The twenty-fifth episode of BACKSTAGE PASS with Lia Chang, executive produced and hosted by Lia, airs on March 12 at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, and Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2. If you miss the episode, it will be archived on my youtube channel.
Barclays Center. Photo by Lia Chang
On this episode of Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, I am taking you inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Tony Award® winner André De Shields reprised his iconic role as The Wiz on February 28th at the Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks game. The Brooklyn Nets paid homage to Black Broadway during the team’s final Black History Month game. The Nets have been celebrating Black History Month throughout February with a special focus for each home game.
André De Shields as The Wiz on the Barclays Center jumbotron. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Nets
André De Shields as The Wiz on the Barclays Center jumbotron. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Nets
André De Shields as The Wiz on the Barclays Center jumbotron. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Nets
A pop-up Museum of Broadway photo installation celebrating Broadway’s rich history was set up on the arena’s main concourse. Fans were able to take photos with the “Ease on Down the Road” neon sign that hangs on the wall that Museum of Broadway, paying homage to a song from the 1975 Broadway musical “The Wiz.”
Museum of Broadway Photo Installation of THE WIZ production photos and press. Photo by Lia Chang
Museum of Broadway Photo Installation of THE WIZ production photos. Photo by Lia Chang
Museum of Broadway Photo Installation of THE WIZ production photos. Photo by Lia Chang
George Faison, André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang
Antonio Smith, André De Shields, George Faison, Jocinda Marie, Gilberto Vazquez, Jahmal. Photo by Lia Chang
Jahmal, Jocinda Marie, André De Shields, Gilberto Vazquez, Antonio Smith and George Faison. Photo by Lia Chang
Jahmal, Jocinda Marie, André De Shields, Gilberto Vazquez, Antonio Smith and George Faison. Photo by Lia Chang
André De Shields and the halftime show cast. Photo by Lia Chang
George Faison, André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang
“The Museum of Broadway is thrilled to be part of this wonderful community event with the Nets to celebrate Black History, Broadway, the legacy of The Wiz, and the legendary André De Shields! The Museum of Broadway’s mission is to educate, entertain and inspire through the history of Broadway, and we work to celebrate and honor Black shows and actors every day through our exhibits and timelines.”- Co-Founders Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti
George Faison, Julie Boardman, André De Shields. Photo by Lia Chang
Whitney Britt, founder of Two Dog Circus, facilitated the event for the Nets with clients Black Theater Coalition. “Providing the assist for this historic evening was a no-brainer for me with a holistic integration of Broadway across all the touch-points of game presentation and community outreach. When Criscia Long, Senior Director of Entertainment, described her vision of the half-time show as a tribute to The Wiz, I knew there was no better way to honor Black Broadway than bringing in Black Theatre Coalition and the legendary André De Shields.”
“Black Theatre Coalition is thrilled to be partnering with the Brooklyn Nets on this evening as they celebrate the work of black professionals in the American Theater and on Broadway. And more specifically, the quintessential show that brought the Broadway musical to a generation of theatergoers, The Wiz. Building relationships outside of the normal Broadway arena allows us to grow audiences where we have never thought to look and to hopefully show another generation of potential theatre professionals that there is a job, a career, a life in the theater for them too.” – BTC Co-Founders Warren Adams and T. Oliver Reid
Warren Adams, T. Oliver Reid, George Faison, André De Shields, Erich McMillan-McCall, David Robertson. Photo by Lia Chang
Back Row: André De Shields, George Faison, Warren Adams, Emil Wilbekin, T. Oliver Reid. Front Row: David Robertson, Kiwan Anderson, Erich McMillan-McCall. Photo by Lia Chang
André De Shields and George Faison. Photo by Lia Chang
André De Shields and George Faison. Photo by Lia Chang
Additionally, original members of “The Wiz” including Tony Award® winner actor, André De Shields and Tony Award winning choreographer, George Faison were in attendance to watch the game. De Shields reprised his former role as the Wiz to narrate a special halftime performance (the first time since playing the Wiz at the Beacon Theatre in 1993), which featured an ode to Broadway with members of the Brooklynettes, Team Hype and Nets Kids. The halftime performance was choreographed by Criscia Long, Justin Prescott, and Olutayo, and the anthem was sung by former MJ cast-member Darius Wright.
Members of the Black Theatre Coalition, ViBe Theater Experience, the Broadway Women’s Alliance, the cast of FAT HAM on Broadway, Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids, and the Entertainment Community Fund were in attendance for the final Nets game of Black History Month.
Warren Adams, LaToya Newton, André De Shields, Aaliytha Stevens, T. Oliver Reid, George Faison. Photo by Lia Chang
David Robertson André De Shields, George Faison, Kiwan Anderson, Erich McMillan-McCall, Emil Wilbekin. Photo by Lia Chang
André De Shields, George Faison pose with the company of dancers and creative team. Photo by Lia Chang
Marawan Mosa-Shahen, André De Shields, Lia Chang and Giuliano Santucci.
Lia Chang. Photo by Kalin Ivanov
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian, corporate photographer and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996, and streams on MNN2.
Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. Her short film, When the World Was Young garnered a 2021 DisOrient Film Audience Choice Award for Best Short Narrative. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness and When the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations.
Lia is the recipient of the 2022 Prospect Muse Award, 2000 OCA Chinese American Journalist Award, the 2001 AAJA National Award for New Media. Lia is an AAJA Executive Leadership Graduate (2000), a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age (2000), a National Press Photographers Association Visual Edge/Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media (2001), a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism (2002), and a National Tropical Botanical Garden Environmental Journalism Fellow (2003).
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2023 Lia Chang Multimedia, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang, unless otherwise indicated. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at backstagepasswithliachang@gmail.com.
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