hue to have performed in every United State, AADC has played each State at least twice. This African American theater company was the second theater company ever to have performed at the National Black Theater Festival and the first to perform a one person show there. To book that AADC flagship Black leader play (now including Barack Obama’s ”race speech”) see www.BlackHistoryMonthSpeaker.com.
The African American Drama Company is now working to premiere Ajene D. Washington’s Almost September, a look at African American class and generational issues.
The world’s only Black drama organization dedicated exclusively to African American history, the African American Drama Company’s thirty-two (32) years of touring helped to establish the now famous Black History Month. For example, this Black theatre history group’s work included the kick-off of Arts & Entertainment Television’s African American History Month celebrations with a February 1, 2004 “Breakfast with the Arts” appearance.
www.TouringBlackHistory.com for AADC’s current traveling Black repertory theater schedule.
A most respected Black arts theater industry Black theater troupe (even among African American contemporary theaters), the African American Drama Company’s depiction of African American theater history is driven by authentic Black history performed as African American plays and dramas.
CHILD PROGRAMS
AADC helped to create www.TheThirdTheatreTroupe.com (TTTT) who’s multi cultural touring kid Kwanzaa musical candle travels the nation for its fifth (5th) season from www.KwanzaaMusical.com. See www.CanISpeakForYouBrother.com for information on AADC’s Youth / Child Black leaders assembly. Further, African American child theater is yet another aspect of the African American Drama Company’s African American drama creations. Specializing in reader theater Black history, this Black drama group is also known for developing Bill Cosby www.LittleBillReaderS.com beginning reader books into reader’s theater for Black History Month (Little Bill’s Heritage) and Martin Luther King www.ThankYouDrKing.com celebrations. Coming for 2009 is the arts kid summer camp www.ActiveAcademics.com.
One of the few Black Theatre Network founding organizations, the African American Drama Company is recognized as a National Black theater leader. Its wide array of ever popular college class visits, community residency activities, lectures and Black theater workshops augment the African American Drama Company’s worth as a premiere African American theater play creator.
At www.MultiCulturalWorkshop.com is information on an interactive gathering plus information on a Dr. Martin Luther King holiday lecture/workshop is at www.MartinLutherKingHoliday.info.
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AFRICAN AMERICAN DRAMA COMPANY
KEY PERSONNEL BIOGRAPHIES
Executive Director ETHEL PITTS WALKER is Chair of Television, Radio, Film and Theatre at San Jose State University where she was a 1999-2000 Teacher Scholar. Also that institution’s 2006-2007 Outstanding Professor (www.sjsu.edu/news/news_detail.jsp?id=2170), her latest honor is as one of four 2008 University of Missouri College of Arts & Science Distinguished Alumni (http://coas.missouri.edu/asweek/bios.html). As an artist Ethel has authored several plays in addition to two books: New/Lost Plays by Ed Bullins: An Anthology and African American Scenebook. With numerous directing credits, she served as dramaturge for Old Settler at Theatre Works in Palo Alto, CA.
A National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend, she was the Black Theatre Network Founding President plus was a CA Educational Theatre Association and CA Legislative Action Coalition for Arts Education former President. In 1999 the American College Theatre Festival honored Walker with its Theatre in Excellence Award and she was inducted into the national Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame in 2000. Featured on the cover of Black Masks’ July/August 2000 issue, in 2002 Dr. Walker was inducted into The College of Fellows of the American Theatre at the Kennedy Center.
Full Bio at: www.EthelPittsWalker.com
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Now developing www.ENTERTAINERACADEMY.com, PHILLIP EUGENE WALKER serves as AADC’s only full time employee. As the Company’s Artistic Director, he directed the group's Can I SING For You Brother?, Love Machine and more. Nationwide, other companies for which he has directed include: the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Ohio’s King Arts Complex, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Mid-Missouri Ethnic Festival and Gettysbury, PA’s Rainbow Theatre.
A former Oakland Ensemble Theatre President, Phillip performed his one man show at least twice in every United State. Creator of the BlackGreenRoom and www.AfricanAmericanHolidaySeason.com in San Jose, Mr. Walker has taught theatre at universities throughout America, in addition to having chaired Fisk University’s Dramatics & Speech Department. The first ever California Arts Council Touring Coordinator, Phillip E. helped lead John Robert Powers-San Jose into being selected as the Third Runner-Up school at LA’s 2007 International Presentation of Performers competition www.IPOP07.com.
Having earned a Loyola University of Chicago BA in theatre and University of Illinois-Urbana MA in theatre history/criticism, Phillip E Walker’s University of California-Davis Master of Fine Arts Dramatic Arts degree has led to working in some three (300) hundred modeling, live theatrical, video and film projects. In 2006-07 alone, in addition to a Krames modeling shoot, he worked on ABC-TV’s The Evidence with Orlando Jones & Martin Landau, Japanese TV’s The World’s Astonishing News! plus three films: Academy Award winning director Christopher Columbus’ Rent with Rosario Dawson & Taye Diggs, Zodiac with Robert Downey, Jr. & Jake Gyllenhaal and Columbia Picture’s Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith who therein won his second Best Actor Academy Award nomination. This season Phil worked on Sean Penn’s Oscar winning MILK.
