{"id":1201307,"date":"2024-02-21T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?p=1201307"},"modified":"2024-02-21T15:39:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T20:39:20","slug":"dc-black-repertory-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/","title":{"rendered":"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Throughout the 1970s and beyond, D.C. Black Repertory Company<\/a>\u00a0produced more than 20 classical, contemporary and original plays. Founded by Robert Hooks in 1971, the company also provided untold hours of theater instruction to who would become some of the greatest artists of their time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This storied institution, inspired by the riots that sparked after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s assassination, launched the careers of Lynn Whitfield<\/a>, Kene Holliday<\/a> of \u201cMatlock\u201d fame, Lyn Dyson<\/a>, LaVerne Reed, Sweet Honey in the Rock<\/a>, Amii Stewart<\/a>, and several others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hooks, a native Washingtonian and veteran actor, explained in 2018<\/a>, he worked hard to ensure he and his artistic director cast talented, Black professionals from the very beginning of the theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI insisted on including 15 of the most professional actors to do the plays,\u201d Hooks told The Informer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From that point, the artists went into rehearsals for four weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the theater company worked to expose youth to the arts.\u00a0Tech rehearsals were conducted with some of the notable people in the industry training young people.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a recipe resulted in plays such as Bernice Reagon\u2019s \u201cUpon This Rock<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cEvan Walker\u2019s Coda<\/a>,\u201d and \u201cOwen\u2019s Song<\/a>.\u201d For years, actors, directors, choreographers, dancers and singers operated out of what was then called The Last Colony, a Petworth-based movie theater, and later a fire station on Georgia Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue in Northwest.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After D.C. Black Repertory Company dissolved in 1976,  Dyson counted among those who formed The Rep Inc. That organization thrived well into the 1990s, despite Reagan-era cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts<\/a>. Over the years, the D.C. Black Repertory Alumni Association and Multi-Media Training Institute<\/a>, the latter of which Dyson founded, have continued to honor the work of Black artists who have contributed to the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent interview on WIN-TV\u2019s \u201cLet\u2019s Talk,\u201d<\/a> Dyson explained how Hooks and the D.C. Black Repertory paved the way for his work and many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHooks was a trailblazer,\u201d\u00a0Dyson told The Informer. “Without D.C. Black Rep, there would be no Multi-Media Training Institute. He gave so much to us. And he was a role model and now we have to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dyson, a Howard alumnus, has provided thousands of youth with after-school programming, enrichment and entrepreneurship training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the shuttering of Black-owned theater companies across major U.S. cities, there remains a question of just how to do that, especially since, as Hooks told The Informer, many of the Black Hollywood elite are unwilling to invest their resources into independent endeavors like that of the D.C. Black Repertory Company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

D.C. Black Repertory Company, founded by Robert Hooks in 1971, produced more than 20 classical, contemporary and original plays and provided theater instruction to some of the greatest artists of their time, inspiring the careers of Lynn Whitfield, Kene Holliday, LaVerne Reed, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Amii Stewart, and others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2328,"featured_media":91373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_primary_brand":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","nota_seo_page_title":"","nota_seo_page_description":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"small","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,33768,30843],"tags":[1615,46056,68450,45985,29458],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"nota":[],"coauthors":[53576],"class_list":["post-1201307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blackhistory","category-black-history-month","category-lifestyle","tag-black-history-month","tag-black-theater","tag-d-c-black-repertory-company","tag-robert-hooks","tag-sam-p-k-collins","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nD.C. Black Repertory Company: Pioneers of black theater excellence - The Washington Informer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the impact of the D.C. Black Repertory Company on Black artists and the importance of supporting independent theater companies in major U.S. cities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the impact of the D.C. Black Repertory Company on Black artists and the importance of supporting independent theater companies in major U.S. cities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Washington Informer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"www.facebook.com\/sampkcollinswriter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-21T16:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-21T20:39:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"489\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SamPKCollins\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WashInformer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a63b41cad2879e57a5eadc83e030c5ad\"},\"headline\":\"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-21T16:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-21T20:39:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/\"},\"wordCount\":457,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Black History Month\",\"Black theater\",\"D.C. Black Repertory Company\",\"Robert Hooks\",\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Black History\",\"Black History Month\",\"Lifestyle\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/\",\"name\":\"D.C. Black Repertory Company: Pioneers of black theater excellence - The Washington Informer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-21T16:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-21T20:39:20+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover the impact of the D.C. Black Repertory Company on Black artists and the importance of supporting independent theater companies in major U.S. cities.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1\",\"width\":500,\"height\":489,\"caption\":\"**FILE** Robert Hooks, celebrated actor and political activist, returned to his hometown for an anniversary tribute on Oct. 19, 2018, honoring him for establishing the DC Black Repertory Company 47 years ago. (Roy Lewis\/The Washington Informer)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"description\":\"Black News, Commentary and Culture | The Washington Informer\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1\",\"width\":1432,\"height\":529,\"caption\":\"The Washington Informer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WashInformer\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/washinformer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy1nXP8_IuoJ-1N9e53762g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a63b41cad2879e57a5eadc83e030c5ad\",\"name\":\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/cecbe89a2de2df89234162ecc01fb4a6\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Sam-P.K.