THE ENSEMBLE THEATRE
www.ensemblehouston.com
Artistic Director of The Ensemble Theatre EILEEN J. MORRIS
Presents
THE FIRST NOEL
Book, Music & Lyrics
By Lelund Durond Thompson & Jason Michael Webb
Directed & Choreographed by Patdro Harris
Musical Direction by Chika Kaba Ma' Atunde
November 17 thru December 30, 2016
The Ensemble Theatre Presents
The First Noel
Book, Music & Lyrics
By Lelund Durond Thompson & Jason Michael Webb
Who/What: The Ensemble Theatre leaps further into its 40th anniversary season celebration with the regional premiere holiday musical, The First Noel, Book, Music, and Lyrics by Lelund Durond Thompson and Jason Michael Webb, Directed and Choreographed by Patdro Harris, and Musical Direction by Chika Kaba Ma'Atunde.
Audiences will have to bundle up as they enter this winter wonderland where beloved Christmas carols emerge as dynamic new songs, destined to become holiday favorites for a new generation. The First Noel is a heartwarming musical that follows three generations of a family affected by the tragic loss of a loved one, when an unexpected visit reveals some long-absent Christmas joy. It is a story about how a community is healed, one family at a time, as everyday people do extraordinary things to help one another receive the gift of love at Christmas time.
Featured Cast members include:
Tony Glover, An'Gelle Sylvester, Regina Hearne, Silvanous LaToison, JoAnne Davis-Jones, Orlando Jones, Jayla McDonald, Samaya Holmes, and Roenia Thompson.
When:
Show Run: November 17 - December 30, 2016
Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.
Fridays: 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays: 3:00 p.m.
**
Where: The Ensemble Theatre
3535 Main St, Houston, TX 77002
713-520-0055
About the Playwrights
Lelund Durond Thompson
Lelund Durond Thompson has had the pleasure of working with legendary actors / writers / directors such as film pioneer Melvin Van Peebles and Tony Award winners Trazana Beverly and Ben Harney. In addition to his acting, he also developed a great love for writing. He has been commissioned to write an original musical for Classical Theater of Harlem.
In 2011, he founded Yella - Fella Entertainment and immediately began producing and directing theater in New York City. serving as associate producer and Director of Photography for music videos and webseries, writing and helping to coach and develop talent. His work from the photography arm of Yella Fella has been published in the New York Times, in Playbills for Broadway productions, and has included shoots for Ricky Martin, Daniel Radcliffe and Perez Hilton.
About the Playwrights
Jason Michael Webb
Two-time Stellar Award nominee and Dove Award winner, Jason Michael Webb was born in Neptune, New Jersey where at the age of four he began his musical training, studying primarily classical piano. Within a year of completing advanced study with Paul Hoffman at Rutgers University earning a Bachelors of Music degree in Classical Piano Performance, Mr. Webb made his orchestral solo debut with the Queens Symphony and became the Assistant Musical Director of its gospel choir. In 2006, Mr. Webb was invited to become Musical Directorof the 6-time Grammy Award winning Brooklyn Tabernacle, where his songwriting, arranging and orchestrating continued to thrive (I'LL SAY YES album nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award).
The
Cast of The First Noel.
Photo courtesy of the Ensemble Theatre
Musical Numbers
ACT 1
The First Noel
(L-R) An'Gelle Sylvester as mother Deloris, Jayla McDonald (center) as
young Noel and Silvanius Latoison as father Henry.
Photo courtesy of the Ensemble Theatre
Musical Numbers
ACT 2
Run
Run
Three Wisemen and young Noel.
Photo courtesy of the Ensemble Theatre
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The Ensemble Theatre's 2016-2017 Season is sponsored in part by grants from
the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on
the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. United Airlines is the
official airline sponsor for The Ensemble Theatre.
The Ensemble Theatre was
founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American
artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse
community. Thirty-nine years later, the theatre has evolved from a touring
company operating from the trunk of Mr. Hawkins’ car to being one of
Houston’s finest historical cultural institutions. The Ensemble is one of a
few professional theatres in the region dedicated to the production of works
portraying the African American experience. The oldest and largest
professional African American theatre in the Southwest, it holds the
distinction of being one of the nation’s largest African American theatres
owning and operating its facility and producing in-house. Board President
Emeritus Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble’s $4.5
million building renovations that concluded in 1997. The Ensemble Theatre
has fulfilled and surpassed the vision of its founder and continues to
expand and create innovative programs to bring African American theatre to
myriad audiences.