The Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Collective’s (BBRTC) Devising + Collaboration Theatre Lab is a groundbreaking, intergenerational initiative that empowers marginalized youth through the transformative power of theatre. Born out of the need for culturally specific creative spaces, the Theatre Lab offers an inclusive environment where students, particularly Black high school and college students, can explore, create, and lead.

Why do we do Theatre Lab?

To utilize storytelling and collaboration as a tool to devise a new paradigm.

To Empower Through Cultural-Specific Techniques:
BBRTC’s Theatre Lab is designed to empower both students and teachers by exploring culturally specific theatrical techniques and methodologies. This approach creates space for experimentation, fostering a sense of pride and identity that is essential for personal and artistic growth. We invite you to join us in this transformative journey, where creativity meets community, and where every participant has the opportunity to become a leader, storyteller, and change-maker.

To Facilitate an Innovative Academic Setting:
In our Lab, youth are given the agency, tools, mentorship, and real-time experience to develop performances based on an idea, picture, theme, object, or any other form of inspiration. This “lab-style” environment is both challenging and supportive, allowing students to experiment, take risks, and ultimately find their unique voices in the world of theatre.

To Invest in the Long-Term Sustainability of Young Artists:
BBRTC is committed to the long-term sustainability of young artists within the local community. By promoting cultural awareness, social justice, and inclusivity through the arts, the Theatre Lab ensures that the next generation of artists is equipped not only with technical skills but also with the values needed to become leaders and advocates for positive change.

The Process vs. The Production

At the heart of the BBRTC Theatre Lab is the principle that the process of creation is as valuable, if not more so, than the final production. Participants are immersed in a comprehensive, student-led production process that includes acting, stage-managing, playwriting, directing, and production design. Through consensus-based decision-making and collaboration, students learn the importance of collective storytelling.

PAST THEATRE LAB PRODUCTIONS

Summer 2024 - “Threads on 4th”

The 2024 Summer Theatre Lab was part of The Modern Green Book’s 2024 Culture & Community Fest Week. Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Collective (BBRTC) was pleased to announce that through this dynamic partnership and collaboration* with The Modern Green Book in its 4th year, BBRTC’s flagship Theatre Lab will continue to foster creativity, cultural understanding, and community activation through artistic engagement**. We will devise a new work inspired by The Green Book’s core focus on Black businesses through devised stories about Birmingham’s 4th Ave North Black Business District.

Facilitated by David H. Parker & Theo Edwards-Butler
Directed by Devin Ty Franklin

** This new work will devised to premiere summer of 2025.

JCATD Winter 2024 - “Straight Outta Bombingham”

In its third year now in Jefferson County Schools - BBRTC facilitated a student-led development process of a new work culminating in a final performance that was devised and delivered by student crew and creative. This hybrid virtual/in-person process happened in 3-phases: Development, Devising, and Production.

The Winter 2024 Theatre Lab was held October 2023 - February 2024 at the Jefferson County Academy of Theater and Dance, also known as JCATD, a Jefferson County theatre department. It is an audition based program open to all. At JCATD, they not only offer insight and opportunities for students to perform, they also allow students to choreograph, stage manage, build sets, work with the sound team on microphones, and even learn how to work lights for a show. JCATD is one of the oldest Thespian Troupes (Troupe 398) in the state of Alabama. For more information how you can be apart of JCATD, visit their website.

Facilitated by JCATD Alumni Carlton V. Bell II & Symira Dixon, Aija Penix, and Jada Cato

Summer 2023 - “Afro Tales”

In 2023, BBRTC facilitated its second summer theatre lab through a residency with Sipp Culture, in Utica, MS with support from the Alabama Folklife Association. This captivating devised theatre piece for young audiences reimagined timeless fables from across the African diaspora, breathing vibrant new life into the age-old art of storytelling. Drawing deeply from the rich reservoir of folklore that has been lovingly passed down through generations, "Afro Tales" was a living tribute to the enduring legacy of our ancestors.

In "Afro Tales," audiences were transported to a swamp in the South, reminiscent of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, where time stands still, and the spirit of the river comes alive through the voices of the ensemble cast.

The characters, such as the curious and carefree Jakai and the wise Aunt Leola, bring to life the timeless themes of cunning and consequence, survival and wit, embodied by figures like Brer Rabbit and the Trickster. These stories, performed with minimalistic soundscapes created by the actors themselves, resonate with the communal and participatory nature of African storytelling traditions.

Co-Directed & Facilitated by Devin Ty Franklin and David H. Parker

This project was developed in partnership with the Alabama Folklife Association, Encore Theatre & Gallery, Sipp Culture, and National Performance Network.

Summer 2022

Theatre Lab Summer 2022 was the first Theatre Lab conducted virtually and in-person. Participants performed at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Virginia Samford Theatre, and Encore Theatre & Gallery.

Facilitated by Carlton V. Bell II and Aija Penix