The UofL Board of Trustees established the $5,000 award in 1989 to honor faculty who individually impact the future of UofL students. The University of Louisville Employee Success Center presented the award to Burton at the 2023 Presidential Excellence Awards reception, which took place April 13. Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Cherie Dawson-Edwards noted several of Burton’s qualities and accomplishments as a member of ���Ǵڳ�’s faculty.

“Dr. Burton is a dedicated and gracious teacher and artist and a highly regarded scholar-practitioner in her field,” said Dawson-Edwards. “She has been recognized with prestigious grants and awards for both herself and her students. Further, she is a consummate teacher and committed builder of the African American Theatre Program, the first and only accredited graduate program of its kind in the nation.”

Dawson-Edwards added that Burton, who joined the university in 1999 as an assistant professor, is also a dedicated interdisciplinarian, finding innovative ways to bring theater into conversation with other disciplines and other areas of expertise, for example, with the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research. Burton is one of the institute’s most active faculty affiliates and supporters, regularly encouraging her students to apply for the social justice research awards offered annually and often bringing students into the institute’s reading room to learn little-known aspects of their shared local history.

“It is the greatest honor of my academic career to be chosen by my peers as the recipient of the 2023 Trustees Award,” said Burton, who will retire at the conclusion of the academic year. “This acknowledgement humbles me and fuels my commitment to uphold the Cardinal Principles and be an ally who fights for the well-being of our students, alums, colleagues and community.”

Kala Ross, a graduate student earning her MFA in performance in ���Ǵڳ�’s Department of Theatre Arts, scored a highly competitive and coveted . She’s playing the characters of Belle and Mrs. Fred, as well as a member of the ensemble.

Belle is the love interest of Ebenezer before he evolves into the infamous Scrooge and Mrs. Fred is the wife of Scrooge’s nephew.��

“I get to see two dynamics of love through these characters,” Ross said.

Ross, who is also the recipient of the prestigious , said the role is an excellent opportunity to prepare for her post-graduation career. She’s enjoyed getting to know fellow cast members who work and live across the country. Actors’ sterling reputation in the theater world attracts some of the best and brightest to star in its productions.

“I’m honored to be in the room with working professionals who are doing what I want to do,” she said. “It’s very affirming. I’ve had conversations with them about their journeys.”

Baron Kelly, Theatre Arts’ director of graduate studies and head of acting, directed Ross in several UofL productions and helped coach her for her current role at Actors. She’s a tremendous talent, he said.��  

“It has been evident that Kala is ready to work professionally,” he said. “This Actors Theatre opportunity validates everything she has exhibited as a graduate student and what’s in store for her professionally.”

For her thesis role, Ross played the role of Tonya in Theatre Arts’ fall production of “King Hedley II” by August Wilson. The show kicked off Theatre Arts’ that picks up again .

If you can’t make it to see Ross in “A Christmas Carol,” she’ll be singing on New Year’s Eve with the Jerry Tolson Quintet at Brendon’s Catch 23. Tolson is professor of music education and Jazz Studies at UofL’s School of Music.

If all that is still not enough holiday performance pizzazz, Theatre Arts Professor Russell Vandenbroucke has yet another opportunity. He adapted Truman Capote’s short stories “A Christmas Memory” and “A Thanksgiving Visitor” into the play Vandenbroucke directs a cast that includes many UofL students and alumni.

“A Christmas Carol” runs through Dec. 23 in the Pamela Brown Auditorium.��

The play, which explores perspectives on the 1991 riots in New York City, is written as a one-woman show.��But director Ariadne Calvano has cast eight actors to portray two-to-three roles each, which are both similar to and different from how they identify, whether by race, gender, ethnicity, class, religion, etc.��

“I began the process with a question: Can we ever truly understand something from another person’s point of view?” she said. “The production will challenge the audience to try to shift their perspective, experience and identity, rather than passively sitting in judgment.” 

The play is based on riots that occurred in the Crown Heights after a Hasidic man’s car jumped a curb, killing Gavin Cato, a black 7-year-old. Later, in what appeared to be an act of retaliation, Yankel Rosenbaum, a Hasidic rabbinical student, was stabbed to death.��

The play will contain an interactive element. The app “Poll Everywhere” will gauge audience perspective on complex issues throughout the performance.   

