‘Black Nativity’—30 years of Black excellence

ORONDE SHARIF, RIGHT, IN THIS FILE PHOTO FROM THE “BLACK NATIVITY” IN 2019. PICTURED AT LEFT IS AUBREY LUTTELL. In a festive celebration at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center on Thursday evening, Dec. 13, about 100 people gathered for a reception commemorating 30 years of the Shona Sharif African Dance and Drumming Ensemble “Black Nativity.” This event was a precursor to the annual holiday run of the rousing musical “Black Nativity.” The musical for 2023 ran from Dec. 15-23 at the Stephen Foster Memorial Theater in Oakland.& The production was first started by the Wilkinsburg Arts Council. In the second year, it was choreographed by Shona Sharif, who was a senior lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh, an African Dance instructor and the creator of the Shona Sharif African Dance and Drumming Ensemble. The third year is when she completely took over the musical and produced it until her untimely death in 1999. The evolution of the “Black Nativity” has happened in a variety of ways, going from a one week run in the early days, to two weekends to three weekends. In this, its 30th year in 2023, Maurice Redwood, a seasoned participant in the production, having...