Billie Holiday Theatre

The story

The Billie Holiday Theatre was the first Black theatre to transfer a hit play to Broadway — and it brought half the financing from the Black community itself. Founded in 1972, with roots in both the Civil Rights and Black Arts Movements, the Billie has cultivated Samuel L. Jackson, Jay-Z, Lena Horne, and Smokey Robinson. In 2023, President Biden presented it with the National Medal of the Arts, the nation's highest arts honor, praising it for nurturing a new generation of Black playwrights and performers.