“This show remains relevant in many ways,” Calvano said. “Communication between folks from different backgrounds continues to polarize America today. It would be simplistic to boil down the show to tensions between the black and Jewish communities in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, or to believe that there is a single Jewish or Black perspective. Part of the challenge of this play is to unpack the levels of connection between the people represented while also marking their individualism.”

There also will be two post-show panel discussions led by UofL dramaturg Janna Segal:

Nov. 8: Theater artists will share how Smith’s work has influenced them. Panelists include: Calvano; Janelle R. Dunn, learning and creative engagement associate at Actors Theatre; Diana Grisanti, co-artistic director of Theatre 502 and Keith McGill, comedian, actor and Actors Theatre teaching artist.

Nov. 14: Conversation will address how the play resonates with Louisville today. Panelists include Rabbi David Ariel-Joel from The Temple; Cathy Hinko, executive director of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition and Marian Vasser, UofL director of Diversity ����ֱ�� and Inclusive Excellence.

This is the second production in Theatre Arts’ “” which kicked off in August with “King Hedley II.” 

Thrust Theatre is on ���Ǵڳ�’s Belknap Campus, 2314 S. Floyd St. All plays start at 8 p.m. with 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for UofL faculty and staff and $10 for UofL students. To order tickets or for more information, call the box office at (502) 852-6814 or click .��

“Fires in the Mirror” Cast

Undergraduate students: Chasidy Moore – Anonymous Lubavitcher woman, Rabbi Joseph Spielman and Sonny Carson; Junaid Shazad – Robert Sherman, Anonymous Young Man #1 and Rueven Ostrov; Megan Meyer – Scenic Designer; Lionel Nasty – Technical Director; Cece Phillips – Props Designer; Tyler Hieb – Lighting Designer; Steven York – Sound Designer

First Year MFA Students: Lamar Hardy – Reverend Al Sharpton, Angela Davis and Micheal S. Miller; Candace Spencer – Ntozake Shange, Rivkah Siegal and Norman Rosenbaum; Brandi Threatt –  Anonymous Girl, Leonard Jeffries and Carmel Cato

Second Year MFA Students: Alex Gordon – Aaron Bernstein, Henry Rice and Rosalyn Malamud; Tyler Tate – George C. Wolfe, Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Reverend Cannon Doctor Heron Sam; Jordan Tudor – Assistant Director

Third Year MFA Student: Manuel Viveros – Minister Conrad Mohammed and Anonymous Young Man #2            

“King Hedley II,” the ninth play in August Wilson’s 10-play cycle that examines African American life in the 20th Century, tells the story of an ex-con trying to rebuild his life in 1985.

Hedley, the main character, wants to support himself by selling refrigerators and to start a family in Pittsburgh. Set during the Reagan administration, the play critically questions whether trickle-down economics benefited urban African Americans.

Baron Kelly, the play’s director and head of graduate acting at UofL, sees the relevance of the play into today’s society.

“All of the themes of inequality, zero opportunities and no sense of history or spirit left in the corners of Reagan’s America still reverberate today in communities across this country,” said Kelly. “Poverty and police killings of black people still blight African American communities across America with pervasive inequality and rage.”

“King Hedley II” is an appropriate start to Theatre Arts’ “Season of Black Plays,” said Johnny Jones, director of the African American Theatre Program for the department.��

Wilson’s 1996 speech, “The Ground on which I Stand,” was one of the inspirations for the season’s theme. Wilson’s speech called for American theaters to tell more stories about the African American experience.

Theatre Arts faculty and staff selected six plays that engage race and blackness on various levels and they will produce each work along with activities to foster engagement, inclusivity and cultural consciousness throughout UofL and surrounding communities.��

“I really want people to think about how these plays speak to America as a whole, not just one group of people — that really is the goal,” said Jones.

The production will open Thurs., Sept. 19 and will continue its first week run through Sept. 21. The production will continue its second week run Sept. 26-29.��Evening performances start at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees are at 3 p.m.

