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The Brothers' Network
2025 Year In Review
Home
Who We Are, What We Do , Our Methodology
Partners and Partnerships
Founder
Donate
Contact
Celebrated Artists
Member Profiles
Our Team
Audience Development, Community and Educational Engagement
Professional Theatre Produced by The Brothers' Network
Philosophy + Ethos The Brothers' Network
Select Interviews and Experiences on Video
Societal and Cultural Impact
Live Jazz Calendar
Creative and Cultural Economic Impact
Archives of TBN's Programs, Events, and Educational Experiences
Media
Dispatch From Rome
Tesimonials
TBN Recommended Books and Art Exhibitions
TBN Events and Experiences 2025/2026
James Baldwin Centennial+ Celebration 2024-2025
Select Curated Programs, Art, Culture, and Theatre Experiences
TBN Substack Editorial Newsletter
2025 Year In Review
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Select Curated Programs, Art, Culture, and Theatre Experiences
TBN Substack Editorial Newsletter
  • Conversations,
• 8/11/24

Gallery Tour and Salon Conversation with Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw at ‪@arthurrossgallery4219

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Gallery Tour and Salon Conversation with Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw at ‪@arthurrossgallery4219‬

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Gallery Tour and Salon Conversation with Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw at @arthurrossgallery4219 @ UPenn

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‘Glitter in the Glass’ Associate Producer: The Brothers’ Network

Chelle, a Black mid-career artist, has written a check that she’s not sure her talent can cash. When the city of Baltimore takes down the Confederate monument in the park across the street from her childhood home, she has an idea. She’ll apply for a grant to create a piece to replace it. Caught between the past, the present, and the future, Chelle, portrayed by Jennifer Kidwell, is catapulted into a journey that takes her back before the Middle Passage and out beyond the bounds of this planet.

‘Glitter in the Glass’

Written by R. Eric Thomas
May 29, 2025 — June 15, 2025 Directed By: Ontaria Kim Wilson

Opening Night: June 5, 2025

Theatre Exile, 1340 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 120 minutes including 15 minute intermission

Associate Producer: The Brothers Network.

Award-Winning Playwright R. Eric Thomas

IN CINEMA

Sunday, June 15th at 7PM

Pride at Maysles: THE WORLD BEFORE ME; VINTAGE • FAMILIES OF VALUE; POP-UP EXHIBITION and 30TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Co-presented with Family Pictures USA

PRIDE at MAYSLES: THE WORLD BEFORE ME

Cass Arrington, 2022, 6 min.

Cass Arrington tracks the multi-generational experiences of growing up queer across two generations of family history.

PRIDE at MAYSLES: VINTAGE • FAMILIES OF VALUE

Thomas Allen Harris, 1995, 72 minutes

VINTAGE • FAMILIES OF VALUE is an experimental documentary that looks at three African American families through the eyes of siblings who are lesbian and gay—including the filmmaker and his brother, Lyle Ashton Harris. Anni Cammett, Anita and Adrian Jones are sisters and mothers forging their vision of matriarchy out of a turbulent history of love and betrayal. Paul and Vanessa Eaddy are the only two gay siblings of a family of eight from Baltimore, Maryland. However, internalized homophobia has prevented them from forming a friendship. Over the course of five years, the Harris brothers, the Eaddys and the Cammett/Jones sisters use camcorders and Super 8 film to construct frank and sometimes raw autobiographical portraits of their respective families in VINTAGE • FAMILIES OF VALUE.

+ Post-screening discussion with director Thomas Allen Harris, Cass Arrington, and Michael Henry Adams! Celebration of Vintage • Families of Value 30th Anniversary and pop-up exhibition of Harris’ House of Haizlip to follow!

Thomas Allen Harris is an interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker and scholar whose work explores family, identity, and spirituality. Drawing on the rich canon of African American and African Diaspora literature and arts, he draws audiences into dialogues that transcend the barriers which separate people from each other. Harris’ work re-interprets concepts around identity, autobiography, and representation using a model of co-creative socially engaged practice.

