Crossroads

Crossroads Theatre Company was founded in 1978 by Ricardo Khan and L. Kenneth Richardson, two recent Rutgers grads, when they realized that good, non-stereotypical opportunities for Black actors and other theater professionals were limited. Crossroads went on to become one of the nation’s premiere African American theaters, commissioning new plays and receiving the 1999 Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre. In 1996, State of the Arts drew upon its own ten-year history of covering productions at Crossroads to produce a one-hour history of the theater’s first two decades. Footage includes the world premieres of The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe and Black Eagles by Leslie Lee, the South African co-production of Sheila’s Day, and more.

Interviews include co-founders Ricardo Khan (the current artistic director of Crossroads) and L. Kenneth Richardson, Obie and Emmy Award-winning actress Ruby Dee, Tony Award-winning playwright George C. Wolfe, and Obie- and Guggenheim-winning playwright and poet Ntozake Shange. The documentary is narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Keith David.

Crossroads: The Story of a Theatre received the 1997 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Outstanding Documentary. It premiered on NJN Public Television and aired nationally on PBS. It was directed and produced by Susan Wallner.