Filming begins on Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe PBS documentary

The WEDU PBS production about WBTT and its founder, Nate Jacobs, will air December 2019.

By Niki Kottmann
| 1:50 p.m. August 29, 2018

Nate Jacobs during an interview for the WEDU PBS documentary about Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. Courtesy photo

Arts + Culture

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is making itself known well past the western shores of Florida.

The theater company founded by Nate Jacobs in December 1999 began filming a yet-to-be-titled documentaryAug. 26 for WEDU PBS. The piece is set to air in December 2019 with a corresponding behind-the-scenes WEDU Arts Plus segment to be released in fall 2019.

In Other News

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe also made news recently by announcing it will honor Aretha Franklin with a new show starting Sept. 11 called "Salute to the Queen: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin." WBTT artists Naarai Jacobs and founding member Teresa Stanley are returning to Sarasota to perform the show, which is a musical revue featuring the greatest hits from the recently deceased Queen of Soul. Background singers will be Nate Jacobs (who will also narrate), Ariel Blue and Samone Hicks.

Jacobs' original musical "Love Sung in the Key of Aretha" was already planned as part of the company's upcoming 2018-2019 season, but Jacobs says he decided to do something sooner due to the emotional response from WBTT fans to the iconic singer's death.

IF YOU GO

'Love Sung in the Key of Aretha'

When: Sept. 11-15

Where: Westcoast Black Theatre, 1012 N. Orange Ave.

Tickets: $39, $20 students and active military (with valid ID)

Info: Call 366-1505 or click here.

WEDU says in a release that it hopes to highlight the company’s focus on impact, inclusion and diversity in the greater Suncoast region.

Jacobs started the troupe to present and explore the African-American experience, the release says, and the documentary will focus on how his career as an actor and playwright influenced his dream. WEDU will focus on several aspects of his past, such as his time at the Westcoast Center for Human Development and his deeply influential relationship with school founder Henry Porter, and then bring the focus back to the company and the most noteworthy performers who got their start there.

The documentary also will give insight to Jacobs’ vision for the future of WBTT and the impact he hopes to have on the greater Sarasota community.

WEDU is West Central Florida’s PBS station, which reaches 16 counties through on-air programming and online experiences.