For over 30 years Harris has been creating deeply personal films that re-interpret the idea of documentary, autobiography and personal archive, including: Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela

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(2005), É Minha Cara/That’s My Face (2001), VINTAGE - Families of Value

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(1995)., and the NAACP Image Award Winning, Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People

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(2014). Harris’ new projects include a film exploring his mother’s career as a chemistry professor and examining the unique challenges facing African Americans pursuing careers in STEM, and a film about the untold story BIPOC activism in the 1980’s around HIV/Aids and the queer creative renaissance.

The creation and touring of his films led Harris to create Digital Diaspora Family Reunion

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(DDFR), a transmedia project that explores the rich and revealing narratives found within family photo albums across cultures. Working in partnership with various educational institutions, libraries, and cultural arts spaces, DDFR organizes workshops, performances, and exhibitions that create communal linkages affirming our common humanity while privileging the voices of people whose stories have often been absent, marginalized or overlooked. The DDFR archive includes over 75 live events, 3,500 interviews and 50,000+ photographs. Out of this methodology, in 2019, Harris created the PBS series Family Pictures USA

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Sweetwater: The Gospel of Iman is a new work written by Nathan Yungerberg and directed by Zhailon Levingston (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), presented by National Black Theatre in Harlem as part of its 2024–2025 season, The Pilgrimage: A Journey Back Home. A commission of NBT’s I Am Soul Playwright Residency, Sweetwater explores the reality of chosen family through the eyes of Michael, a young gay Black writer, and Charlie, a struggling Black actress, as they navigate life in New York City during the AIDS epidemic. Their powerful bond defies conventional definitions of love, taking them on a journey that reshapes their understanding of intimacy, devotion, and legacy. The presentation runs June 26–29, 2025.

Nathan Yungerberg is a Brooklyn-based Afro-surrealist, storyteller, and single father of two who writes for television, audio dramas (podcasts), and theater. He was a freelance writer for Sesame Street, head writer for the Webby-nominated podcast Live from Mount Olympus, co-directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin and Zhailon Levingston (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), and script editor for the podcast Cultureverse, narrated by Yara Shahidi and Kelly Marie Tran. His plays have been developed or presented by New York Theatre Workshop, Cherry Lane Theatre, The Apollo Theater, JAG Productions, Roundabout Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre, LAByrinth Theater Company, Crowded Fire Theater, The Lorraine Hansberry Theater, The Fire This Time Festival, Blackboard Reading Series, 48 Hours in Harlem, The Playwrights’ Center, and others. He was commissioned by The New Black Fest for HANDS UP: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments, published by Concord Theatricals and adapted by BBC Radio. His play Esai’s Table was featured in Cherry Lane Theatre’s Mentor Project, mentored by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Danya Taymor. His honors include a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, the National Black Theatre I AM SOUL Playwright Residency, the Playwrights’ Center Core Writer Residency, and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program.

The Brothers’ Network August 2025 Book Selection: ‘People Like Us’ Written by National Book Award Winner, Jason Mott

The Brothers’ Network has selected ‘People Like Us’ based on the of wide acceptance of Mott's fourth and most critically acclaimed novel, Hell of a Book, was published by E. P. Dutton on June 29, 2021.[5] It is at times an absurdist and metafictional look into the complex and fraught African American experience. On November 17, 2021, the novel was awarded the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction.[6] It also received the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Prize for Fiction[7] and the 2022 Housatonic Book Award for Fiction.[8] It was shortlisted for the 2022 Chautauqua Prize.[9] It was also longlisted for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction,[10] the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize,[11] and the 2022 Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize.[12] It was also a finalist for the 2022 Maya Angelou Book Award.[13]

Mott was the recipient of a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Creative Writing.

‘Fraternity’

Written by Jeff Stetson
August 21, 2025 — August 24, 2025 Directed By: Eric Carter
Malcolm X Park
5100 Pine St, Philadelphia, PA 19143

Following the Saturday, August 23 performance of Fraternity, The Brothers’ Network has been invited to lead the post-show talkback. This dialogue will be guided by Gregory T. Walker, Global Creative Executive Director of The Brothers’ Network, and will offer audiences a unique opportunity to reflect on the play’s themes in conversation with one another.

Jeff Stetson’s ‘Fraternity’ is a gripping and thought-provoking play that delves into race, power, and brotherhood in America. Set against the backdrop of an exclusive social club, the men navigate tense conversations about privilege, responsibility, and the future of racial equity. Fraternity challenges audiences to confront uncomfortable truths while offering a vision of hope and understanding. From the award-winning playwright of The Meeting.