Full VITA at www.PhillipEWalker.com
The Love Machine book is written by up and coming playwright, TRAVIS DONNELL WALKER. With both parents in theatre and the African American Drama Company being created the year before his birth, this project represents TD’s first formal employment with the African American Drama Company.
Travis earned his JD as a University of Illinois College of Law Lincoln Scholar and was an undergraduate theatre minor at Santa Clara University. At SCU he authored wildly successful Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebration plays in 1999 and 2000, co-directed two Musical Pops Choir productions, while serving as Co-Chair of Santa Clara’s Multicultural Center Programing Board.
President of www.EducationRealized.com and the Black Talent Showcasing Association, Travis D. is currently employed as a top producing Enterprise Car Sales Regional Manager. Further, young Walker has written several theatrical shows including his screen play The Boy Who Would Be King.
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From the inspiring expressions of the Negro Spirituals, actor/playwright LEWIS G. TUCKER’s African American Drama Company produced one man Negro Spirituals musical medley play www.CanISINGForYouBrother.com, tours America viewing how our Nation was able to survive slavery. Further, Mr. Tucker decodes the Spirituals, while encouraging ALL people to be proud of their heritage. The original High John da Conqueror-the musical director, with a University of Oklahoma Master of Fine Arts Directing degree, the caressing baritone voice of this author/performer makes his play most touching.
Having created his own Los Angeles based 21st Century Theatre, Lewis was seen in Francis Ford Coppola’s Peggy Sue Got Married and on Nickelodeon’s Kenan & Kell. Now directing a Los Angeles School District middle school for the arts, Lou also sits on the Education Realized board.
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Versatile theatrican AJENE DAVID WASHINGTON stagemanaged the African American Drama Company 25th Anniversary Alumni Showcase. He has written more than twenty (20) plays with the 2004-05 season seeing his The Highland Avenue Trilogy run in New York and 2007-08 season opening with his Almost September being work shopped at Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s inaugural “Voices at the River” playwright’s festival. As an actor, in addition to creating AADC High John roles, Ajene was also seen in The Michael Jordan Story, One Life to Live and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
With a theatre MA from Northern Illinois University and the longest tenure of any African American Drama Company employee, Mr. Washington consulted on the African American Drama Company’s 2004 A&E-TV “Breakfast with the Arts” appearance, as well as stagemanaged the showcases for AADC’s two Summits. A former Artistic Director for H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players in Harlem New York City, his AUDELCO award winning direction of American Menu was the 2003 National Black Theatre Festival rage.
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Recently graduated and current African American arts graduate students will be hired as new AADC employees to perform in and produce Almost September. This is an early step in adding young adults to the African American Drama Company’s African American play creations. For 2009-10 see Kwanzaa cast AUDITIONS plus Musical Director & Choreographer applications at www.2009Kwanzaa.com.
The Plaza of San Jose, Thirty East Julian, Suite #218, San Jose, CA 95112-4076
(408) 216-9877 San Jose office ) (415) 378-0064 voice mail hDRAMART@comcast.net
©Copyright 2009 African American Drama Company
h h h h h h h h RELATED WEB LINKS h h h h h h h h
UP COMING KWANZAA ENGAGEMENTS: www.Kwanzaa2009.com
www.2008Kwanzaa.com = FOX-News VIDEO & Kwanzaa 2008 Presenters: www.Kwanzaa2008.com
www.2007Kwanzaa.com = Old Town Kwanzaa SLIDE SHOW & Presenters: www.Kwanzaa2007.com
VIDEO: www.2006Kwanzaa.com~San Jose Mercury News~ARTICLE: www.KwanzaaActivity.com
www.KwanzaaTour.com = UP TO DATE BOOKED KWANZAA HOLIDAY TOUR SCHEDULE
History of Kwanzaa Craft Gift Performances: www.HistoryOfKwanzaa.com
www.KwanzaaPrinciple.com = Seven Principles of Kwanzaa Principle Cast Bio’s & Photos
Poem Song Kwanzaa Lyrics Samples: www.KwanzaaSong.com
www.KwanzaaPicture.com = Traditional Child Kwanzaa Arts Play Collage
TTTT’s Black Theatre Network Conference Performances: www.BlackTheatreNetwork.com
www.LittleBillReader.com = Fee Based Reading Fluency Through Reader’s Theater Residencies
Former Third Baptist Church Reading Fluency BBiBS Program: www.ChillStreetGang.info
www.LittleBillBooks.com = Periodic No Cost Reading Fluency Bill Cosby Little Bill Tele Conferences
LIVE Reading Fluency Bill Cosby Little Bill Seminars: www.BookScholastic.com
www.SummerCampCalifornia.com = African American Drama Company Arts Education Programs
No Cost Information Articles on the King Movement: www.MartinLutherKingHoliday.com
www.AfricanAmericanHistoryMonth.info = No Costs Information Articles on this Annual Celebration
Love Machine R&B Musical Theatre booking page: www.MotownHistory.com
www.ThatNewPublishingCompany.com = WEB Consultant