Theater Mode Large Font Save Program

Celebration Arts Presents

A KIDS' TIME PRODUCTION

 

AALIYAH & AMIR'S

AWESOME ADVENTURE

MARCH 16, 2024

AND

MARCH 23, 2024

 

Directed by
Elaine L. Douglas

 

Featuring
Tia Wedgeworth
Sizwe Nigl
Jaheim Grossett
Xochitl Cross
Howard Trice III
 
 
Elton Mitchell
Keenan Porter
Brooklyn Dixon
Azeri Nzinga Weston
Ayanda Nyide
 
 
Zola Robinson
Zionah Jackson
Aniyah Montgomery
Carmen Trice
Maasai Mack

 
 
Follow Us:

OUR MISSION

Celebration Arts is a multicultural and multiple-discipline organization whose purpose is to support the development and presentation of the performing arts, making art accessible to community residents through training and performance opportunities. 


YOUR THEATRE EXPERIENCE

COVID-19 SAFETY

Masks are recommended, not required. Please visit our website to stay up to date on our COVID-19 Health and Safety policies.


MOBILE PHONES + DEVICES

Please turn your phones off as you enter the theatre, prior to the performance.


VIDEOS + PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography, video, and recording devices are prohibited during the performance.


LATE ARRIVALS

As a courtesy to our performers and seated patrons, late arrivals will be seated in a suitable location by our ushers when it is least disruptive.


ACCESSIBILITY

Wheelchair seating is available. For any other accommodations, please contact the theater in advance at 916.455.2787.


ABOUT KIDS' TIME

Enroll your child in KIDS' TIME! They will discover the joy of performing on stage!

Our KIDS' TIME theater camp on Saturdays is designed for children ages 6-12 and provides a fun environment where kids can discover and learn skills in music, movement, and drama.

They will benefit through confidence, self-expression, friendships, and enhanced creativity and show off their learnings and achievements during a live performance at the end of the 8-week session.

Sign up for our interest list to be notified of future KIDS' TIME Camp sessions!

 


Who's Who


Meet the Company


Elaine Lenae Douglas (Kids’ Time Coordinator)
Elaine Lenae Douglas -has been a part of the Celebration Arts Family for fifteen years. She has been performing at other various Sacramento theater venues for thirty years. Ms. Douglas is a double-major undergraduate of the University of California Berkeley, in Sociology and Ethnic Studies, and is a Theater Arts minor. Her Masters’ degree is from Cambridge, MA in integrating the arts in core school curriculum. She is also a certified specialist in children’s theater. Ms. Douglas’ career was spent as an educator in the Sacramento and San Joaquin counties as a teacher, vice principal, and principal. She retired as a principal from Creative Connections Arts Academy in 2014. Now she works with the NorCal School of The Arts as a Teacher Artist, bringing theater, poetry, dance, and music to Sacramento and Elk Grove elementary schools. This is Ms. Douglas’ 5th season as the coordinator of the Kids’ Time program at Celebration Arts.
Felicia Bessent (Music Director)
Mrs. Felicia Bessent is excited to be Celebration Arts Kids' Time music director for a fifth year. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and has a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Georgia and a Master of Education from California State University, Sacramento. As a public school educator for forty-one years, Felicia was a choral music and special education teacher, high school vice principal, and middle school principal. She has received numerous awards, including a 1991 California Teacher of the Year Finalist and the 2017 Educator Impact Award. In community theaters, Felicia has been a pianist for various musicals (The Sound of Music, The Wiz, and Amen Corner). In 2022, she was the music director and pianist for Celebration Arts' Black Nativity. Felicia has composed and arranged choral and instrumental songs. She is the vocal coach for Saint Paul Church of Sacramento's Youth Praise Team, a conductor of Sacramento Ebony Chorale, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®. Felicia has been married to Oscar W. Bessent for 46 years with two adult children and two grandchildren.
Tamara Eugene-Raja (Choreography)
Tamara Eugene-Raja (Coach Tam) was born in Sacramento, CA. She is an alumnus of Grant Union High School. Coach Tam served as a theater production educator under the GHS Arts Academy and was the Pacerette Dance instructor/choreographer for over ten years. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts from Grambling State University. Coach Tam cultivated her background in dance and theater with the Orchesis Dance Company. She has worked as a morning show radio producer and performed in stage productions with Celebration Arts Dance and Theater. She has danced and has been a choreographer for Images Theater Company in the Sacramento region. Coach Tam aims to enhance students' knowledge and skill level in Performance Arts Theater and allow them to utilize their God-given creativity through education and life skills.

