During the first celebration of Black History Month in 1976, newly elected President Gerald Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Since then, Black History Month has served as a time of recognition dedicated to the achievements and contributions of Black individuals to U.S. history and culture.  

At Walton Arts Center, we celebrate the historical impact of Black culture by bringing important Black voices to our stages. We acknowledge the critical influence of diversity in the arts and are committed to representing and supporting our Black community. This season, we are especially excited about three upcoming shows that celebrate both the historical achievements of Black Americans and the potential that they represent for a future of diverse artistic voices in the U.S. 

Reclaiming Our Roots

This month, our Classroom Series goes on the road with a new outreach performance, Reclaiming Our Roots, which examines how Black Americans have use dance to challenge, overcome and change their circumstances in an unjust world. This show is presented by Rooted Movement Collective, a group of local, professional dancers who represent the inaugural cohort of Walton Arts Center’s Performing Artists eXchange (PAX). The dancers first participated in CONTRA TIEMPO’s performance of joyUS justUS at Walton Arts Center last April, then traveled to Los Angeles in August to attend CONTRA TIEMPO’s FUTURO summer dance intensive. There, they learned from experts in the field on various social dance styles, the history of ancestral movement practice and the “Art as Social Action” methodology.  

As the culmination of their studies, Rooted Movement Collected collaborated with members of the Walton Arts Center Learning & Engagement team to write and choreograph Reclaiming Our Roots. A gift to our school communities, Reclaiming Our Roots is an interactive performance that encourages audiences to get up and move with the performers as they learn the steps for Juba, jazz, hip-hop and more. The show’s tour will conclude with a free public performance on Saturday, February 25 at 3pm at Cache Studios in Bentonville. 

Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie Starring Indigo Blume

New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander brings two of his beloved children’s books — Acoustic Rooster and Indigo Blume — to the stage on Sunday, March 5 at 4pm. The show explores jazz, soul music, bossa nova, go-go, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, rap, boogie, ballad, country and more, introducing these genres to young theatergoers in an engaging, musical theater-style performance. Audiences of all ages will be toe-tapping along to adaptations of works by musical icons, including Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Nicki Minaj, as well as original songs by African Native American singer-songwriter, author, educator and storyteller Randy Preston. 

Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie Starring Indigo Blume helps teach young audiences that many of the genres we know and love today – from hip-hop to rock ‘n’ roll to disco – have roots in Black communities. Teaching children the history behind these genres helps them make important connections and teaches them about the power of music to transcend boundaries and bring us together for a common goal.  

According to the show's writers, “Indigo Blume is based on brave young people like the children in the audience who want to accomplish amazing things on this earth … like keeping your community clean and green, growing a rooftop garden or sharing musical and artistic talents with family and friends.” Blume and the other lovable characters tell a story about overcoming fear, being brave and believing in yourself, helping friends and strangers in need and contributing to your community. It reminds us that “when we’re together, there’s nothing that we can’t do!” 

Hadestown

Hadestown comes to Walton Arts Center May 23-28 for eight performances as part of the P&G Broadway Series. The production created a new benchmark for Broadway when its creators demanded that theater make space for diverse voices and delivered with vibrant music and a diverse cast, crew and band. Hadestown’s modern premise reflects the values of our changing culture through a transformative musical experience that reimagines Greek mythology. The eight-time Tony®-winning production intertwines two mythical tales – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone – as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. 

Beyond its critical acclaim, it is the show’s diversity that cements the musical’s lasting influence. From the early concepts of Hadestown to its continued acclaim on Broadway and now on tour, this production has prioritized the best and most talented artists, including Black, Indigenous and people of color acting in primary roles throughout the production. By intentionally embracing inclusivity throughout the entire company, it is bringing the power and beauty of a diverse company to audiences around the globe.

When the show’s director, Rachel Chavkin, was the only woman nominated for a 2019 Tony for best direction of a musical, she used the platform of her acceptance speech to advocate for the hiring of women and people of color in theater. “There are so many artists of color who are ready to go. And we need to see that racial diversity and gender diversity reflected in our critical establishment, too. This is not a pipeline issue. It is a failure of imagination by a field whose job is to imagine the way the world could be,” Chavkin said.  

“I think diversity is inextricable from excellence. I think all too often people, and in particular the dominant culture tends to frame it as a choice that you have to make between diversity and excellence. And I personally think it's the opposite,” Chavkin assures. “I think a diverse room is far more interesting, just purely on a dramatic level. It's so much better stylistically and emotionally to have varied voices. And so, with Hadestown specifically, we have reaffirmed time and again that racial diversity, in particular, is core to our vision of excellence.” 

“Theater depicts and celebrates humanity, and humanity is diverse,” asserts Anaïs Mitchell, the author and creator of the book, lyrics and music for Hadestown. And so, thanks to the shared commitments of its creators, Hadestown strives for connection to every human experience, showing diversity to be colorful, productive and exciting.

Walton Arts Center values the voices and experiences of Black leaders, artists, staff, patrons, visiting crews and beyond. Throughout U.S. history, these voices have fought for visibility and equality, and have created a space for people of color to express themselves and represent their lives. The art that results – in film, literature, fashion, music and more – evokes a powerful present and beautiful future, with Black culture shining through.