This performance is free, open to the public, outdoors, and it is BYOC (Bring your own chair).

Since 2007, The Brothers’ Network amplifies, engages, and supports brilliant Black actors, playwrights, directors, and producers! We invite you to come enjoy theatre at its very best, featuring nationally acclaimed actors from Philadelphia, many of whom have been a part of The Brothers’ Network for more than a decade and a half.

Black Portraiture[s]: TULSA STORIES
October 3rd, 2025

9:30am - 5:00pm CDT

NYU Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma

700 North Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK 74106
Room: Conference Center, Ground Level

In 2013, Black Portraiture[s] became an international conference series when it convened in Paris at the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, co-hosted by Dr. Awam Amkpa, Dean of Arts and Humanities NYU Abu Dhabi and Dr. Cheryl Finley, Inaugural Director of the Atlanta University Center Collective for the Study of Art History and Curatorial Studies. Black Portraiture[s] now attracts hundreds of scholars, artists, and activists from around the world; convenings have since taken place in New York, Florence, Toronto, and Johannesburg among other cities.

The next iteration of Black Portraiture[s] will be held at NYU Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma on October 3, 2025. Black Portraiture[s]: TULSA STORIES seeks to continue the robust scholarship and art conversations of our Black Portraiture[s] conferences by convening an intergenerational group of participating scholars, artists, activists, storytellers, educators, gallerists, and photographers to explore cultural memories and resistance. All day programming will include panels with themes such as: “Reimagining Tulsa,” “Black Wall Street,” “The Archive,” and “Art, Writing & Music,” and feature short presentations from a variety of speakers sharing their respective works/practice, moderated conversation, audience Q&A and final wrap-up. Subscribe to the Black Portraiture[s] mailing list to receive more information and updates regarding speakers and conference schedules.

An academic conference committed to the study of African diasporic art and culture, Black Portraiture[s] initially began as a colloquium on African American art at Harvard University convened by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research; with Dr. Deborah Willis, Chair and Professor at NYU Tisch Department of Photography and Imaging, Founding Director of the Center for Black Visual Culture; and Dr. Manthia Diawara, Professor at NYU Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies and Director of the Institute of African American Affairs from 1992-2018.

‘Thoughts of a Colored Man’

Written by Keenan Scott II
October 3rd and 5th, 2025

Directed and Produced By: Frankie Darcell
Venice Island Performing Arts & Recreation Center

7 Lock St, Philadelphia, PA 19127

The Brothers' Network in conversation with 'Thoughts of a Colored Man' director and producer Frankie Darcell, radio personality WDAS. The Brothers' Network in dialogue about the importance of maintaining Black men center stage. This conversation explores the past, present, and future of theatre and high art and its importance to the worldwide community.


’Thoughts of a Colored Man’ is a play by Keenan Scott that explores the lives of seven Black men in Brooklyn, using slam poetry, prose, and song. The play delves into their hopes, fears, and joys as they navigate a gentrifying neighborhood and the complexities of modern Black manhood. It was the first Broadway show written and directed by Black men, with a Black lead and all-Black production team.

Opening night belongs to the renowned Sphinx Virtuosi, which returns to PCMS for a fifth consecutive season, this time with the gifted young cellist Sterling Elliott as the featured soloist.

Comprising 18 of the nation’s top Black and Latinx classical soloists, the “vibrant” and “rhapsodic” Virtuosi (New York Times) bring to PCMS a program titled Visions of Peace which offers a unique convergence of musical voices that usher us into a realm where music becomes an emissary of peace and unity.

Visions of Peace

J. White: La Bella Cubana
C. Assad: Perpetual Motion and Danca Brasileira
J. Montgomery: New Commission (NWS/Carnegie Co-Commission)
Still: Suite for Cello
Q. Blache: A Vision for Peace (NWS/Carnegie Co-Commission)
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7, Stalingrad (arr. Ruben Rengel)
Ginastera: Concerto For Strings, Op. 33 IV. Finale
Ponce: Estrellita

The Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional self-conducted chamber orchestra and serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization – the leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Comprised of eighteen accomplished Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement.

