Flushing Town Hall Presents Black History Trilogy

In celebration of Black History Month, Flushing Town Hall presents a Black History Trilogy, a three-part series featuring outstanding Broadway performers showcasing the music and speeches of influential African American artists, scholars, and leaders.

Alton Fitzgerald White kicks off the Trilogy in “John Lewis: A Pioneer for Justice” on Friday, February 5 at 7:00 PM (ET).

Alton Fitzgerald White, a gifted actor who starred in Broadway’s hit show Ragtime and performed over 4,000 times as Mufasa, “king of the jungle,” in Disney’s production of The Lion King, will bring to life the legacy of American politician and civil rights leader John Lewis, who passed away last summer and coined the popular phrase “good trouble” in one of his most resilient speeches. Following his reading of the speech, White will discuss why Lewis’ words and mission are still relevant today, and participate in a short question-and-answer session with the virtual audience.

On February 18 at 7:00 PM (ET), the Black History Trilogy continues with a presentation of “Divine Sass: A Tribute to the Music, Life, and Legacy of Sarah Vaughan,” featuring Tony Award-winning actress and vocalister Lillias White, who also wrote and conceived the show.

White, who performed in Dreamgirls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, South Pacific, and Cy Coleman's The Life, will highlight the music and struggles of the African American Jazz Artist Sarah Vaughan, a pivotal figure in the formation of Be-Bop who has influenced generations of vocalists with her unique style of expression and melodic phrasing. Vaughan helped desegregate American airwaves and set the stage for the civil rights activism of the 1960's and 1970's. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Vaughan, called "Sassy" by the greatest Jazz musicians, was not only an extraordinary vocalist but an exceptional pianist.

On February 26 at 7:00 PM (ET), the Black History Trilogy concludes with “André De Shields is Frederick Douglass: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory.” The Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award Winner and Hadestown star explores the life and achievements of the great emancipator Frederick Douglass.

André De Shields is the triple crown winner of the 2019 awards season, having won the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his critically acclaimed performance as Hermes in Hadestown. The Actors’ Equity Foundation followed suit with the Richard Seff Award, honoring veteran stage actors’ best supporting performances of the year. In 2020, Mr. De Shields received the 2020 Grammy Award for Musical Theater Album for Hadestown, the 2020 AUDELCO for Lifetime Achievement, and an honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. In 2019, he received the 2019 Project1Voice Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2019 SAGE Joyce Warshow Lifetime Achievement Award, The York Theatre Company’s 2019 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre, and was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. He received the Key to the City of Baltimore from Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young in August, 2019. Prior to his Tony Award win, Mr. De Shields was best known for his show-stopping performances in four legendary Broadway productions: The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award), Play On! (Tony Nomination), and The Full Monty (Tony Nomination). In a career spanning fifty one years, he has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, and educator, receiving in 2018 the 8th Annual Off Broadway Alliance Legend Award, and the 33rd Annual Bob Harrington Life Achievement Bistro Award. Among his other accolades are the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award and the 2007 Village Voice Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. His film and TV projects include Anton Ego in Ratatouille: The TikTok Tok Musical, the Algebra Tutor in “John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch” on Netflix, Chubby in “Katy Keene” on the CW, and as Wyndham on “Almost Family.” He can next be seen as Gavin Plimsoll in Charles Busch’s new film, The Sixth Reel. De Shields is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. andredeshields.com

Frederick Douglass—who began his life as a slave, and through heroic effort, became one of America’s most important and historically influential icons—delivered a keynote address at a commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 5, 1852 at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York. In his speech entitled “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” Douglass asked, “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” On February 26, de Shields will take the audiences back in time to this historic moment.

Flushing Town Hall’s Black History Trilogy is part of its FTH At Home! virtual programming, which is presented for free to the general public with a suggested donation to support the artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment across New York and the world.