2022

: February 3, 2022

The Bay Park to host a public performance of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s touring education program

SARASOTA, FL – Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is celebrating Black History Month with a free performance of “Jazzlinks: Songs and Stories of the Civil Rights Movement” outdoors at The Bay on February 17. The Jazzlinks touring education program – a collaboration of WBTT, the Jazz Club of Sarasota and Sarasota County Schools – is an integrated arts experience presented at all Sarasota County high schools to help illustrate, through music and theatre, the contributions of African Americans in U.S. history.

: January 27, 2022

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will receive $50,000, with the National Endowment for the Arts recommendation for American Rescue Plan funding

SARASOTA, FL - Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has been approved to receive an American Rescue Plan grant by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); these grants are intended to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic. WBTT is recommended to receive $50,000 over the next two years, which it will use to support artistic team salaries.

: January 24, 2022

‘A Place for You,’ an hour-long concert celebrating Black history, will feature marimba player Steph Davis and numerous collaborating artists

SARASOTA, FL – On February 14, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe and Modern Marimba present “A Place for You,” an hour-long concert celebrating Black history. The program features Steph Davis – co-founder of Modern Marimba – on marimba and several collaborating artists.

: January 20, 2022

Highly-anticipated world-premiere musical will still be workshopped and recorded to inform future full stage production

SARASOTA, FL – Due to continuing breakthrough positive COVID-19 test results and a few cases among the “Ruby” cast and crew, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has made the difficult decision to cancel its impending and highly-anticipated world-premiere musical, “Ruby.” The show had originally been scheduled for the 2019-2020 season and then its January 12, 2022 opening was delayed due to positive COVID-19 tests among the production crew of WBTT’s holiday show, “Joyful! Joyful!”; with disruptions to the rehearsal schedule and the ongoing surge of Omicron throughout the community, the organization felt it would be in the best interests of public, artist, crew and staff health and safety to cancel the show instead of trying to work around affected individuals.