Encore Theatre and Gallery will announce a new location at an event on Sunday, becoming the third Birmingham-area theater to relocate in the past few months.
Encore has been presenting plays and other events at a theater on Birmingham’s east side, but the theater will be moving into a new downtown space in February or March, says founder Marc Raby. The specific location will be announced Sunday at the theater’s A Chocolate Affair fundraising event, which will feature “A Chocolate Covered Christmas Carol.”
Raby called the new location “a prime downtown location, adjacent to the city’s vibrant theater district.”
“This move … marks a bold new chapter, enhancing accessibility while staying true to Encore’s mission of amplifying African-American stories and performers,” he said.
Raby says the new venue will house a 99-seat theater and a separate cabaret space.
The space will also have Encore’s signature gallery walls, featuring “artwork that reflects the creativity and culture at the heart of its mission,” according to Raby.
The new season will include a new interpretation of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “Me Against the World,” a Raby-written piece that pays homage to Tupac Shakur and addresses the issue of gun violence.
A Chocolate Affair and “A Chocolate Covered Christmas Carol” will take place Sunday at the Hilton Birmingham Downtown at UAB, 808 South 20th St.
The fundraiser includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks with live music prior to “A Chocolate Covered Christmas Carol.” The latter stars Te’Shara Monique as Ebony Scrooge, Terrell Carter, Schelle Purcell, Seviin Li, Toy Matthews, Zion Rivers, Alex Williams and Zac McElhaney. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are available in advance only – none will be sold at the door.