Multimedia










Donations

Donations

Celebration Arts cannot exist without the generous support of our donors. As a volunteer-run organization for more than 36 years, all proceeds from ticket sales are applied towards operational costs to produce shows and keep our doors open. Unfortunately tickets sales do not come close to covering these expenses.

We are dependent on your generosity to continue bringing theatrical productions and educational opportunities to our community. Contributions of any amount make a significant impact to the livelihood of our theater from helping us pay our rent and upkeep of our facilities, to giving small stipends to our performers and helping us spread the word to attract patrons to the theater.

Thank you so much for your support!

Make a Donation Today!

 


ABOUT CELEBRATION ARTS

Originally the Celebration Dance Company founded in 1976 by James Wheatley, Celebration Arts became a 501c3 organization in 1986. For more than 30 years, Celebration Arts continues to be a cornerstone of music, dance, and theater for the Sacramento region’s African American community bringing Black artists and stories to its stage at 2727 B Street. In addition, Celebration Arts provides educational programs to children through Kids’ Time and dance training for teens, adults, and seniors. More information can be found at celebrationarts.net.

James Wheatley
Founder

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Nicole Manker
President
Executive Director

Kelly McDole
Vice President

James Ellison III
Artistic Director

Halifu Osumare, PhD
Board Member

Voress Franklin
Board Member

Samuel Jenkins
Board Member

Andre Ramey
Board Member

Non-Board Officer
Niyah Moore

Secretary

Elaine Douglas
Emeritus Advisor 

Linda Goodrich, PhD
Emeritus Advisor 

Tickets on Sale Now

2024 SEASON OF BLACK GIRL MAGIC

SEASON/FLEX PASSES ON SALE NOW!

FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF

ZORA & LANGSTON

TOPDOG / UNDERDOG

MUD, RIVER, STONE

CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY

TINKER THE TOY MAKER

BUY NOW


TOPDOG / UNDERDOG

Written By Suzan-Lori Parks

Directed by Melinda Wilson-Ramey

June 7 – 23, 2024

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG is a darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity, telling the story of Lincoln and Booth, two brothers whose names, given to them as a joke, foretell a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Haunted by their past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future.

Winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play!

BUY NOW 

Sponsors

Black Girl Magic Art Exhibition

 

We are incredibly excited to announce a collab with BLACK ARTIST FOUNDRY to bring the BLACK GIRL MAGIC ART EXHIBITION to the community!

For the 2024 Season of Black Girl Magic, our walls have been transformed into an art gallery, and patrons will experience awe-inspiring works from 11 talented Black women artists who call Sacramento home.

We thank Abayomi Brownfield, Aliyah Sidqe, Beth Consetta Rubel, Michaela Stewart, Nataki Owino, Noelle Tavares, Nia Brown, Omonivie Okhade, Shani Zuberi, Shawntay Gorman, and Tasha Nichole King for sharing their works in a celebration of the Black woman in beauty, strength and complexity.

Stay tuned for more info about the artists and upcoming special events.

Be sure to leave time to explore the gallery and your opportunity to add works for sale to your personal collection!

Image Credits: 
Noelle Taveres, “Jerrod: An Ode to Solange,” 2023. Mixed media on canvas, 24”x30.”


Aliyah Sidqe, “Family Portrait,” 2022. Oil on canvas, “16x20.”


Shawntay Gorman, “Asaili Dickson,” 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 36”x36.”