Jonathan McCrory

Happy 102 Birthday Virginia Ada Hankins Keane. Your 1st birthday not physically embodied yet fully embrace by source by GOD. Your 1st birthday fully perfectly divinely empowered by peace! Since your passing in December I have been able to witness, read, gather and see what a life lived in spirit can look like and what a life driven by LOVE is. This Saturday we will celebrate that life drawing on your existing tribe to weave a tapestry befitting of your century long legacy. On the holy ground of Dunbarton Chapel at Howard University campus. A prestigious institution you did not just get your masters from yet devoted 39 years of your life to develop, awaken, and enhance as the first Director of Social Service at the Howard University Hospital. May you continue to be a beacon of LIFE, grace and compassion in my life softening my hard time and hardness. May I continue to be a vessel to manifest your soulful healing and radiant sunshine! Love you Ma Keane. If you are in the DC area & fully vaccinated please join us in person or check out the service on live stream at . 11 am Saturday, March 26, 2022.

This revolutionary work cannot be missed. 25 years of love poured into our incarcerated and system-impacted communities is now onstage at New York Theatre Workshop through June 14th. Tickets start at $30 at nytw.org or through the link in my bio. The Peculiar Patriot written and performed by @lizajessiepeterson now through June 14th nytw.org 🎥: @marylandmasshysteria 📸: @marmiddletonphoto

LAUNCH DAY! Help CLIMATE SING raise $7500 in the next 4 weeks to commission 2 more songs about planet earth! These photos are from our joyful prototype event, Climate Sing: First Tracks. Your contribution will help us commission two more songs and premeire them in a public sing-a-long this year! Read more about our project in the GIVE BUTTER link in our bio.... and join us with a contribution today!

There are moments that live in the body long after the night is over. 🖤✨ Before the magic officially began, @jaymc86 Jonathan McCrory of the legendary @natblacktheatre who not only produced this years show but stood before our community and filled every soul in the room with the words we needed to hear. This is what it looks like when Black women feel truly seen, truly celebrated, truly held. 🌹 A true visionary. A true accomplice. A true steward of the culture. We thank you immensely. #BlackGirlMagicBall #BGMB2026 #MatriarchsLincolnCenter . . . . . 📸 @dennismanuelofficial

Jonathan McCrory is a Tony and Emmy-nominated producer and two-time Obie Award–winning artist based in Harlem. Since 2012, he has served as Executive Artistic Director of National Black Theatre, where he helps shape the institution’s creative vision under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer, Sade Lythcott. At the National Black Theatre, Jonathan has played a central role in advancing one of the country’s most important Black cultural institutions, developing groundbreaking works like The Peculiar Patriot and Kill Move Paradise while expanding NBT’s influence internationally through the creation of the National Black Theatre of Sweden. His work consistently centers Black storytelling, new voices, and experimental forms, positioning NBT as both a historic legacy institution and a future-facing creative force. Beyond the stage, Jonathan is a founding member of Harlem9, The Movement Theatre Company, and national initiatives like Black Theater Commons and Next Generation National Network, all focused on supporting artists and reshaping the future of theatre. His leadership has been recognized across the industry, from serving on the Tony Awards nominating committee to being named one of Crain’s New York’s Notable LGBTQ Leaders. For this edition of Shower Thoughts, Jolie partnered with RAY to spotlight Harlem creatives in celebration of the opening of Ray Harlem (@rayharlem.place ) , a new arts- and design-forward residential building in the neighborhood. As part of their welcome gift, residents will receive a Jolie Filtered Showerhead, bringing a small daily ritual into homes shaped with care. @jaymc86 @natblacktheatre Photos by: @phiawilson

Join us live this Saturday at 11 am on Facebook and YouTube for Part 1 of our annual Seasonal Conversations exploring this year’s theme, The Alchemy of Return: Remembering Is a Radical Act. Joined by Tony Award winner @karaakter and Executive Artistic Director @jaymc86 , NBT will be using this space to reflect on the current moment, the state of our culture, and uplift actions that fuel advocacy and shape a more liberated future. This conversation is brought to you by NBT's Alternative Learning and Social Impact department and grounded by @falloffreedom , a nationwide call for creative resistance in the face of rising authoritarianism and threats to free expression. So come and join us and bring your questions and curiosity! RSVP Link in Bio.

