New Heritage Theatre Group (NHTG) is the oldest Black nonprofit theater company in New York City, established in 1964.
[4] NHTG was established in 1964 as the New Heritage Repertory Theatre (NHRT) by the late Roger Furman, a playwright, director, actor, and lecturer.
[6] Roger Furman was born on March 22, 1924, in New Jersey and studied theatre arts at the Dramatic Workshop of the New School for Social Research under Erwin Piscator.
[7] His directing chores include Bertolt Brecht's Three Penny Opera, Wine In The Wilderness (1969) and, Mojo: A Black Love Story (1970) by Alice Childress.
[8] Furman's work as a set designer and the founder of New Heritage Theatre Group is cited in Warren Hoffman's The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical.
Since 1983, under the leadership of Voza Rivers, NHTG presents entertaining, informative theatrical productions, staged readings and, documentary shorts and films, the mission was expanded to provide training, experience, and international exposure to veteran and emerging artists.
[citation needed] IMPACT was OSCAR and GRAMMY-nominated for their song Raise It Up from the movie August Rush starring Robin Williams.
Live performances include People Magazines Next Great Artists Showcase, the Apollo, Lincoln Center, the Public Theater, The United Nations, Major League Soccer's Tribute to Pele.
[14] NHTG seeks to bring attention to works by international writers, directors, and artists who lack exposure in the United States.
Collaborations have resulted in then-Japanese Crown Prince Akihito's 1987 visit to Harlem and dozens of concerts in Japan and New York featuring Japanese and African American entertainers.
[19] In 2014 New Heritage Theatre Group was represented on a panel at the Apollo Theatre along with former Mayor David Dinkins, actor and activist Harry Belafonte, Black Star News publisher Milton Allimadi, National Black Theatre CEO Sade Lythcott, South African Consul General George Monyemangene that was part of a four-day festival that highlighted Harlem's longstanding relationship with South Africa, also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's historic inauguration as South Africa's first black president.
In 2015, Executive Producer and Founding Member of New Heritage Theatre Group Voza Rivers joined U.S. representatives on a state trade mission to Cuba.
The delegation met with senior officials of the Cuban government on trade, business, and tourism to continue the process of normalization and cultural exchange between Harlem, the US, and Havana, Cuba.
[21] The annual Harlem/Havana Music and Cultural Festival celebrates the ongoing harmonious relationship between the two countries with a lineup of Afro-Cuban jazz, dance performances, workshops, photography installations, Cuban cuisine, and art exhibitions.
[26] Take Wing And Soar Productions, Inc. is a women-led 501©3 theatre company dedicated to supporting women, youth, and classically trained actors of color, founded by Debra Ann Byrd.
The annual Festival's mission is to foster understanding and unity in the arts by producing special events and plays with diverse casts and to create center stage opportunities for classically trained actors of color.