Black Arts MKE Announces 10th Anniversary Production of Black Nativity, Directed by Local Theater Legend Sheri Williams Pannell

December 11-14, 2025 at Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, Marcus Center

MILWAUKEE – Now in its 10th year, Black Arts MKE presents its annual production of Black Nativity, December 11–14, 2025, in the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall at the Marcus Performing Arts Center. A cornerstone of Milwaukee’s holiday season, Black Nativity retells the Christmas story through scripture, poetry, dance, and song from the African American perspective. Each year, the production is reimagined anew while maintaining its core spirit of faith, family, and joy.

This anniversary season marks a new chapter under the direction of Sheri Williams Pannell, one of Milwaukee’s most respected theater artists, educators, and cultural leaders. Pannell’s vision deepens the production’s connection to Langston Hughes’ text while incorporating African American holiday traditions that honor legacy, community, and renewal.

“My goal is to honor Hughes’ loving depiction of faith, hope, and joy in the birth of the Christ Child with an infusion of African American traditions,” said Pannell. “You can expect glimpses of Kwanzaa as well as Watch Night, which many in the Black community celebrate on New Year’s Eve.”

Rehearsals begin November 11, and members of the media are invited to attend rehearsals by RSVP.

This season also includes a meaningful collaboration with members of the Divine Nine, whose local chapters have donated authentic African garments and textiles that will inspire and shape the costume design. The contributions will be celebrated publicly during Divine Nine Night on Opening Night, Friday, December 12.

Returning music director Antoine Reynolds Sr. leads the musical arrangements, while Milwaukee-born choreographer Davien Holton brings his national spotlight experience back home. Holton, a North Side native and Milwaukee High School of the Arts alum, recently performed in the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show with Usher.

CREATIVE TEAM

Director: Sheri Williams Pannell
Music Director: Antoine Reynolds Sr.
Stage Manager: Melissa Wanke*
Lighting Designer: Colin Gawronski
Scenic Designer: Ron Scot Fry
Costume Designer: Amy Horst*
Choreographer: Davien Holton

Props Coordinator: Malaina Moore
(Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States)

CAST

Returning: Brian Crawford, Cynthia Cobb*, D’Shaunta Stewart, Selena McKnight, Zoe Chambers
Introducing: Alyna Williams, Ashley Nash, Derrick Sanders, Earnie Bell, Ja’Kira Austin, Marvin Hannah, Najee Robinson, Ryan Smith

Black Nativity 10th Anniversary Preview Video

Performance Schedule

Each show features a post-show talkback and a full runtime of two hours.
• Thursday, December 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. (Student Matinee 11:00 a.m.)
• Friday, December 12, 2025, 7:30 p.m. (Student Matinee 11:00 a.m.)
• Saturday, December 13, 2025, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, December 14, 2025, 2:00 p.m.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW
blackartsmke.com/blacknativity

$62 | Reserved Seating
Group, Student, and Artist rates available.

Tickets available at the Marcus Center Box Office, 929 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI, or by calling 414-273-7206.
Groups of 10 or more should contact Group Sales at 414-273-7121 x210.
Special discount rates are available for students and artists.

Black Arts MKE’s season is generously supported by Bader Philanthropies, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Herzfeld Foundation, and Johnson Controls Foundation. Additional support for Black Nativity by Langston Hughes has been generously provided by the Forest County Potawatomi Foundation, the Harri Hoffman Family Foundation, Gruber Law Offices, and the Wisconsin Arts Board.

About the Director, Sheri Williams Pannell

Sheri Williams Pannell is a native Milwaukeean, director, playwright, educator, performer, and long-standing leader in Milwaukee’s theater community. She has created work with Bronzeville Arts Ensemble, First Stage, Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, The Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Art Museum, Skylight Music Theatre, and more. Beyond Milwaukee, her work has appeared at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Children’s Theater of Madison, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she directed work presented as part of a United Nations Conference on Genocide. Pannell is Artistic Director of Bronzeville Arts Ensemble, Co-Founder of the Milwaukee Black Theatre Festival, and Head of Musical Theatre at UW–Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts. She is a proud graduate of Riverside University High School, Spelman College, and holds an MFA from UW–Madison.

About Black Arts MKE

Black Arts MKE’s mission is to increase the availability and quality of African American arts and culture. As a Black-led performing arts organization serving predominantly Black communities, its multidisciplinary programming celebrates the full diversity, complexity, and intersectionality of the Black experience.

Annual signature events include the Milwaukee Black Theatre Festival, Black Nativity by Langston Hughes, and I AM Summer Camp, all featuring all-Black, Milwaukee-based performing and teaching artists. Black Arts MKE inspires creativity in thousands of school-aged youth each year through educational residencies and youth internships and supports more than 100 Milwaukee-based artists annually.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.