LAYON GRAY
by Genea L. Webb
For New Pittsburgh Courier
New Horizon Theater Inc., has decided to bring back Layon Gray’s “Black Angels Over Tuskegee” to ring in its new season.
“Black Angels Over Tuskegee” has always been a Pittsburgh favorite, explained Gray.
“When I brought it here in 2013 at the Byham Theater and in 2014 at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, both shows did well,” he told the New Pittsburgh Courier.
“Black Angels Over Tuskegee” follows the lives of six Black men who became unlikely heroes and brothers in arms as they endured overt racism to become the first African American aviators in the United States Army Air Force. The sextet came together to be a part of the Army Air Corps program, an initiative designed to train Blacks in flying and maintaining combat aircraft while in flight. The Tuskegee Airmen made up one of the most esteemed fighter divisions in World War II, being known as the 99th Pursuit Squadron. They proved that Blacks could fly and maintain complex combat airplanes, which led to the full integration of the U.S. armed forces.
Known for having the uncanny ability to pull out a nugget of Black history and build a whole world around it, Gray has done that exceptionally well with “Black Angels Over Tuskegee.” He has won the 2019 Detroit Distinguished Playwright Award, 2018 Carbonell Awards (Best Director, Best Ensemble, Best Production), 2016 Broadway League Fellowship Honor and many others.
After seeing “Black Angels Over Tuskegee,” audiences walked away with a “sense of pride that the characters were able to persevere despite the problems they had to endure. They left wanting to know more about each character,” Gray said.
“The script has been through changes, and this is our first regional theater production,” he added. “We are still telling the same story, and you get to still see the intimacy and brotherhood between the characters, but we learn more about each character. People always want to know more about the characters, and I thought this was a good opportunity to open them up and flesh them out and there’s also lots of choreography.”
The bond between the men and the new choreography are a few of the reasons why New Horizon Theater chose to bring “Black Angels Over Tuskegee” back to Pittsburgh.
“The first time we had it here, it ran for one day. The second time it ran for a week. This time there will be 11 performances,” said New Horizon Theater Inc., Chairperson Joyce Meggerson-Moore. “So I’m hoping people will take advantage of that.”
The performances include early matinees tailored to students so that the next generation can learn about the amazing Tuskegee Airmen.
Each show in New Horizon Theater’s season will be held at the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall, 621 Penn Avenue. This show will run from Oct. 19-27. Tickets for the production are $40 for general admission, $35 for seniors (65+) and students (18+), and $25 for students in grades K-12.
After its Pittsburgh run, “Black Angels” will fly to a one-night only show in Lima, Ohio, before taking a hiatus and landing again during Black History Month in Worcester, Mass., on Feb. 27, 2025.
The play has a special place in Gray’s heart as well as in the hearts of the men who embody the characters. It has been performed privately for several NFL teams including the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gray was in the process of negotiating a deal for “Black Angels” to be viewed by all 32 NFL teams.
“The show is not just African American history, it’s American history and it’s emotional for everyone, the actors who perform in the show and the audience,” Gray told the Courier. “The players in the NFL are 6’5” and 6’6” and you look out into the audience and see these big linemen crying and wiping their eyes. That touches you emotionally.”
Gray is in the production, too. He portrays airman Quentin Dorsey. Gray is the last remaining original cast member of the show. Other actors in “Black Angels Over Tuskegee” (2024/2025 national tour) include: Thaddeus Daniels as Man; David Roberts as Abe Dorsey; Lamar K. Cheston as Theodore Franks; Sal Rendino as Major Roberts; Reginald L. Wilson as Jeremiah Jones; Anthony Goss as Elijah Sams; and Kenneth L. Browning as Percival Nash.
Gray is in the process of raising money to put the phenom on the Great White Way (Broadway), hoping for sometime in the 2025/2026 theater season. He estimates that he needs to raise $3-4 million to bring the production to Broadway. Gray said potential investors will be coming to Pittsburgh to see the show to decide if they’d like to invest in its trip to Broadway.
“Black Angels is a special play and it’s one that I never get tired of doing,” said Gray, who hails from Louisiana but resides in New York. “We are currently in the midst of our fundraising campaign to bring it to Broadway. Any contribution, no matter how small is greatly appreciated.”
(For more information on how to donate to the production for it to possibly make it to Broadway in New York City, email [email protected].)
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