Sakura Rosenthal Wins True Colors Theatre's Next Narrative National Monologue Competition

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True Colors Theatre Company

May 19, 2023, 15:30 ET

Sixteen High School Students Competed In Event At Harlem's World-Famous Apollo Theater

ATLANTA, May 19, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Sakura Rosenthal from Boston won first place and a $3,000 scholarship in True Colors Theatre Company's second annual Next Narrative Monologue Competition (NNMC) National Finals for high school students. Sixteen students from cities across the country participated in the competition earlier this month that featured original monologues from 31 contemporary Black playwrights.

Eryn Regans from Atlanta finished second with a $2,000 scholarship and Laylah Cooper-Hallman from Greensboro, N.C. was third, receiving a $1,000 scholarship. Each of the runners-up received a $250 scholarship from Stefaniyemiya Ingram for Shifting Energy from the HeARTt.

The event was held at the world-famous Apollo Theater and was co-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."

"All of the students gave fantastic performances, and we extend our congratulations to Sakura, Eryn and Laylah," said Jude. "We can't say enough to thank our National Finals Coordinator Larsen Kennedy for once again putting on a tremendous show and weekend of activities for the contestants."

Judges for the 2023 event were actors Billy Eugene Jones and Amber Iman, and Lillian Osei-Boateng, program manager for the arts for the Doris Duke Foundation. This year's competitors included:

  • 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.

The finalists received an all-expenses paid trip to New York for the event. In addition to performing, they also saw a performance of "Fat Ham," had a lunch and learn session with Jonathan McCrory, the Executive Artistic Director of the National Black Theatre, and got 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 True Colors Theatre Company, please visit: http://www.truecolorstheatre.org.

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About True Colors Theatre Company
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