Its members serve as cultural and diversity ambassadors for audiences and communities around the United States during national tours.

In Spring 2022, Sterling participated in Performance Today’s Young Artist Residency, which featured educational events, interviews and a feature on the nationally syndicated radio program.

Sterling has a long history with the Sphinx Organization where he won the 2014 Junior Division Competition, becoming the first alumnus from the Sphinx Performance Academy to win the Sphinx Competition. The following year he went on to tour with the Sphinx Virtuosi before being awarded the Organization’s Isaac Stern Award in 2016. This season, Sterling will receive a Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, awarded to artists who, early in their career, demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and an ongoing commitment to leadership and their communities.

Sphinx Virtuosi

Thursday, October 16, 2025 - 7:30 pm

Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Call The Brothers’ Network directly to purchase your discounted tickets at 267-334-4897

Do NOT call the Box Office!

Anthony McGill,
Randall Goosby,
Joshua Mhoon,

Tuesday, December 09, 2025 - 7:30 pm

Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center!

Call The Brothers’ Network directly to purchase your discounted tickets at 267-334-4897

Do NOT call the Box Office!

All Black All Men: Chamber Music

Anthony McGill, clarinet ; Randall Goosby, violin ; Joshua Mhoon, piano ; Tuesday, December 09, 2025 - 7:30 pm Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center

Join us for an unforgettable evening of classical brilliance featuring:

Anthony McGill, clarinet
Randall Goosby, violin
Joshua Mhoon, piano

About This Performance

Two of the most dynamic and acclaimed American soloists and chamber musicians performing today—New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinetist Anthony McGill and “luminous” (New York Times) violinist Randall Goosby —unite with a prodigious young talent, pianist Joshua Mhoon, for their first tour together. This program showcases McGill’s and Goosby’s incredible versatility, musical depth, and virtuosity as well as Mhoon’s sparkling, emerging talent.

Stravinsky: A Soldier’s Tale Suite
Khachaturian: Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano
Armstrong: Americana: Three Vignettes World Premiere
Menotti: Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano
Coleman: Portraits of Langston (Arr.)

Balafon Maestro N’famady Kouyaté of Guinea

N’famady Kouyaté, a master musician from Conakry, Guinea, relocated to Cardiff, Wales, in 2019. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, he gained recognition across the UK and Ireland in 2019-2020, performing modern interpretations of traditional West African Manding songs and rhythms while supporting Gruff Rhys on the Pang! album tour. Kouyaté’s primary instrument is the balafon, a traditional wooden xylophone significant in West African culture and his family’s griot heritage. In Guinea, he founded ‘Les Héritiers du Mandingue,’ a tradi-modern group that toured extensively in West Africa.

In the UK, Kouyaté has performed both solo and with a full band, mixing Manding African music with western jazz, pop, indie, and funk. His band features diverse instrumentation, including balafon, keyboards, drum kit, jembe, guitar, bass, kora, dundun, congas, saxophone, trumpet, and calabash. Kouyaté’s performances are known for their vibrant atmosphere and his infectious enthusiasm.

Kouyaté released his first EP, Aros I Fi Yna, in July 2021, recorded at Rockfield Studios with a full band and guest appearances from Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Lisa Jên Brown (9Bach), and Kliph Scurlock (The Flaming Lips). The EP combines traditional Guinean songs with new Welsh lyrics and a mix of modern and traditional instrumentation, played by a ten-piece band. He has a growing fanbase in both the UK and West Africa.

During the 2020 lockdown, Kouyaté participated in several online events, including DarloDrum Fest, Ara Deg festival, Out Of Focus Wales, and Gwyl 2021 festival, primarily performing solo due to COVID-19 restrictions. He managed one socially distanced full band performance at Butetown Carnival in Cardiff Bay in September 2020, with special guest Gruff Rhys. In summer 2021, Kouyaté’s band performed at the Wales Millennium Centre, Llangollen Fringe Festival, and headlined the Chai Wallah stage at Green Man Festival. The summer of 2022 saw him at numerous UK and Northern Ireland festivals, including Cambridge Folk Fest and Belfast Mela.

In October and November 2022, Kouyaté embarked on his first nationwide UK tour, supported by the PRS Foundation’s Momentum grant.

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