Powerful Long Ladder

Congratulations to Powerful Long Ladder founder and award-winning director, Terrence Spivey. He is being honored the Malcolm X Creative Visionary Award at The Annual Ancestral Remembrance Gala on Sunday, February 21, 2027, 3:00 PM until 7:00 PM, at Cleveland's beautiful, historic Maltz Performing Arts Center.

On behalf of Powerful Long Ladder, we would like to thank the event founder Ms Latia Phillips-Bey and her Project Beautiful organization for recognizing Mr. Spivey, who continues to use art as a platform to reflect the human condition, unapologetically.

Powerful Long Ladder made theatrical history in May 2026 being one of three companies to bring a foreign language production of an August Wilson play to the U.S.. Italy's Sardegna Teatro production of Jitney with a Black-Italian cast.

Spivey is former artistic director of Karamu House in 2003-2016, staging thought provoking works. He is responsible for reviving the moribund reputation of the legendary Black theater during his tenure. He is a native of Kountze, Texas and relocated to Houston. Studied theatre at under the guidance of legends, playwright Ted Shine and director Clarance Lee Turner at Prairie View A&M University. Started his career in New York City.

https://case.edu/maltzcenter/calendar-events/concerts-events-silver-hall/ancestral-remembrance-gala

This extraordinary evening also celebrates living legacies, visionary leaders, artists, healers, innovators, and change-makers who continue to uplift and transform our communities through purpose, excellence, and service.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of culture, legacy, elegance, inspiration, healing, and love as we celebrate the ancestors whose shoulders we stand upon and the living legacies who continue to shape the world around us.

www.powerfullongladder.com

Local arts groups that shape community culture face financial pressure Larger theater companies, venues and museums typically get more attention. But in cities and rural areas, it’s smaller arts organizations that are closest to and address the needs of their communities. Now, many are struggling as they face economic pressures. Jeffrey Brown reports for our Art in A...

Italy's 🇮🇹 Sardegna Teatro production of August Wilson's JITNEY, in Italian, traveled the U.S. 🇺🇲 for the first time, vowing crowds in three Midwest theatres 🎭 this past spring; The Black Rep (St. Louis), Powerful Long Ladder (Cleveland) and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company (Pittsburgh).

Photo Credit: Vince Robinson

Stay tuned for Jitney's next stop.

www.powerfullongladder.com

The Evolution

Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy in Chrisopher Nolan's 2026 epic, The Odyssey.

Galyn Görg as Helen of Troy with Lucy Lawless as Zena in the 1996 series Xena: Warrior Princess

Eartha Kitt as Helen of Troy and Orson Welles as Dr. Faustus in his play TIME RUNS in Paris in 1950.

Black Theater's Legacy: 250 Years of Impact on Broadway Celebrate 250 years of Black theater shaping American stories, spotlighting pioneers like Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, and contemporary playwrights transforming Broadway with rich, authentic Black narratives and groundbreaking works.

Celebrating the Great Lloyd Richards on June 29, 2026 in New York City

Powerful Long Ladder theatre company founding director, Terrence Spivey in
New York City for the Lloyd Richards Celebration Day at Bond 45. This is the fourth annual and excited to be there to applaud the greatness of Lloyd Richards and to support film, stage actors, directors, and educators who knew were honored. Wilsonian actor Stephen McKinley Henderson (Man On the Inside, Fences, Lincoln, Dune), Karamu House alumnus, Jay O' Sanders (Glory, Kiss the Girl), Golden king Regina Taylor (I'll Fly Away, Courage Under Fire, musical- Crowns) and Malik Whitfield (The Temptations, Beauty in Black), respected playwright Jeffrey Sweet (seated at table), and Tony winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Lackawana Blues) who wrote the screenplay for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Hudson is also doing the film adaptation of 'Joe Turner’s Come and Gone'.

The late, great Lloyd Richards was the first black director on Broadway in 1959 with 'A Raisin in the Sun' with Sidney Poitier. Twenty-five years later, he discovers the great August Wilson directing Ma Rainey's Black Bottom on Broadway.

Shout out to Julius Hollingsworth and team for making this special day an annual one. Overall, a time was had anytime going to special events, plays, and seeing fellow thespians from back in the day whenever visiting New York.

Memory Pop Up!
May 22nd, 2025
Activist Samaria Rice of Tamir Rice Foundation visits Powerful Long Ladder The Ultimate Reach outreach program 🎭 at Milkovich Middle School in Cleveland's Maple Heights.

The Malcolm X Visionary Award Recipient
SAVE THE DATE 🙏 2.21.2027🙏

CONGRATULATIONS to Powerful Long Ladder founder, Terrence Spivey who will be the recipient of The Malcolm X Visionary Award by Project Beautiful at their second annual Ancestral Remembrance Gala on Sunday, February 21, 2027 at the beautiful Maltz Performing Arts Center here in Cleveland, Ohio. On behalf of Spivey, we would like to thank Project Beautiful for this gracious honor. 🙏❤️

Will keep you posted on the time of the event.

About Project Beautiful
https://projectbeautifulme.com/

About Maltz Performing Arts Center
https://case.edu/maltzcenter/about-venue-0

The country's oldest black newspaper, The Philadelphia Tribune picked up The New York Times article by Erik Piepenburg which covers the genesis and the first three city U.S. tour of Italy's production of August Wilson's JITNEY.🎭

https://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/august-wilson-like-you-ve-never-heard-him-before-in-italian/article_5b9d9533-6f52-4981-b15e-566896a2e142.html

Italy's Italian JITNEY first U.S. Tour in America was the Midwest. 🔥🎭
ST. LOUIS The Black Rep May 1-3
CLEVELAND Powerful Long Ladder May 5-6
PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company/August Wilson House May 8-10

The Second U.S. Tour is Gulf Coast, Fall 2026

August Wilson Like You’ve Never Heard Him Before: In Italian August Wilson was a singularly American playwright who wrote about grifters and soothsayers, loners and anchors navigating life in Pittsburgh.