“King Hedley II” will run at the Playhouse, 1911 South Third Street.��Purchase season tickets, which are $50, . Tickets for individual performances also are available or call 502-852-6814.

Director Johnny Jones, who serves as head of the African American Theatre Program, leads audiences to “the promised land” by honoring a moment in history that forever changed the nation — the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

UofL graduate students LaShondra Hood and Xavier Harris lead the production, which is the Department’s first of the season. Hood, a third-year MFA Performance candidate, will perform her thesis role of Camae alongside Harris, a second-year MFA candidate who plays Dr. King.

“The Mountaintop” reimagines the night before the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968. During the night, King receives a visit from Camae, a motel maid, as he wrestles with the idea of leaving earth before seeing his dream of freedom and equality for all people come to fruition. King wonders who will pick up the baton once he passes on. He soon realizes that the legacy that he leaves behind is more significant than he could ever imagine.

The theme for the Theatre Arts Department’s mainstage season is “Stories from the Past, Lessons for the Future.” Per the 50^th-year anniversary of King’s assassination, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and the Protests of 1968, “The Mountaintop” is a fitting production for an ideal time to ask ourselves, “Where do we go from here?”

“Dr. King said anybody can be great because anybody can serve,”  said Professor Johnny Jones. “There are still people in this world who are serving and doing just that for the sake of others. This play speaks to that particular opportunity of us being able to help each other, being able to uplift each other, and to be able to give each other testimony and to share our joys, our pains, and our sorrows with one another as we overcome.”

“The Mountaintop” opens Sept. 20 and runs through Sept. 30. Ticket prices are $20 General Admission; $15 for Faculty/Staff/Seniors (65+)/non-UofL Students (with Student ID) and $10 for Current UofL Students (with Student ID). Tickets may be purchased  or by contacting the box office at 502-852-6814.��

The theme this year is “Stories of the Past: Lessons for the Future.”

“As directors were proposing titles for the season, remembering major events which shaped the country over 50 years ago emerged,” said Kevin Gawley, Theatre Arts chair. “These stories are as relevant today as they once were. As we present this season to audiences, I hope we can explore the lessons we have learned over the past 50 years and learn how to bring more positive change over the next 50.”

The season opens Sept. 20 with “The Mountaintop,” by Katori Hall, which is a fictional telling of the night before Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination at the Loraine Motel.��

“In the play, MLK Jr. explores his personal struggles with the civil rights movement and helps the audience understand the lessons of his legacy in context of today’s Black Lives Matter movement,” Gawley said.

“The Mountaintop” commemorates the 50-year anniversary of the assassination of King in 1968.

The second show of the season, starting Nov. 8, is a modern take on “The Taming of the Shrew” by William Shakespeare. Looking through the lens of a Make America Great Again supporter, the main character dreams about life in 1963.��

“From this viewpoint, we are able to clearly see the evolution of society in the past 50 years when it comes to women’s rights and the #MeToo movement,” Gawley said.

“Almost Maine,” starting Jan. 21, by John Cariani, is a contemporary romantic comedy, which aims to remind audiences of the various ways we can all love and nurture each other in today’s society.

“With all the struggles and challenges the world faces, sometimes just sitting next to a friend, family member, or significant other and letting them know how much they mean to us is a way to affect positive change,” Gawley said.

In late February, Theatre Arts presents a look back at the Vietnam war through the true stories of women, five nurses and a country singer, who served the country in Shirley Lauro’s “A Piece of My Heart.” The play considers the challenges faced by women in a war-weary country and examines the true cost of war, which endures for generations.

The season closes in April with Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” which is celebrating the 60^th anniversary of its Broadway debut.��Audiences meet a middle-class African American family wanting the American Dream: to buy a home and create a better life.��The story follows the family’s struggles as they attempt to move out of a small, segregated apartment into a middle-class white neighborhood.

“Unfortunately, this story could easily be re-told by many families in Louisville today, especially for those hindered by the persistent 9^th Street divide,” Gawley said.��

���Ǵڳ�’s award-winning is producing the “The Mountaintop” and “Raisin in the Sun.”

