Hall of Fame
1dmjSi*Xr
of the festival is felt year-round,"
Robinson said.
The Hall of Fame will be the anchor of
a downtown arts center that will also serve
the Arts Council and The University of
North Carolina School of the Arts.
During the festival, Segway tour oper
ators in Winston-Salem will offer hour
long tours to historic African-American
places in Winston-Salem that will end at
the museum.
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin, the widow of
the late Larry Leon Hamlin, said that since
the beginning of the festival, Larry wanted
to include a hall of fame.
"Before the festival started, Larry
talked about creating a museum for black
theater," said Sprinkle-Hamlin. "I know
he's looking down on us smiling, not only
because of the museum but also because it
is his son's birthday."
Hamlin passed away in 2007.
For more information on the National
Black Theatre Hall of Fame and Museum,
visit www.nbtf.org or
www.newwinston.org
Festival
from page A1
assisting the funding for
the NBTF, always enjoy
what the black cultural arts
has to offer.
"1 became one of the
financial co-chairs of this
festival back in 1993
before I became mayor,"
said Joines. "The energy
that comes into the city
brings a specialness to our
community."
African drum perform
ers and dancers entered the
room, while the actors,
actresses, directors and
playwrights followed down
a path like a "red carpet" to
take center stage to begin
presenting the awards.
Morgan and Williams,
co-chairs of the NBTF, led
the program and recog
nized each person who was
presenting the awards to
the honorees.
Before the awards were
distributed, they took a
moment to remember the
following stalwarts who
have died: Winston
Salem's Dr. Maya Angelou,
who helped Mr. Hamlin
bring his vision of the
NBTF to life; Garland Lee
Thompson Sr.; and actress
Ruby Dee.
The Winston-Salem
Millennium Fund was
awarded the Marvtastic
Philanthropy Award,
accepted by Chairman
Ralph Womble.
"We appreciate what
the festival has become.
From the moment Mr.
Larry Leon Hamlin had an
acom idea and planted it
squarely in Winston
Salem, we watched it grow
into a mighty oak tree, and
each year reaching new
heights," said Womble.
The Theatre Arts and
Humanitarian Award went
to Warren Dell Leggett of
Winston-Salem, a longtime
NBTF and N.C. Black Rep
volunteer and supporter
who helped the organiza
tions with his financial acu
men.
The Special
Recognition Award was
given to the Karamu
House, based in Cleveland,
Ohio and Rachel R
Jackson, the longtime
Winston-Salem community
advocate who is considered
one of the city's matriarchs.
The Carpetbag Theatre
Inc., of KnoxviUe, Ten.,
was given the Theatre
Longevity Award.
The Living Legend
Award were given to the
following: A. Peter Bailey,
Maurice Hines, Grace
Jones, Hattie Winston and
Robert Hooks.
Hooks expressed his
concern about the arts in
the community need to be
more in the limelight.
"They [community arts
centers] are dying ladies
and gentlemen. They're on
their sick beds, some of
them are gone, and some
are in desperate need of
support. That makes me
mad," Hooks said.
He went on to further
suggesting to reaching out
to the multimillion dollar
celebrities who donate
money to other charities, to
invest into community arts
theatres, as well as giving
back to the communities
from whence they came
from.
Jones, president of
AUDELCO (Audience
Development Committee),
which holds an awards cer
emony each year that hon
ors the best in black the
atre, asked members of the
audience to send her $5
each for her organization.
"Don't worry, I won't
spend it," she said.
The Larry Leon Hamlin
Producer Award was given
to Nate Jacobs, who gave
his remarks of his relation
ship with Mr. Marvtastic.
"Little did I know he
would wisp me up, fly me
to North Carolina, take me
under his wings and devel
op me as a professional,"
said Jacobs. "I'm just so
fortunate to have had Mr.
Hamlin's Marvtastic light
shine on my life and my
career."
Katori Hall, who
received the August Wilson
Playwright Award,
revealed a personal story of
having an actual encounter
of Wilson which inspired
her to become a play
wright. "Mr. Wilson gave
me that permission to tell
everything I had inside of
me and put it on the stage.
He paved the way for me
and he has paved the way
for others," said Hall.
The main award of that
special evening was. the
Sidney Poitier Lifelong
Achievement Award,
which was given to actor
Bill Cobbs.
