By Kristen Bannerman, NABJ Monitor
CLEVELAND—The Karamu House, a cornerstone of Cleveland’s thriving performance arts scene, has launched the careers of many well-known African American writers and actors for over a century.
“Most often, people are surprised about the talent that is in Cleveland, which is great,” said Vonetta Flowers, the production manager at Karamu House.
Langston Hughes, a leader in the Harlem Renaissance, worked closely with the theater to premiere formative works such as “Black Nativity,” “When the Jack Hollars” and “Joy to My Soul.”
Shaping the early years of their careers, household names such as Vanessa Bell Calloway, James Pickens Jr., Debra Byrd and a list of others participated in the theater’s signature acting programs.
“The list goes on, and it’s exciting to have recognizable and notable names,” said Tony F. Sias, the president and CEO of the theater. “The Karamu House has touched the lives of many in unique ways.”
The newly renovated theater, named for the Swahili word for a joyful gathering place, welcomes visitors into a warmly lit lobby that displays a video highlighting the theater’s history and mission. The building includes a cafe, gift shop and welcome desk for visitors as well as an intimate performing space.
Today, the Karamu House continues to inspire and develop the careers of many actors in the area as the oldest African American theater in Cleveland still producing plays.
“I’m so honored to get the opportunity to be in the room and to call that theater a home for myself, just because of the rich history that Karamu has,” says Christian Hall, an actor who played as Pharus in the “Choir Boy” production.
Caroline Jackson-Smith, a theater and Africana studies professor at Oberlin University, could feel the rich history during her time producing “The Women of Plums” with a colleague at the Karamu House.
“When we rehearsed in the basement of the building, we would feel the presence of people going back to Langston Hughes,” Jackson-Smith said. “We could always feel that ancestral energy bubbling up.”
Visitors can experience that same sense of history by attending a performance at the Karamu House.
The theater announced its 2025-2026 mainstage season, which opens in September with “Sistas the Musical” followed by “A Motown Christmas,” “Queens Girl” and “Jubilee.” The plays address themes of grief, identity, joy, Black history and culture.
As the Karamu House enters into the next century of its history, Sias envisions the theater continuing the work it has done over the past 110 years and poses questions that should circulate as the theater moves forward: “How do we curate stories that are fresh and new that give a nod to the vision for the future? How do we continue to celebrate the great legacy of the past? And how do we look at entertainment that will not only continue to entertain, but to educate and activate the community towards social awareness and change?”
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