The AATP – the first and only program of its kind in the United States offering advanced coursework and a Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre – is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a fundraising gala Nov. 3 at the University Club.��Money raised will be used to fund travel and participation for students and faculty in 2019 to theatre festivals, such as the National Black Theatre Festival, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Comparative Drama Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Theatre Festival. Contact Jessica Key for ticket information.��

including season subscriptions, which features all five mainstage shows plus departmental events for $75, which equals a $25 savings.

Theatre Arts is also auditioning for roles for the season Sept. 4 and 5 with callbacks on Sept. 6. or here to request more information. Theatre Arts is offering a for undergrads 2-3:30 p.m. Aug. 24. Dr. Ari Calvano, assistant professor of acting and movement, will lead discussions on choosing the right monologue, audition etiquette and other helpful topics. All levels of acting experience are welcome.��     

The two-woman play, written by Endesha Ida Mae Holland, powerfully depicts the life of Wells, a civil rights activist and journalist who led the fight against lynching at the turn of the century.

Theatre Arts Chair Nefertiti Burton is directing the show, which she has also performed in numerous times in the past. It artfully weaves historical fact and creative imagination, she said.

“This play absolutely has relevance for conversations about race and society that are taking place now,” Burton said. “It calls to mind the African concept of Sankofa, which means that you must look back and hold onto your past in order to chart your future.”  

The play features Wells at different points in her life and stars Master of Fine Arts students Sidney Edwards and Mutiyat Adé-Salu.

The show kicks off a season of five plays, all written by women.

“Miss Ida B. Wells” runs at 8 p.m. Sept. 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 and 3 p.m. Sept. 24 and Oct. 1 at Thrust Theatre, 2314 South Floyd St. The play is available for touring after Oct. 22.

Season tickets are $50. Individual tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for faculty, alumni and seniors and $8 for UofL students. To order tickets or for more information, click , call 502-852-7682 or email uofltheatrearts@gmail.com.

to see more photos from the show.

The fact that they all happen to be women ended up shaping the 2017-18 season.

“When we were selecting plays for the season, we noticed there were an abundance proposed that were written by women,” said Nefertiti Burton, department chair. “We thought, why not make it a theme and commit to it.”

So, the season became five plays, written by women.

“It’s a way for us to celebrate the new energy in our department,” Burton said.

The selections cover a wide range of experiences, perspectives and theatrical forms.��

“We’re inviting people to come and see themselves on stage, as the many, diverse women filling these roles,” Burton said.

• The season kicks off with the ’s rendition of “Miss Ida B. Wells,” Sept. 22-Oct. 1. The two-woman play, written by Endesha Ida Mae Holland and directed by Burton, powerfully depicts the life of Wells, a civil rights activist and journalist who led the fight against lynching at the turn of the century.
• ���Ǵڳ�’s , a troupe of graduate students who perform for dozens of elementary schools each year, will do a free public performance Sept. 24 of “Magic Tree,” a play written by Burton and directed by Melissa Shepherd.
• “Our Country’s Good,” Nov. 10-Nov. 19, written by Timberlake Wertenbaker and directed by Baron Kelly, is based on the true life story of a group of convicts who’ve been deported to the colony of Australia. They found themselves required to act in a production of George Farquhar’s comedy “The Recruiting Officer,” which was staged in the penal colony of New South Wales in 1789.
• In “Eurydice,” Jan. 26-Feb. 4, playwright Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Jenn Ariadne Calvano directs.
• “Fabulation: or the Re-����ֱ�� of Undine,” Feb. 23-March 4, from the African American Theatre Program, tells the story of a businesswoman whose life spirals out of control after her husband steals her money and leaves her. It was written by Lynn Nottage, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice.
• The season wraps up with “The Long Christmas Ride Home,” April 13-April 22, in which the past, present and future collide on a snowy Christmas Eve for a troubled family of five. Geoff Nelson and Charles Nasby co-direct the play by Paula Vogel, who is also a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

All plays are at Thrust Theatre, 2314 South Floyd St., except for “Our Country’s Good” and “Fabulation: or the Re-����ֱ�� of Undine,” which will run at The Playhouse, 1911 South Third St. All plays start at 8 p.m. with 3 p.m. Saturday or Sunday matinees.

To order tickets or for more information, call 502-852-6814 or click .