Karamu House, the historic African American arts organization on Cleveland’s east side, is presenting Jubilee, a musical about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, through April 19, 2026 at Jelliffe Theatre. The production, which opened March 26, is directed by Nathan Henry with vocal arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell. The show is part of Karamu’s 110th anniversary season.

Written by Tazewell Thompson and originally premiered in 2024, Jubilee chronicles the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a student ensemble founded in 1871 to raise funds for Fisk University, a historically Black college in Nashville. Many of the original members were formerly enslaved people. The group toured internationally to critical acclaim and endured significant hostility, and their performances helped establish African American spirituals as a recognized American art form. The Karamu production features more than 40 spirituals performed a cappella.

Karamu House, founded in 1915, is one of the oldest African American theater companies in the United States and operates year-round programs in theater, visual arts, and dance at its East 89th Street campus in Cleveland. Tickets for remaining performances of Jubilee were selling quickly at time of press.

Source: Cool Cleveland