Inaugural Detroit IMPACT Arts Conference Announces Dominique Morisseau As Keynote Speaker

Detroit, MI – June 20, 2024 – The GhostLight Arts Initiative (GLAI) is excited to announce the keynote speaker, full panelist line-up, and schedule for the Inaugural Detroit IMPACT Arts Conference. As previously announced, beginning on Monday, June 24th, the 3-day conference will include a series of workshops, panels, and conversations designed to engage and amplify the Detroit arts community. The conference precedes the 4th Annual Obsidian Theatre Festival (OTF), taking place Thursday, June 27th – Sunday, June 30th.

The theme for the Inaugural conference is: Amplifying Our Stories. All sessions will occur at The McGregor Memorial Conference Center on the Campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

The conference keynote speaker is Award-winning Playwright, Detroit native, Tony Nominee, MacArthur Fellow, and Executive Artistic Producer of Detroit Public Theatre, Dominique Morisseau. Her keynote address will close out the first day of the conference, Monday, June 24th at 5pm.

One of the goals of IMPACT is to uplift individual artists, arts organizations, community partners, and funders – magnifying the work of Detroit’s current performing arts community and contributing to the foundational growth of a thriving arts ecosystem.

The GhostLight Arts Initiative is a non-profit organization dedicated to the use of the creative, performing, and media arts as catalysts for social progress. The goal of GLAI is to leverage every artistic avenue to create tangible and sustainable impact across social and cultural systems. GLAI is the social enterprise of GhostLight Creative Productions, the lead producer alongside Nicely Theatre Group of the Obsidian Theatre Festival.

All conference workshops and sessions will take place on the campus of Wayne State University at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center at 495 Gilmour Mall, Detroit, MI

The Young Artist Workshop on playwriting will span the entire conference. Students in grades 9-12 who are interested in storytelling, the arts, theatre, and playwriting applied. During this three-day workshop, students will have the opportunity to learn from work with Detroit-based playwright and University of Detroit Mercy Professor Ann Eskridge as they explore narrative storytelling. Students will leave with having written a 5-10 minute piece. This three-day workshop for youth, will be the launching of regular YAWs occurring year round.

An Audition Prep Workshop will be held on Monday, June 26, 10am – 3pm. Taught by GLAI Founding Executive Director John Sloan III (Disney’s The Lion King), and acclaimed singer/actor Lulu Fall (Hair, The Last OG, Natasha Pierre & The Great Comet), participating artists ranging in age from 17-22 will have the opportunity to grow their skills and audition techniques for theatre and musical theatre performance.

The conference opens with a panel discussion featuring Henri Franklin, Alexis Sims and John Sloan III that details OTF’s progression beyond its birth year of 2020. This discussion will address some of OTF’s challenges and successes from individuals who had instrumental roles in the organization’s evolution. The panel will be facilitated by Dr. Rashida L. Harrison and will take place on Monday, June 24, 2024 from 2-3:30pm

The Propulsion sessions open with a Roundtable featuring Shawntai Brown, Kendra Ann Flournoy, and Jeffry Chastang, Native and local Black playwrights who share stories that influence their plays. The panel will be facilitated by Native Detroiter and Obie Award winning Producer, Garlia Cornelia Jones, and will take place on Monday, June 24, 2024 from 4 – 5pm

Monday, June 24, 2024 at 5pm

Day 2 begins with a panel discussion and community conversation featuring Shawntai Brown, jon kent, and Curtis Renee, all community driven individuals, dedicated to uplifting the needs of their communities and addressing social injustices that come with gentrification and community development. The conversation will be facilitated by Dr. Rashida L. Harrison and will take place on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 from 1:40 – 3pm

Day 2 continues with Emmanuel Wilson, Co-Executive Director of The Dramatists Guild, bringing a workshop that he does around the country devoted to Playwrights and their rights. This workshop supports playwrights with questions about their production process or their rights in a rehearsal room.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024 from 3:30-4:45pm

