Why Producing Fences Sparked the Growth of BTE

When the curtain closed on Fences, I knew something had shifted. It wasn’t just another production for me, it was proof of why I founded The Black Theatre Experience (BTE) in the first place. Fences was only our second production, but it showed the power of what happens when you give Black stories a stage and Black artists the chance to shine professionally, right here in Louisiana.

I started BTE because I saw a gap in Lafayette and across the southern region. Too often, people in smaller cities never get to experience theatre, and especially not Black theatre. For me, that’s unacceptable. Theatre brings people together, sparks dialogue, and gives us a way to see ourselves and others more clearly. When a community doesn’t have access to that, it misses out on something vital. That’s why I knew it was important to make great theatre, and the work of both important and local or regional playwrights, available right here. That’s what makes a community vibrant.

At the same time, BTE is about supporting the local creative economy. Every production we do creates paid opportunities for directors, actors, stage managers, lighting designers, set designers, and others. This is a core part of who we are. We are not a community theatre. We are a professional regional theatre company, and we believe artists deserve to be paid and respected for their work.

My own theatre journey started at Dillard University. I was a theatre major before Hurricane Katrina turned everything upside down, and while I didn’t from the Theatre Department, my time there gave me more than training , it gave me a deep understanding and appreciation for Black Theatre. I learned that the stage could be a place where our stories, our struggles, and our hopes could live. That foundation a received as a theatre major at Dillard has guided me ever since.

For more than 15 years, I’ve been producing shows, learning with each one. All of that experience prepared me to start BTE. And now, with Fences, I feel like the vision is truly coming alive. Producing August Wilson’s work was about more than bringing a great play to the stage. It was about showing that theatre, and specifically Black theatre, belongs in Lafayette. It was about making sure our community, here in a smaller city, can experience work that has the power to transform.

BTE is about honoring our past, building for our present, and creating a future where Black Theatre has a permanent and thriving home in Louisiana. As its founder, I know this is only the beginning.