-Collins-Bio-Page-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Sam-P.K.-Collins-Bio-Page-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\"},\"description\":\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr. has nearly 20 years of journalism experience, a significant portion of which he gained at The Washington Informer. On any given day, he can be found piecing together a story, conducting youth writing workshops, or organizing for Pan-African self-determination. Sam, a millennial and former editor of WI Bridge, covers the D.C. Council, education, police-community engagement, developments in the African diaspora, and other topics of relevance to Black people. This journey has been inspired by his experiences growing up, attending college and serving as an educator in Washington, D.C., what he calls Banneker City. Also of significance to Sam\u2019s professional and personal development in the Black Press is his adherence to the \u201crace first\u201d philosophy espoused by the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey and many others.\",\"sameAs\":[\"www.facebook.com\/sampkcollinswriter\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sam-p-k-collins-636b658\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/SamPKCollins\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/samcollins\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"D.C. Black Repertory Company: Pioneers of black theater excellence - The Washington Informer","description":"Discover the impact of the D.C. Black Repertory Company on Black artists and the importance of supporting independent theater companies in major U.S. cities.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond","og_description":"Discover the impact of the D.C. Black Repertory Company on Black artists and the importance of supporting independent theater companies in major U.S. cities.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/","og_site_name":"The Washington Informer","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/","article_author":"www.facebook.com\/sampkcollinswriter","article_published_time":"2024-02-21T16:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-02-21T20:39:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":500,"height":489,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SamPKCollins","twitter_site":"@WashInformer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/"},"author":{"name":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a63b41cad2879e57a5eadc83e030c5ad"},"headline":"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond","datePublished":"2024-02-21T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-21T20:39:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/"},"wordCount":457,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1","keywords":["Black History Month","Black theater","D.C. Black Repertory Company","Robert Hooks","Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr."],"articleSection":["Black History","Black History Month","Lifestyle"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/","name":"D.C. Black Repertory Company: Pioneers of black theater excellence - The Washington Informer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1","datePublished":"2024-02-21T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-21T20:39:20+00:00","description":"Discover the impact of the D.C. Black Repertory Company on Black artists and the importance of supporting independent theater companies in major U.S. cities.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1","width":500,"height":489,"caption":"**FILE** Robert Hooks, celebrated actor and political activist, returned to his hometown for an anniversary tribute on Oct. 19, 2018, honoring him for establishing the DC Black Repertory Company 47 years ago. (Roy Lewis\/The Washington Informer)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/","name":"The Washington Informer","description":"Black News, Commentary and Culture | The Washington Informer","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization","name":"The Washington Informer","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1","width":1432,"height":529,"caption":"The Washington Informer"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WashInformer","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/washinformer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy1nXP8_IuoJ-1N9e53762g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a63b41cad2879e57a5eadc83e030c5ad","name":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/cecbe89a2de2df89234162ecc01fb4a6","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Sam-P.K.-Collins-Bio-Page-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Sam-P.K.-Collins-Bio-Page-96x96.png","caption":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr."},"description":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr. has nearly 20 years of journalism experience, a significant portion of which he gained at The Washington Informer. On any given day, he can be found piecing together a story, conducting youth writing workshops, or organizing for Pan-African self-determination. Sam, a millennial and former editor of WI Bridge, covers the D.C. Council, education, police-community engagement, developments in the African diaspora, and other topics of relevance to Black people. This journey has been inspired by his experiences growing up, attending college and serving as an educator in Washington, D.C., what he calls Banneker City. Also of significance to Sam\u2019s professional and personal development in the Black Press is his adherence to the \u201crace first\u201d philosophy espoused by the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey and many others.","sameAs":["www.facebook.com\/sampkcollinswriter","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sam-p-k-collins-636b658\/","https:\/\/x.com\/SamPKCollins"],"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/samcollins\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond","url":"http:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-company\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=150%2C147&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Black History","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr."}],"creator":["Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr."],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Washington Informer","logo":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1-Logo-Red-on-White.png"},"keywords":["black history month","black theater","d.c. black repertory company","robert hooks","sam plo kwia collins jr."],"dateCreated":"2024-02-21T16:00:00Z","datePublished":"2024-02-21T16:00:00Z","dateModified":"2024-02-21T20:39:20Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"D.C. Black Repertory Company: A Trailblazer in Black Theater and Arts for the District and Beyond\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/dc-black-repertory-company\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/dc-black-repertory-company\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=150%2C147&ssl=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1\"},\"articleSection\":\"Black History\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\"}],\"creator\":[\"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/1-Logo-Red-on-White.png\"},\"keywords\":[\"black history month\",\"black theater\",\"d.c. black repertory company\",\"robert hooks\",\"sam plo kwia collins jr.