Day 2 concludes with a session that supports those in need of fundraising support. “Funding Your Idea” features Andrea Scobie, of the Gilbert Family Foundation and Sarah Winkler, one of the Producing Artistic Directors at Detroit Public Theatre in conversation with John Sloan III. This session will take place on Tuesday, June 24, 2024 from 5-6pm

Day 3 begins with a screening of “and god made man” by kay kemp, part of the 2nd Season of the Obsidian Theatre Festival. This post-screening panel conversation features kay kemp and Curtis Renee. The conversation will center around Art and Media with conversations around media stereotypes and typecasting. The conversation will also explore Social Constructs and Systems, and the bounds of equity as they pertain to performing arts. It will be facilitated by Dr. Rashida L. Harrison and will take place on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 from 1:30-3:30pm

On the third and final day, we close out our Propulsion sessions discussing the longevity and sustainability of building an arts org with Gary Anderson of Plowshares Theatre Company and Oliver Ragsdale of the Carr Center. This conversation will provide emerging arts leaders with insight into how one builds a sustainable arts organization. Facilitated by Garlia Cornelia Jones on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 from 4pm-5pm.

During the IMPACT ARTS conference, Neighborhood Engagement Programs will occur 1:30PM- 3:30PM daily. Along with the streamed production, each day of the NEP session introduces a new and engaging topic with varying voices and perspectives contributing to the conversation. Our discussions will include OTF executive staff, playwrights, OTF alumni, as well as activists and community members.

Conference organizers include Dr. Rashida L. Harrison (Director of Arts Education and Professional Development), Sarae Daniels, (GLAI’s Arts Education Manager) who has been with OTF and GLAI since the inaugural season, Garlia Cornelia Jones, (Co-Director of the Propulsion Theatre Project, OTF Associate Artistic Director/Senior Creative Producer), Sierra McCants (new to GLAI as the Arts Ed. Coordinator), and John Sloan III, (Founder – GhostLight Arts Initiative)

The Neighborhood Engagement Program Series (NEPS) speaks to Detroiters who live and work in rich and historic communities across the city. The continued development of an arts ecosystem requires broad engagement. With that, NEPS will host year-round events across Detroit, designed to engage a diversity of community members and offer the opportunity to take the work of OTF, and make it accessible to different neighborhoods in Detroit. There will be 3 NEPS sessions over the 3-day conference: 20/20 OTF Four Years Later, We Own Everything: Tensions between Growth and Development, and Art, Comedy and Gender Politics.

The final component of the conference is The Propulsion Theatre Project Symposium. The Propulsion Theatre Project is a partnership between Blackboard Plays Founder, Garlia Cornelia Jones, and GhostLight Arts Initiative Founding Executive Director/ Obsidian Theater Festival Producing Artistic Director John Sloan III , dedicated to creating work that amplifies the ecosystem of theatre in Detroit. Guests will include arts professionals from around the country leading a variety of workshops and panels. Featured topics will include: “The Writers’ Rights” and “Funding Your Idea”.

The inaugural YAW will be led by OTF alumnus and longtime Detroit playwright and University of Detroit Mercy professor, Ann Eskridge. Ann was featured as part of the 2nd Annual Obsidian Theatre Festival with her writing partner, Dr. Alton James. She is also a co-founder of the Extra-Mile Playwrights with OTF Alum and Kresge Awardee, Shawntai Brown.

Other confirmed panelists include Broadway Vet, Lulu Fall (Broadway Credit and Hastings Street… and DPT ) for the Professional Auditions Workshop alongside OTF’s PAD, John Sloan III; OTF Alums from various season, Henri Franklin, kay kemp, jon kent and former OTF Associate Artistic Director and Broadway actor, Alexis Sims (For Colored Girls…).

