About Us

Our mission is to enlighten, empower, educate , entertain, engage as well as preserve and promote urban theater and culture on the New York stage touring abroad with quality creative expression in classic, contemporary, and original literary works of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists focusing on diversity and inclusion with a twenty first century multicultural theater with the highest standards of artistic excellence and contemporary relevance. The New York Black Arts Festival produces and presents artistic performances that bring people of all cultures and backgrounds together, provoke thought, inspire hope, and create understanding. Serving audiences in under-served communities as a musical theater troupe we are dedicated to bringing fresh and unique live multicultural theater designed for the entire family! Our theatrical focus is on urban fairy tales and myths. But not your mother's fairy tales. We present fairy tales that are a reflection of modern pop culture presented in the vaudevillian style that incorporates larger than life characters, big voices, improvisation, various styles of street dance mixed with modern, jazz, ballet and direct audience involvement all in one. Our performances are audience interactive making them feel uniquely important in our theatrical experience..Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The theme for season 2024/2025 is to revive traditional storytelling mechanisms to reflect the modern age utilizing new sounds, new interpretations of old classics, realism, modern linguistics, explore innovative new ways in reaching young audiences through a series of newly released children’s books, streaming live theater to audiences outside of our region while continuing to push the bar presenting old and new theatrical works in a modern contemporary world that speak directly to young BIPOC audiences

Experience a day of theatre with your students at New York Black Arts! Over the course of our season we give the opportunity for schools to visit us for a School Matinee, with options suitable from Pre-K to high school. Our performances are not only entertaining but educational, complemented by hands-on materials prepared by our Education Department that can connect directly with your curriculum.

NYBAF was founded in 2013 to provide performing arts opportunities for local artists, children and others. The goal?  To provide meaningful live-theatre instruction and experiences for all.

New York Black Arts produces three small as well as large-scale shows each year in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, New York and over the years the company has provided performance field trips to over 100,000 young people and is a vendor the New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools and select districts within the Los Angeles Unified School District.