Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida Inc

THANK YOU for helping us exceed our goal of $10,000 to support our Young Artist Program! We encourage you to keep giving to WBTT via Give 8/28 through August 31, 2022.

Your gifts allow talented young performers to showcase their abilities on our mainstage in a live cabaret-style performance. We appreciate everyone who makes a donation to support them during this campaign!

The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida, Inc. (WBTT) was founded in December 1999 as a not-for profit 501(c)(3) organization in Sarasota, Florida by local actor, singer, director and playwright Nate Jacobs. 

The mission of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is to produce professional theatre that promotes and celebrates African American history and experience, engages a broad base of patrons and audiences, supports the development of a dynamic group of aspiring artists and builds self-esteem in youth of color.

As one of only three professional Black theatre companies in Florida and the only one on Florida’s west coast, WBTT has brought a powerful presence of diversity to the region’s cultural landscape. The company has gained a reputation for high-quality, thought-provoking and electrifying performances, and has received numerous awards and recognitions. It has enjoyed tremendous growth from a grassroots organization to a successful not-for-profit, professional theatre with a five-show season at its own cutting-edge theatre arts center. Since its inception, WBTT has mentored and inspired many African American youth through participation in the company’s productions. It has provided a platform for artistic individuals who might not otherwise have had an opportunity to cultivate their interests and talents. 

Education and outreach programs that distinguish the organization include WBTT Voices, community forums in which the public can dig more deeply into the people and issues that have shaped the African American experience in our country; the Young Artists Program, through which Troupe members are able to showcase their talents with one-person shows; Jazzlinks, which brings history lessons to life for area students; Rhythm & Tales, which welcomes elementary students to WBTT for musical fables; the New Playwrights Series, for emerging minority playwrights; and Stage of Discovery, a free five-week summer musical theatre intensive program serving minority students.

Through the years, WBTT has presented a variety of productions locally, around the state of Florida, and as far away as Switzerland and Germany. In August 2022, the Troupe made its fifth appearance at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC, with the original musical The Soul Crooners Featuring Sistas in the Name of Soul.

In 2022-2023, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will present its 23rd season with the theme, “American Dreams.” Running from October 5, 2022 through May 28, 2023, the shows are the musical Guys and Dolls; Langston Hughes' Black Nativity; Pearl Cleage's Flyin' West; the musical Dreamgirls; and an original musical Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue — created, adapted and directed by WBTT Founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs.

To learn more, visit westcoastblacktheatre.org. 

(Additional search terms: West Coast, theater)