True Colors Theatre Holds Next Narrative Monologue National Finals May 8th In New York

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True Colors Theatre Company

May 03, 2023, 12:45 ET

Sixteen High School Students To Compete At Harlem's World-Famous Apollo Theater

ATLANTA, May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre will hold the national finals for its second annual Next Narrative Monologue Competition (NNMC) for high school students on May 8th at Harlem's World-Famous Apollo Theater in New York City.

Sixteen students from cities across the country are expected to participate in the competition that will feature original monologues from 31 contemporary Black playwrights. The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Apollo and be hosted by True Colors Artistic Director Jamil Jude and actor/producer Marcel Spears who plays the lead role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, "Fat Ham."

"We have an incredible group of talented students for this year's Next Narrative competition, and we are very excited to have the renowned Marcel Spears join us as co-host," said Jude. "With a huge amount of gratitude to our National NNMC Coordinator Larsen Kennedy and her team for bringing it all together, we are looking forward to an incredible evening of performances by the finalists."

The winner of the competition will receive a $3,000 scholarship with second place receiving a $2,000 scholarship and third, a 1,000 scholarship. Judges for the 2023 event will include actor Billy Eugene Jones and Lillian Osei-Boateng, program manager for the arts for the Doris Duke Foundation. This year's competitors include:

  • Jomar Crawford, Eryn Regans - Atlanta.
  • Sakura Rosenthal, Seine Young - Boston.
  • Fairah Leruise Harper, Sahir Budwani – Dallas.
  • Nicole Pereira, Laylah Cooper-Holman - Greensboro.
  • Sanaiah Hibbler, Ronneal Davis - Milwaukee.
  • Isabelle Chow, Khylee Faith McBride - NYC.
  • Rina Tchivandja, Nehema Kilassa - Portland.
  • Savanah Coleman, Lelena Moore - Seattle.

"We are deeply indebted to all of our partner theater groups and organizations that have held regional competitions this year," said Jude. "We will also have representatives on hand from Kansas City, New Haven and Tulsa which our "shadow" cities that will be hosting regional competitions in the future as we expand NNMC to other markets."

All of the finalists are receiving an all-expenses paid trip to New York for the event. In addition to performing, they will also see a performance of "Fat Ham," have a lunch and learn session with a theater professional and get professional headshots. Last year's NNMC winner was Jola Olojede of Dallas.

For information on the Next Narrative Monologue Competition, please visit: https://truecolorstheatre.org/next-narrative-monologue-competition-2023/. For more information on Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre, please visit: http://www.truecolorstheatre.org.

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About True Colors Theatre Company
Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company is a nonprofit regional theater company based in Atlanta, GA. True Colors Theatre Company's mission is to celebrate the rich tradition of Black storytelling while giving voice to bold artists from all cultures. We add dimension and relevance to our work on the stage through community events and education programming. The vision of Artistic Director Jamil Jude is for the company to "thrive at the intersection of artistic excellence and civic engagement." For more information on True Colors, visit  http://www.truecolorstheatre.org 

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SOURCE True Colors Theatre Company