Abingdon Theatre Company (Chad Austin, Producing Artistic Director) is thrilled to announce the talkback participants directly following the festival performances of Raise the Page, Uplift the Word: A BIPOC Festival of Short Plays in collaboration with AMT Theater, taking place on March 9th and 10th, 2026 at 7PM at AMT Theater (354 West 45th Street, New York, NY). The festival is sponsored by Owen Charles, Marcus Felder, Yasmeen Mock, and Jonathan D’Agostino.
Each talkback will take place directly following the festival performance, and will be available to all ticket holders. The schedule will be as follows:
Talkback following the March 9th, 7PM Performance: Professional Producers Panel featuring discussions between Jamila Ponton Bragg, the Founder of JamRock Productions, Lawryn LaCroix, Producer Lia Vollack Productions, and Jonathan McCrory, the Executive Artistic Director of the National Black Theatre, with moderation by Tony Award Winning Producer Rashad V. Chambers.
Talkback following the March 10th, 7PM Performance: Uplifting Emerging BIPOC Playwrights in conversation with Pulitzer Prize Winner James Ijames and Tony Award Winning Producer Rashad V. Chambers, with festival playwrights.
Spotlighting stories written by BIPOC playwrights, Raise the Page, Uplift the Word’s mission is to continue creating opportunities for all voices to be heard. With that in mind, Abingdon Theatre Company is delighted to continue offering tickets free to the public, in efforts to make theatre more accessible. Learn more about the festival at: www.abingdontheatre.org/fsp-
Established over 30 years ago, Abingdon Theatre Company (ATC) develops and produces critically acclaimed brave, new American work by emerging and established artists. Mainstage Productions include the Off-Broadway premieres of Max Mondi’s Maybe Tomorrow with Dan Amboyer and Elizabeth A. Davis, Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness written and performed by Dave Droxler, the New York premiere of Queens Girl in the World, which was nominated for Outstanding Solo Performance for the Vivian Robinson Audelco Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, and the NYT Critics’ Pick Get on Your Knees written and performed by Jaqueline Novak, nominated for a Drama Desk Award. The One Night Only Series has showcased work such as Alex Edelman’s Just for Us which went on to receive Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations and has just completed its run on Broadway; Back by Matt Webster starring Emmy Award nominee Madeline Brewer and Tony Award nominee James Cusati-Moyer; The Prompter starring Oscar-winning actress Estelle Parsons; Date of a Lifetime, a new musical with book and lyrics by Carl Kissin and music by Robert Baumgartner Jr. ATC’s Around the Table Series has produced staged readings of new plays such as The Inferno by Chris Sherman and Arancini by Joey Merlo. In 2020, ATC established Abingdon Virtual led by Executive Producer Chad Austin, and has since produced three award-winning films, including As Apple Pie written and directed by Artist-in-Residence Pierre Marais, which was an official selection of the Cannes World Film Festival for Best Young Filmmaker and won multiple awards at festivals including Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Drama USA; Abingdon Virtual’s premiere film, It Cries Too Loudly, was an official selection of the Prague International Short Film Awards and won Best Cinematography and Best Short Film at the Eastern European Film Festival.
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