Hits & Bits: Christopher P. Moore

The Schomburg Center’s new Centennial program series, Century of Black Theater Making, will explore a century of Black theater through conversations and readings of plays that are part of the Schomburg Center’s collection. Hits & Bits takes its title from a variety show presented by the legendary theater company American Negro Theatre, Hits, Bits & Skits, and is an afternoon series of staged readings of plays found in the Schomburg Center collections.

The final installment of Hit & Bits will honor the life, legacy, and extraordinary contributions of Christopher P. Moore, respected historian, journalist, dramatist, performer, and beloved Research Coordinator at the Schomburg Center. In tribute, The New Federal Theater will present a staged reading of Moore’s play, Of Fire and Ash. Directed by John Scutchins, the production will feature a specially assembled cast performing in the historic American Negro Theatre.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER P. MOORE

Historian, journalist, dramatist and performer Christopher P. Moore (1952-2022) served as the Research Coordinator at the Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture. Moore skillfully navigated between non-fiction, fiction and drama. Moore's one-act plays "Blood in the Straw" and "The Fight Party" earned him an invitation to the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference in 1986. His play "The Last Season" won first-place in the Theodore Ward Prize for African American Playwriting 1987-1988, and was first presented by the Columbia College Chicago Theater Department in 1988. "The Last Season" was subsequently produced by other regional theaters and published in the 2004 anthology Seven Black Plays: the Theodore Ward Prize for African American Playwriting (Northwestern University Press).

In the Collections

Moore's unpublished plays are available in the Negro Ensemble Company records and the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop records archival collections in the Schomburg's Manuscripts, Archives & Rare Books Division. His published play "The Last Season" is available in the anthology Seven Black Plays: the Theodore Ward Prize for African American Playwriting in the Research & Reference Division.

Accessibility requests can be made by e-mail [email protected].

NEW FEDERAL THEATRE Producing over 400 plays integratIng artists of color and women into the mainstream of American theater, NFT trains artists for the profession, presenting plays by writers of color and women to integrated, multicultural audiences. Learn more about New Federal Theatre by visiting www.newfederaltheatre.com.

This year, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding! Century of Black Theater Making, curated by Schomburg Center Librarian A.J. Muhammad, will spotlight selected plays from the Schomburg’s rich archives, offering a living connection to the voices, stories, and styles that have shaped Black theater across generations. Join us all year long for a wide array of special events, exhibitions, and more as we celebrate this milestone and continue the legacy of Arturo Schomburg.

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FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED Events are free and open to all, but due to space constraints registration is requested. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 minutes before start time. After the event starts all registered seats are released regardless of registration, so we recommend that you arrive early. We generally overbook to ensure a full house.

GUESTS Please note that holding seats in the Langston Hughes Auditorium is strictly prohibited and there is no food or drinks allowed anywhere in the Schomburg Center.

ACCESSIBLILITY Accessibility requests can be made by e-mail [email protected].

E-TRANSPORTATION NYPL policy prohibits electric transportation devices (e.g., motorbikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards) from being brought into or stored at library sites for any length of time, as this is the best way to keep our spaces & people safe.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING Programs are photographed and recorded by the Schomburg Center. Attending this event indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at [email protected].

Please note that personal and professional video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.

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Host or Publisher Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture