WS Chronicle

The word is out. The National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) is coming July 31-Aug. 5. The North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC) announced the line up to the world on Monday, June 5.

While the world is grappling with a wayward president who is unraveling the many gains the first black president of the United States, Barack Obama, made, Winston-Salem is preparing for a dynamic week this summer.

The Black Rep held an afternoon news conference and an evening reception Monday. As always, those who attended either event were drawn into a world of stars, mostly of the stage, but also of TV and movies.

Having 60,000 attend the NBTF is enough to make any place excited, despite what is happening in the world. The terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom could lead people in our neck of the woods to become antsy. But there was no sign of that this week.

“The gala is really selling,” Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, president of the Board of the NCBRC and executive producer of the NBTF, said Monday evening.  The gala showcases stars as they are given awards on the opening night of the festival.

“It’s a time of year when the community transforms,” said NCBRC Executive Director Nigel Alston.

There are a large number of opportunities for people in the community to help with the festival, which will have numerous performance venues throughout the city.

The festival is a much-anticipated event every two years. It brings excitement to the city. It’s educational and it’s fun. It’s a chance for people to fellowship and show off wardrobes.

The festival “has something for everyone,” organizers say.

With Monday’s announcement, the countdown to the festival is on.

For more information on the festival and to see a complete list of productions and other events, visit www.nbtf.org.