Black Queens on Stage

This town hall edition episode is a response to the racism in Michigan Theatre. It was inspired by Black and Brown Broadway actors voicing their concerns of how racist Broadway is and several Michigan Black actors wanting to discuss racist issues in Michigan Theatre.

The conference panelists consist of:

  • Dinah Tutien
  • Shardai R. Davis
  • Bryana Hall
  • Ryan Kayla
  • Dan Johnson
  • Jonathan Jones
  • Mike Sandusky
  • Jeffery Nelson
  • Miles Bond
  • And the Host, Ashley M. Lyle

The conference is separated into 4 sections; Conference Parts 1 & 2 and Q&A Parts 1 & 2 with Open Book Theatre’s Artistic Director, Krista Ewbank, moderating the Q&As. The topics discussed included Microaggressions, Tokenism, Blackface, Coded Language, Publications and Reviews, and Black actors getting the chance to work on a Black script by a Black playwright by a Black director with an all Black cast. The first episode of the series started on June 19th, 2020. Each episode premiered weekly on Friday and averages 1.5 to 2.5 hrs long.