June 18, 2023
11:00am – 12:30pm

www.diversity.broadway 

The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative announces the third annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert in Times Square on Sunday, June 18th from 11:00am – 12:30pm (rain or shine). This free outdoor concert is open to all as the community gathers to honor this important holiday. Black culture and expression will be celebrated by Black Broadway artists performing songs, dances, and spoken word accompanied by live music provided by The Music Performance Trust Fund. Special guest speakers will also make appearances throughout the event.

“We know that the arts can bring people together and it is beautifully evident during Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth as thousands gather in the heart of Times Square to reflect on the importance of this national holiday through live performance,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “We thank the Broadway community for helping to make this third annual concert possible.” 

This year’s sponsors include United Airlines, M·A·C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, The Music Performance Trust Fund, The Araca Group, Open Jar Studios, and The Times Square Alliance. 

American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth. Details about this year’s host and talent line-up will be announced soon. For more information, please visit www.diversity.broadway.

Presented by The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative, Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth creative and production teams include Steve H. Broadnax III as Director and Writer, Rashad McPherson as Music Director, Brian Moreland and Aaliytha Stevens as Executive Producers as well as Co-Chairs of The Broadway League's Multi-Cultural Task Force, Jhanaë Bonnick as Stage Manager, and Devon Miller of Foresight Theatrical as General Manager.

The goal of Black to Broadway is to inspire deeper engagement with awareness of, and access to Broadway for all Black people. Created by The Broadway League in 2019, this initiative will be an industry-wide celebration of the Black community on Broadway – on stage, in the audience, behind the scenes, and as leaders in the Broadway community. To learn more about Black to Broadway, visit BroadwayLeague.com or Diversity.Broadway. 

CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION TEAM BIOS

STEVE H. BROADNAX III (Director and Writer) Thoughts of a Colored Man (Broadway) Susan Lori Parks Sally and Tom at the Guthrie Theatre (World Premiere) and the Geffen Theatre, Katori Hall’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize Premiere The Hot Wing King at The Signature Theatre, Lee Edward Colston’s The First Deep Breath at Chicago’s Victory Garden Theatre (Premiere and Winner of Jeff Awards Best New Work) and Geffen Playhouse, Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root at the National Black Theatre (Winner of Kennedy Center's Hip Hop Theater Creator Award) and William Jackson Harper’s Premiere Travisville at NYC Ensemble Studio. Ensemble Studio Theatre member and serves as the Associate Artistic Director at People’s Light Theatre and a Professor of Theatre at Penn State University; Co-Head of MFA Directing. Writing credits include: Me and the Devil (Lantern Theatre), 20/20 Vision, Bayard Rustin: Inside Ashland, Bones (People’s Light Theatre), Camouflage (St. Louis Black Rep.)

RASHAD MCPHERSON (Music Director) is a performer, musician, composer, and arranger living in New York, NY. Rashad studied music formally as a piano principle and Music Business major at Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA).

Though Rashad began his recording career as a Gospel Music recording artist, the music that he has released most recently is socio-politically conscious and inspirational. On January 3, 2020, Rashad released a solo record, titled: “Forward.” “Forward” defies classification. It features brand new music written, arranged, and produced by Rashad McPherson; as well as collaborations with Kymberli Joye (Season 15 of NBC’s “The Voice”), Shelby Sykes (The Color Purple on Tour), Jonny Fung, Kevin Powell, and more. 

Currently, Rashad is preparing to release a live, visual performance album that he recorded at a NY Soundstage. This project will feature several new songs and will be accompanied by numerous live performance videos. Rashad released the lead single from this project, “In the Stone,” this past May 20, 2022.

Rashad made his theatrical music directorial debut with the world premiere of Bayard Rustin: Inside Ashland; written and directed by Steve H. Broadnax, III (People’s Light Theatre). He composed and co-arranged the score alongside Jason Michael Webb.

Rashad is a seminary-trained and ordained minister. He graduated from Boston University: School of Theology (Boston, MA) and Union Theological Seminary (New York, NY) in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Currently, Rashad serves as an Associate Minister at Marble Collegiate Church (New York, NY); where, in addition to his pastoral responsibilities, he is the lead contributor for racial justice programming.