"The arts saved my life,
they made me somebody,"
Cobbs said.
Other awards and recip
ients were as follows:
Emerging Producer Award,
Erich McMillan-McCall;
Lloyd Richards Director
Award, Clinton Turner
Davis; Outstanding
Achievement in Costume
Design, ESOSA;
Outstanding Achievement
in Lighting Design, Allen
Lee Hughes; Outstanding
Achievement in Scenic
Design, Harlan Penn.
NBTF is a biennial pro
gram since 1989 of the
North Carolina Black
Repertory Company, based
in Winston-Salem.
Including live shows from
critically acclaimed actors,
there are other events and
seminars, as well as local
talents performed by the
next generation of perform
ers.
The NBTF will contin
ue until Saturday, Aug. 8.
For additional informa
tion and a schedule of
events, purchase The
Chronicle's NBTF booklet
inserted into the July 30
edition of the newspaper
(call 336-722-8624 for
more information), go to
www.nbtf.org or call the
Festival office at 336-723
2266 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
i Welcome
Winston-Salem Transit Authority and
guides to local restaurants and other
attractions from Visit Winston-Salem.
Downtown businesses are also gear
ing up for die festival, with expanded
days and hours of operation. Many have
signs welcoming National Black Theatre
Festival attendees and decorations in
purple, which is the signature color of
the festival. One store that goes all out is
Trade Street cultural gift shop Body and
Soul, which has store decor and employ
ees adorned in purple and black for the
week. Store Owner Dana Suggs said it's
the biggest sales week outside of the hol
iday season.
"This is a huge time for us," she said.
"We're ready, we're excited about this
whole opportunity of the theatre festival.
It's just wonderful for us as retailers. It's
like Christmas."
Suggs has many out-of-town cus
tomers who make sure to visit her store
when they come tt> the NBTF. She has a
book filled with photos of all the celebri
ties that have stopped by her store. She
said the line to her sole cash register can
get long on NBTF week, but her cus
tomers are always patient.
Many new businesses will greet out
of-towners. Two new businesses, Rusty
Bumper Ice Cream and Twin City Cigar
Company and Lounge have opened in
the last few weeks in the building that
houses Body and Soul. Across Trade
Street, the Winston-Salem location of
Mast General Store, which opened earli
er this year, is hoping to attract festival
goers too. Mast is also among the many
i sponsors of the NBTF.
"It's a great cause," said Mast
General Manager Zach Lail. "It brings a
lot of people to Winston. It brings a lot
of people to downtown."
Festival attendees will also need to
eat, and a multitude of restaurants will
be more than anxious to serve them.
Vivian Joiner, co-owner of Trade Street
southern soul food restaurant Sweet
Potatoes, said she also gets theater festi
val regulars. ? ?
"It's kind of like a family reunion,
seeing old friends," she said "You don't
stay in contact with them throughout but
when you see them, you kind of catch
up."
Joiner said those at the restaurant try
to be good ambassadors for the city and
that she was looking forward to this
week's rush.
Mayor Allen Joines said the whole
city works hard to embrace the NBTF.
He said this year the City is taking its
festival week teen activities up a notch
with a Teentastic Weekend, which
includes a K Camp concert, at the
Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. He said the
festival brings many benefits to the Twin
City.
"Not only does it have a direct eco
nomic dollar impact, but it has a very
intangible value of giving the city great
exposure nationally and, really, interna
tionally," he said. "Hopefully, it really
demonstrates that we are a city that
embraces its cultures and really opens
ourselves up."
NBTF co-chairs Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan leave the NBTF Gala on
the runway in the Benton Convention Center banquet room on Monday, Aug. 3.
Photo provided by Ftltcim Piggott-Long
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin and Obba Babatunde dine together at the NBTF Gala.
ED
Dr. Jacquese 0. Black graduated from the
Mehany Medical College School of Dentistry in
Nashville, TN. She is a member of the American
Dental Association and Associate Member of
the American Association Pediatric Dentists.
Dr. Black is committed to the promotion of
oral health and dental education in an effort
to work with her patient to achieve excellent
overall health. Her practice is now open and
we look forward to treating children of all ages,
adolescent and adults.
We are accepting new patients and all
dental insurance and Medicaid, and
major credit cards. We also have Spanish
interpreters in the office.
?|W m IB
,
v?
336-750-3220
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