UNCSA students, alumni, faculty and staff connected to 2026 International Black Theatre Festival

Students, alumni, faculty and staff from the schools of Dance, Design and Production (D&P), Drama, Filmmaking and Music at UNCSA are connected to productions, films and special events throughout the 2026 International Black Theatre Festival (IBTF), taking place this week at multiple venues across Winston-Salem.

Presented by the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, the 19th biennial festival will offer more than 100 theatrical performances, as well as films, workshops, readings, spoken-word events and other programming celebrating Black artists from across the United States and abroad. Several events will be held on the UNCSA campus in Gerald Freedman Theatre, Catawba Arena Theatre and Agnes de Mille Theatre. 

UNCSA connections include:

Festival honorees

• School of Dance alumna Camille A. Brown (B.F.A. Dance ’01) will receive a Special Recognition Award.
• High School Drama alumnus Brandon Criswell (High School ’23) and School of Drama alumna Chelsea Gabrielle Rose (B.F.A. Drama ’25) will receive the Mabel P. Robinson Emerging Artist Awards, which are sponsored by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at UNCSA.

Theatrical productions and special events

• School of Drama alumna Nikyla Michelle Boxley (B.F.A. Drama ’19) will appear in “Blooming in Dry Season,” produced by New Federal Theatre in partnership with the North Carolina Black Repertory Company. Set in a Grenadian rum shop, the play follows a family confronting buried secrets and shattered dreams as gifted steelpan player Garland considers her future. The production is written by Eljon Wardally and directed by Jackie Alexander.
• School of Drama faculty member Cliff Odle and current Drama student Exxavier Dantavious Shealy are part of “The Legend of Buster Neal,” which returns to Winston-Salem following a production in March. Set inside the Neal family home in Louisiana and moving between the 1950s and present day, the play explores the lives and dreams of four generations of Black men.
• School of Music alumna and UNCSA Board of Trustees member Nia Imani Franklin (M.M. ’17) will share work-in-progress scenes and music from her new opera, “American Queen,” during “Anatomy of an Opera: Nia Imani Franklin.” Presented in partnership with Piedmont Opera, the workshop will feature soprano Sequina DuBose and Piedmont Opera General Director Joseph Mechavich performing excerpts and participating in a discussion about the opera’s development.

IBTF Film Fest

The IBTF Film Fest, which runs concurrently with the theater festival, celebrates the contributions of independent filmmakers of color. UNCSA Marketing Systems Coordinator Joshua Ridley serves as coordinator of the IBTF Film Fest.

• “Braid Crowns” was directed by School of Filmmaking alumnus Sanath Hegde (B.F.A. ’25) and written by Cameryn Chestnut (B.F.A. ’25). Fellow Filmmaking alumni include producers Syd X. Porter (B.F.A. ’25) and Inayah Washington-Jackson (B.F.A. ’25), cinematographer Miles Tiller (B.F.A. ’25), production designer Sierra Jallad (B.F.A. ’25), editor Veronica Van Dorn (B.F.A. ’25), sound designer Guenevere Hughes (B.F.A. ’25) and composer Daniel G. Stocker (M.F.A. ’25). School of Design and Production alumni Alastair Silas Blackwood (B.F.A. ’25) served as costume designer, and Khepra Hetep (B.F.A. ’25) served as hair and makeup designer. The film follows two teens from rival family businesses who must find a way to do each other’s hair before prom.
• “Holy Ground: The Legacy of the National Black Theatre Festival” includes contributions from School of Filmmaking alumni Aliyah Bryant (B.F.A. ’21), who served as editor and digital imaging technician, Jared Freeman (B.F.A. ’19), who served as a camera operator, writer Kaylord Hill, producer Clarielle Marsh (M.F.A. ’18), camera operator Miles McKeller-Smith (M.F.A. ’20), production designer Colin Palmer (B.F.A. ’21), associate producer Anna Ray (M.F.A. ’20) and assistant director Gillian Skipper (B.F.A. ’20). The documentary celebrates the festival, its founder, Larry Leon Hamlin, and Executive Producer Emeritus Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin through interviews with Black theater artists, groundbreaking performances, archival footage and a behind-the-scenes look at the North Carolina Black Repertory Company. 
• “Our Stories… We Are, Because We Were” was produced by School of Filmmaking alumnus Joshua Robinson (B.F.A. ’24), with fellow alumni Ben Wanko (B.F.A. ’24) as cinematographer, Gavin Smith (B.F.A. ’24) as editor and Alexia Forsyth (B.F.A. ’24) as associate producer. Current Filmmaking student Jason Leeper served as sound mixer. Additional UNCSA connections include School of Filmmaking Dean Deborah LaVine, Media + Emerging Technology Lab Creative Director and Filmmaking faculty member Robert Keen and METL Producing Director Stacy Payne. The video installation honors the resilience, innovation and enduring contributions of African Americans in Winston-Salem by celebrating the people, places and movements that shaped the city’s past and continue to inspire its future.
• “Who’s Ya People” was directed, written and produced by School of Filmmaking alumna Anna Ray (M.F.A. ’20). Fellow Filmmaking alumni include writer Kestlyn Blassengale (M.F.A. ’19), producer Pree Nayak (M.F.A. ’19), first assistant directors AJ Riggins (M.F.A. ’20) and Nick Lallo (M.F.A. ’21), editor Aliyah Bryant (B.F.A. ’21), composer Frazier Smith (M.F.A. ’20) and casting director Adriana Herring (M.F.A. ’21). School of Design and Production alumna Ashley Wise (M.F.A. ’21) served as hair artist. Filmmaking alum Kyndall Miller (B.F.A. ’26) served as sound designer. The film follows an influencer who, after being given an ultimatum to take her fiancé’s last name or end their engagement, must grapple with her relationship to her family name, identity and the pressures of Black Southern society.

For the complete International Black Theatre Festival schedule and ticket information, visit ncblackrep.org.

About the International Black Theatre Festival

Founded by Larry Leon Hamlin and produced by the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, the International Black Theatre Festival is one of the world’s premier celebrations of Black theatre and culture. Held biennially in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the festival brings together artists, scholars, students, producers, and audiences from around the world for a week of performances, workshops, seminars, and cultural exchange dedicated to the advancement of Black theatre.

Information in this release reflects what could be obtained by press time and will be updated if additional information is made available.

Contact Media Relations(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)(opens in new tab)

Get the best news, performance and alumni stories from UNCSA.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTERS(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)(OPENS IN NEW TAB)