Sacrament theater legend James Wheatley to be honored at upcoming Celebration Arts fundraiser

By Becky Gruenwald | Solving SacramentoJames Wheatley is a towering figure in the Sacramento arts scene, and his cultural impact is so varied and diverse that it would be difficult to encompass in a single event. But that’s what Celebration Arts is attempting to do with its 2024 fall fundraiser “A Toast to James Wheatley,” on Saturday, Nov. 9 at The Sofia.Trained as a contemporary dancer and singer in Southern California, Wheatley moved to Sacramento for a state job and founded the Celebration Dance Company in 1976, which incorporated both poetry and dance. Ten years later choral singing and drama were added and the name was changed to Celebration Arts. The drama company has been growing ever since and has put on hundreds of plays.“I was a teen … and my mom was part of the chorus. He [Wheatley] lived a few blocks from us, so I used to have to tag along to those rehearsals,” Celebration Arts Executive Director Erinn Anova said. “Then I started taking his dance classes. I went away to college [Howard University], and when I came back, Celebration Arts was my playground.”After graduating, Anova came back to Sacramento to sing in her brother, Harley White...