This September @parkavearmory and @natblacktheatre teamed up to convene Black Theater Advance: a daylong gathering of Black theater makers that included conversations, fireside chats, interventions, workshops, and more, all examining the current state of Black theater with an eye towards the future. Now you can experience/relive the day’s events by watching recorded sessions on the Armory’s YouTube channel! Hear from trailblazers like @jordanecooper , @bamuthi360 , Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, @nikkolesalter , @ebonynoellegolden , @imaniuzuri , @ghettofalsetto , and @samorapinderhughes . Revisit opening reflections from @sade1111 , @tavianyongo , and @jaymc86 . 🔗 Click the link in our bio to see the full recordings of each event! Black Theater Advance was a one-day national salon advancing the findings of Catalyst: Seeding the Permanence of Black Theatre and the New Vanguard, NBT’s landmark initiative developed in collaboration with the @fordfoundation .

Thank @ebonymagazine for such a meaningful way to celebrate the #EbonyPower100 it was a night I will truly never forget. Want to give a special thanks to the CEO, a visionary black woman holding us down with #grace @eden_bridgemansklenar . Moments like this give me time to reflect on my journey and experience especially the last 14 years with @natblacktheatre which was empowering. As I prepared for the day, a my friend (@cjlegacy ) shared a with me this mantra to chant “ancestors show me how good it can get.” As I look back on these images and this trip framed by those words being said all along the way, WOW they showed me. They gave me a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of what is possible. To my community thank you for showing me so much support. You are the POWER that fuels my possibilities. I hope to keep manifesting ways for our collective power to be revealed through the arts and providing us means to live within our FULLEST potential. @clintramos thank you for the outfit. Your yes means to world to me. (Boots: @ins_rickowens || trousers : Clint Ramos || Clutch: @v.a.l.d.e.s.d.e.s.i.g.n.s ) @thechambergroup thank you for helping me tell my story. #grateful

Back in August @brooklynbridgepark presented our Climate Sing - first tracks - check out our recap video with @sxipshireyofficial 's world premiere of "if you fight for it" sung with @jalenhicksss - @eisadavis 's song up next :). special shout out to @claramentealonso and @skywhitetiger for the video!!

On September 6, 2025 National Black Theatre, in partnership with @parkavenuearmory , convened Black Theater Advance: a one-day national salon advancing the findings of Catalyst: Seeding the Permanence of Black Theatre and the New Vanguard, NBT’s landmark initiative developed in collaboration with the @fordfoundation . As one of the nation’s preeminent institutions dedicated to amplifying Black theatre and culture, NBT continues to lead as both a producing home and a national convener shaping the future of the field through advocacy, innovation, and coalition building. This historic gathering brought together visionary artists, scholars, cultural strategists, and institutional leaders to imagine what a thriving, interconnected ecosystem for Black performance can be. One that is rooted in permanence, cultural capital, care, and collective responsibility. The day featured keynote conversations with Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell (in conversation with @sade1111 ), @jordanecooper (in conversation with @jaymc86 ), and @bamuthi360 (in conversation with @kamilahf ); transformative working sessions led by @nikkolesalter and @ebonynoellegolden ; and moving creative offerings from @imaniuzuri , @ghettofalsetto and @samorapinderhughes . Through dialogue, artistry, and visionary exchange, Black Theater Advance affirmed NBT’s role as a national advocate for cultural sustainability and a leading voice in shaping the policies, practices, and values that define the future of American theatre.

Our Executive Artistic Director, Jonathan McCrory made the @ebonymagazine 2025 POWER 100 List as an Artist in Residence! The EBONY Power 100 Artists in Residence share their stories through pen, paintbrush, movement and performance. Their creative expressions form a living kaleidoscope, shifting in color, texture and style to illuminate our collective story across the globe. Jonathan McCrory is reframing what Black theater can do on the national stage. As Executive Artistic Director of the National Black Theatre, he has helped usher in a new era for the institution, breaking barriers for Black-led companies on Broadway. Under his curation, NBT has produced multiple New York Times Critic’s Picks, including “(pray)” in 2023 and “BOWL EP” in 2025 , and, works that expanded the vocabulary of contemporary performance while amplifying Black voices. Under his leadership, NBT has earned more than 10 Tony nominations across two consecutive Broadway seasons, establishing the organization as a powerhouse of innovation and influence. A multiple Obie Award winner and sought-after curator, McCrory continues to shape the field with visionary projects, collaborations and advocacy that affirm theater as a tool for transformation. #EBONYPower100

NYC loves! Come join me this Sat August 9 in Brooklyn Bridge Park for Climate Sing: FIRST TRACKS. This is a gorgeous project I am cooking up with @niegelsmith , @alcmgmt , @katie.pearl.here and @jaymc86 , with help from @saida.nkisi . We are commissioning folks to write new songs about planet earth and kicking things off with @sxipshireyofficial and @eisadavis ! There are two 90 minute sets at 11 and 4 - come learn songs plus bring the fam to make some wildflower seed cookies and paint on a collective banner. Need Joy?? Join us!!