\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2024-02-21T16:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-21T16:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-21T20:39:20Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/washingtoninformer.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":91370,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/theater-veterans-celebrate-dc-black-reps-47th-anniversary\/","url_meta":{"origin":1201307,"position":0},"title":"Theater Veterans Celebrate DC Black Rep’s 47th Anniversary","author":"WI Guest Author","date":"October 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Lincoln Theatre on U Street in Northwest nearly filled to capacity as the artists, actors, directors and administrators who launched the DC Black Repertory Company spent an evening recounting decades-old, treasured memories.","rel":"","context":"In "Lifestyle"","block_context":{"text":"Lifestyle","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/lifestyle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Robert Hooks, celebrated actor and political activist, returned to his hometown for an anniversary tribute honoring him for establishing the DC Black Repertory Company 47 years ago. (Roy Lewis\/The Washington Informer)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":91172,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/theater-giants-look-back-on-dc-black-repertory-company\/","url_meta":{"origin":1201307,"position":1},"title":"Theater Giants Look Back on DC Black Repertory Company","author":"Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr.","date":"August 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When Robert Hooks announced plans for an all-Black theater company in the District in 1970, he had already launched the Group Theater Workshop and Negro Ensemble Company in New York City, both of which provided tuition-free classes for students and produced critically acclaimed stage productions about African-American life.","rel":"","context":"In "Lifestyle"","block_context":{"text":"Lifestyle","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/lifestyle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Founding members of the DC Black Repertory Company (Courtesy photo)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/dcrep.jpg?fit=400%2C398&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":118156,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/d-c-black-repertory-company-to-honor-founder-others-during-49th-anniversary-fete\/","url_meta":{"origin":1201307,"position":2},"title":"D.C. Black Repertory Company to Honor Founder, Others During 49th Anniversary Fete","author":"WI Guest Author","date":"September 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The DC Black Repertory Company Alumni Association and Multi-Media Training Institute will honor actor and D.C. native Robert Hooks and four luminaries who were integral members of the company in a virtual celebration of its 49th anniversary next month.","rel":"","context":"In "Lifestyle"","block_context":{"text":"Lifestyle","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/lifestyle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Robert Hooks, celebrated actor and political activist, returned to his hometown for an anniversary tribute honoring him for establishing the DC Black Repertory Company 47 years ago. (Roy Lewis\/The Washington Informer)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1230285,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/robert-hooks-helen-hayes-award\/","url_meta":{"origin":1201307,"position":3},"title":"Helen Hayes Honors Barrier-Breaking Actor, D.C. Native Robert Hooks","author":"Micha Green","date":"May 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Robert Hooks, a groundbreaking actor and founder of the DC Black Repertory Company, is being honored with the 2025 Helen Hayes Tribute award for his lifelong commitment to using the arts to effect change and promote equity, justice, and a better world.","rel":"","context":"In "Lifestyle"","block_context":{"text":"Lifestyle","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/lifestyle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Actor Robert Hooks, founder of the DC Black Repertory, is the 2025 Helen Hayes Tribute awardee. (Courtesy of Robert Hooks via Instagram)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-6.png?fit=1031%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-6.png?fit=1031%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-6.png?fit=1031%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-6.png?fit=1031%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91055,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/d-c-set-to-honor-native-son-robert-hooks\/","url_meta":{"origin":1201307,"position":4},"title":"D.C. Set to Honor Native Son Robert Hooks","author":"WI Guest Author","date":"October 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has designated Oct. 18 as \"Robert Hooks Day\" in honor of the District-born actor and the company he founded 47 years ago.","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","block_context":{"text":"Entertainment","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/entertainment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/robert-hooks.jpg?fit=323%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":119621,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/dc-black-repertory-companys-alums-to-celebrate-49th-anniversary\/","url_meta":{"origin":1201307,"position":5},"title":"DC Black Repertory Company\u2019s Alums to Celebrate 49th Anniversary","author":"D. Kevin McNeir \u2013 Senior Editor","date":"October 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The DC Black Repertory Company Alumni Association and Multi-Media Training Institute continue with final preparations for programs designed to recognize the 49th anniversary of the DC Black Repertory Company and will include a tribute to one of the District\u2019s most celebrated residents honored annually in October \u2014 Robert Hooks Day.","rel":"","context":"In "D Kevin McNeir"","block_context":{"text":"D Kevin McNeir","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/d-kevin-mcneir\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Robert Hooks, celebrated actor and political activist, returned to his hometown for an anniversary tribute honoring him for establishing the DC Black Repertory Company 47 years ago. (Roy Lewis\/The Washington Informer)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B97D4502-CA28-4845-B5D2-818D2D84DFCE.jpeg?fit=500%2C489&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1201307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2328"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1201307"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1201307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1201310,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1201307\/revisions\/1201310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1201307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1201307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1201307"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=1201307"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=1201307"},{"taxonomy":"nota","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nota?post=1201307"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1201307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}