Confirmed Propulsion Symposium Panelists include Plowshares’ Founder Gary Anderson; Playwrights, Jeffry Chastang and Kendra Ann Flourney; Co-Director of the Dramatists Guild, Emmanuel Wilson, and Sarah Winkler, one of the Producing Artistic Directors of Detroit Public Theatre.

The conference is supported by funding from the Gilbert Foundation, Erb Family Foundation, Mellon Foundation and Skillman Foundation.

GLAI’s Inaugural Detroit IMPACT Arts Conference will take place at McGregor Memorial Conference Center. For a complete breakdown of each session and to register, please visit www.ghostlight.art/impact

The 4th Annual Obsidian Theatre Festival will take place on the heels of the Inaugural Conference. This year’s festival is once again at 3 different locations in downtown Detroit from June 27th – June 30th: Marlene Boll Theatre at Downtown YMCA, The Chrysler Black Box at The Detroit Opera House and new this year, the GEM Theatre. Content from the first three of the festival highlighting emerging Black voices is available at obsidianfest.org/watch. Last year, the festival began streaming content from the first two seasons on their website, and released Season 3 content in March.

Registration for Pre-Sale Tickets is now available on our website.  Once available, each tier will include access to our streaming platform, which includes festival content from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd seasons, priority seating, and access to special gifts and events. Register via our website at www.obsidianfest.org.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.

The Gilbert Family Foundation is driven by the belief that major change is possible when we work together. The Foundation supports programs and partnerships that share a goal of providing universal access to arts and culture experiences for Detroit residents and contribute to the economic growth of Detroit. Learn more at gilbertfamilyfoundation.org.

The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, founded in 2009, advances environmentally healthy and culturally vibrant communities in metropolitan Detroit and a flourishing Great Lakes ecosystem. The Foundation will award $14 million in grants this year. For more information, visit erbff.org.

The Skillman Foundation is a grantmaking organization established in 1960 by Rose Skillman. They support youth and their advocates to transform the education system to meet the needs and aspirations of Detroit youth. Historically, the Foundation has granted out more than $750 million and has served as a vocal advocate to strengthen K-12 education, afterschool programming, child-centered neighborhoods, youth and community leadership, and racial equity and justice. More information can be found at www.skillman.org.

The GhostLight Arts Initiative (GLAI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the use of the creative, performing, and media arts as catalysts for social progress. GLAI leverages every artistic avenue to create tangible and sustainable impact across the Detroit arts ecosystem, lessening economic barriers for BIPOC Artists. We support our community at home and abroad via culturally transformative artistic practices.

For more information, please visit: www.ghostlight.art

Ghostlight Creative Productions is a Detroit-based, full service production company specializing in the creation of original film, theatrical, and performance content. Ghostlight offers high end, wrap- around event production services at a Broadway calibre that uplifts the underrepresented, and tells stories that are both compelling and complex.

For more information, please visit: www.ghostlightinc.com

Nicely Theatre Group is a professional, non-profit theatre company dedicated to increasing public access to live theatre with affordable, diverse performances. Our productions will be inclusive and representative of our community while growing and supporting the arts in metro Detroit. For more information, please visit: www.nicelytheatregroup.org

Since 2008, Blackboard Plays has been devoted to Black Playwrights throughout the African Diaspora. Blackboard Reading Series was incubated at nancy manocherian’s the cell in Chelsea’s Manhattan as a resident series for 10 years, before making their new physical home pre-pandemic in The Mary Rodgers Room at The Dramatists Guild in 2018. Over the last 15 years, they have given first readings to Black playwrights including Jocelyn Bioh, Aurin Squire and Tony nominated Jordan E. Cooper.

Feature Readings and Community Nights are two ways that Blackboard supports the development of new work by Black Playwrights. Since 2020, Blackboard has been in partnership with the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) to produce the Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival, supporting the work of Black artists with Families and their stories. Blackboard was founded by Garlia Cornelia Jones. www.blackboardplays.com

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