BRIAN ANTHONY MORELAND (Executive Producer) Honored to have been selected to lead August Wilson’s work back to Broadway. Named Ebony’s Power 100 list and Variety’s Top 10 Broadway to Watch, Moreland is a creative lead producer for Broadway with a passion for universal stories that bring new narratives into the mainstream form of entertainment. Brian believes in the ability of theatre to foster empathy and enlighten while entertaining audiences. Brian devotes his spare time to the Theatre Development Fund and is active member of the Board of Governors at The Broadway League, where he is also co-chair of the Multi-Cultural Task Force, trustee of American Academy of Dramatic Arts and a trustee of the board for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This one’s for Mom!

AALIYTHA STEVENS (Executive Producer) is a marketing and communications professional with over two decades of live entertainment experience. She served as Chief Operating Officer at SpotCo (a leading advertising, marketing, and branding agency) until January 2023.  Throughout her tenure there, Aaliytha founded the company’s Direct Mail & Print Services, Operations, Human Resources, and Audience Development departments. After her departure, she launched a consulting firm called Ashé Collective (which specializes in Audience Development and Operational Strategy) that services Broadway productions and impact programming. In addition, she serves as the Director of Strategic Planning and Cultural Affairs at Houses on the Moon Theatre Company and as Chief Strategy Officer at Art House (a digital agency).

Aaliytha is passionate about philanthropic giving, fair workplace practices, equity and diversity, and community development.  As such, she sits on the board of the Black Theatre Coalition (BTC), the New Heritage Theatre Group, on the advisory council of The Theatre Leadership Project (TTLP), and co-chairs The Broadway League’s Multi-Cultural Task Force while being a member of the EDI and Business Development Committees.  She is also a proud Broadway Women’s Alliance (BWA) and Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) member.

Aaliytha is proudly Mental Health First Aid, CPR, and Google Analytics certified.  In addition, Aaliytha completed the Truth Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) training and is an alumnus of cohort 17 of Citizen University’s Civic Saturday Program.  In 2022, she was awarded an honor by Houses on the Moon for “championing the unheard voice.”

JHANAË BONNICK (she/her/hers) (Stage Manager) is a Caribbean-American AEA Stage Manager, Administrator, and Educator based in New York City. She is passionate about the power of language, education, and community. Jhanaë’s credits include Broadway: Sweeney Todd; Six; Macbeth; Caroline, or Change; Slave Play; Hadestown; Gary; Six Degrees of Separation; and The Cherry Orchard. Select Off-Broadway: Merrily We Roll Along, Slave Play, Hadestown (NYTW), Enemy of the People (PAA), Octet (Signature), Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future (Ars Nova), Reconstruction, Primer for a Failed Superpower (The TEAM). Select Regional: The Color Purple (MUNY). BA SUNY New Paltz. @jhanaekcb 

FORESIGHT THEATRICAL (General Manager) is comprised of partners Allan Williams, Aaron Lustbader, and Mark Shacket and Director of Operations Lane Marsh who oversee and supervise Moulin Rouge! The Musical (Broadway and N. American Tour); Funny Girl; Life of Pi; Good Night, Oscar; New York, New York A New Musical; and Grey House on Broadway, and the forthcoming Broadway or National Tours of Here Lies Love, The Wiz, Girl From the North Country and Betty Boop, as well as the worldwide management of Kinky Boots.  Foresight is proud to be led by Devon Miller, alongside William Terrell Harris and Nia Arrington-Seward, in general managing this year’s Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert.

SPONSORS

About United
At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL”.

M·A·C (Make-Up Art Cosmetics) is a leading brand of professional cosmetics and part of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Since its creation in Toronto, Canada, over 30 years ago, the brand’s popularity has grown through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from Makeup Artists, models, photographers, and journalists around the world. M·A·C is now sold in over 130 countries/territories worldwide. Follow M·A·C on TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest (@maccosmetics); become a M·A·C fan on Facebook (facebook.com/MACcosmetics); follow M·A·C on Instagram (instagram.com/maccosmetics) and watch M·A·C videos on YouTube (youtube.com/maccosmetics). For a M·A·C location near you, visit maccosmetics.com. 

THE MUSIC PERFORMANCE TRUST FUND (MPTF) was established in 1948 as a nonprofit independent public service organization whose mission includes contributing to the public knowledge and appreciation of music, as well as making music a part of every child's life experience. Headquartered in New York City, the tax-exempt MPTF, operating under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code, evolved from a landmark collective bargaining agreement between the American Federation of Musicians and the major recording companies of the day. Today the MPTF is a vital organization that brings music to the public and supplements the income of musicians, all at no cost to those receiving this precious gift of music.