Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Marks 25 Years of Soul on Stage

By Scott Ferguson | Photos by Sorcha Augustine | Feature Photo by Wyatt Kostygan | September 2024

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From a humble start to international success, WBTT is center stage this season

In 2009, after a decade of struggling with the nomadic theater company he founded a decade earlier, Nate Jacobs was on the verge of leaving Sarasota and heading to New York with a plan to take his career as an actor, singer and director to a new level. He even had a plane ticket. But there was a plot twist.

Enter Howard Millman, then the president of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s board of directors and the former artistic director of Asolo Repertory Theatre, where Jacobs had acted in various productions.   

Jacobs remembers: “Howard called me and said, ‘Nate, can I talk to you?’ And I hesitantly said yes. So I met him somewhere and he said, ‘Let’s take a ride.’ He took me to Art Center Sarasota, a gallery near downtown Sarasota. He showed me the downstairs space and said, ‘What do you think about this? Can you do anything in here?’ 

Jacobs was reluctant, since he had already decided it was time to move on from Sarasota. “But out of respect for Howard, I said, ‘Yes, I think I can do a small revue with a few guys, singing songs from the 1970s.’ And that was the beginning of Soul Crooners.”

People loved the show and it re-energized Jacobs. Soul Crooners and its variations (including the “sequel,” Soul Crooners 2), have been presented to enthusiastic audiences at various venues in Sarasota, including productions at WBTT’s 10^th Street campus in the summer of 2011 and in 2013; Tampa’s Straz Center in 2015; the ‘70s Soul Party at Ed Smith Stadium in 2019 (which drew a sold-out crowd of more than 3,000 fans); and Light Up the Night outdoors on the WBTT campus in 2021 during the Covid pandemic. 

Productions have also been staged to sellout crowds at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2013, 2015, 2022, and this summer, when the festival added “International” to its name. The show was even exported to Germany twice. But it has never been presented on WBTT’s mainstage following the 2019 completion of the theater building’s renovation — until now. 

From October 9 to November 17, WBTT will stage Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition on its mainstage. The cast features Jacobs and other longtime WBTT favorites: Earley Dean as host/narrator Cedric Soulchild, a character based loosely on Soul Train host Don Cornelius; Christopher Eisenberg; Michael Mendez; Raleigh Mosely II; Leon S. Pitts II and Sheldon Rhoden. The singers are backed by WBTT’s sizzling live band, led by music director/drummer Etienne “EJ” Porter. The intricate choreography is by Donald Frison. The show is all new, with songs that were not performed in past productions of Soul Crooners.

As described on WBTT’s website, the 1970s music featured in the show “was known for combining lush orchestrations with great vocalists who could sing unforgettable melodies and delightful harmonies.”

At a preview of the show at WBTT in July, the signature sounds of that rich musical era were fully in evidence. The company presented act one of Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition at home before the cast, musicians and crew packed up to take the production to the International Black Theatre Festival. 

Patrons were on their feet several times during the show, as the cast shared soulful renditions of songs made famous by Earth, Wind and Fire, the Commodores, the Stylistics, Teddy Pendergrass, Al Green, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Barry White and other soul, pop and R&B stars of the 1970s. Melodies and harmonies blended effortlessly as the performers lit up the stage in matching gold reflective vests. Ensembles and solos added variety to the production. 

Among other highlights, Jacobs brought down the house with his spirited interpretation of “A House is Not a Home,” a hit for Vandross. Pitts crooned “My First, My Last, My Everything,” in a tribute to White’s sultry style. As he does in many WBTT revues, Pitts sang up close and personal to women in the front row as they swooned to his sexy bass voice.

Michael Mendez, who has been in every production of Soul Crooners and its variations since 2011, says, “When I first came to WBTT, I was given an opportunity to be a part of Soul Crooners. It featured all the music I loved, since I had heard a lot of the tunes sampled in hip hop songs. It’s been a very special show for me because I was in the process of learning how to properly perform. It has shaped who I am as a performer. It was great to watch Nate Jacobs create a show, breathe life into it, then get us ready to bring it to the audience.

“One of the special things too about the brand of Soul Crooners is that we developed the power of bringing people back in time, to the moment when they first heard these songs. That’s one of the big reasons why I love being part of this show.”

A Motown Christmas, which runs November 27, 2024 to January 5, 2025, was first presented in 2015. Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s annual holiday offerings, billed as the theater’s “Christmas card to the community,” alternate between this show and another Nate Jacobs original, Joyful! Joyful!, as well as Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity. 

“People love Black Nativity,” says Jacobs, “but our regular patrons started saying, ‘I’ve already seen that.’ I thought about Motown Records founder Berry Gordy — an iconic visionary that people often say I remind them of. They say, ‘You did the same thing he did. Like him, you saw something in kids from the projects, and nurtured their talent.’ So I said, ‘I’m going to create a show that celebrates Motown’s history: the music and the artists, as well as the holiday and the season.’ So I created A Motown Christmas and it’s been a hit ever since we’ve been doing it.”  

The musical features WBTT’s Motown-inspired renditions of religious and secular holiday songs (Motown’s artists performed Christmas songs on various albums), from Joy to the World and O Holy Night to Jingle Bells and Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, plus the flip side: songs that are part of the Motown catalog of hits such as Stop! In the Name of Love, My Girl and The Tears of a Clown. The show, under license from WBTT, has also been performed at Houston’s Ensemble Theatre and Hattiloo Theatre in Memphis. 

The cast of A Motown Christmas includes WBTT regulars Maicy Powell, Syreeta Banks, Dolores McKenzie, Michael Mendez and Raleigh Mosely. They’ll be joined by relative newcomers like Catara Brae, who made her WBTT debut last season in the world premiere of Ruby, a musical created by Nate Jacobs and his brother, Michael.

When asked what he’d like audience members to know before they see Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition and A Motown Christmas this season, Jacobs says, “I guarantee you’ll find these shows to be highly entertaining and uplifting.”

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Executive Director Julie Leach adds with a smile, “And you’re going to have lots of fun!”

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Celebrating Black Heritage | WBTT’s 25th Anniversary Season

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s 2024-2025 season explores the rich heritage of African American arts and culture, taking audiences on a time trip from the sweet sounds of seventies soul music to the infectious rhythm of vintage tap dancing. Get ready to clap your hands and dance in your seats! 

Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition 
Created, adapted and directed by Nate Jacobs. Oct. 9 to Nov. 17, 2024

A Motown Christmas
Created, adapted and directed by Nate Jacobs. Nov. 27, 2024 to Jan. 5, 2025 

August Wilson’s Fences
Directed by Chuck Smith. Jan. 15 to Feb. 23, 2025

Five Guys Named Moe, a musical by Clarke Peters, featuring Louis Jordan’s greatest hits 
Directed by Jim Weaver. March 5 to April 6, 2025 

 Syncopated Avenue, World Premiere Tap Dance Review
Created, adapted and directed by Nate Jacobs. April 16 to May 25, 2025 

Season tickets, as well as separately available tickets to A Motown Christmas, are on sale now at westcoastblacktheatre.org, or by calling the box office at 941-366-1505. 

Tickets to WBTT’s 25^th Anniversary Celebration: 25 Years of Black Heritage, Thursday, November 14 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, featuring beloved performers from the company’s quarter-century of popular productions, will be available at vanwezel.org/boxoffice closer to the event date.