Jackie Taylor
Founder & CEO — the visionary who started it all in 1976 and never stopped.
Read her story
Who We Are
About Black Ensemble
Fifty years of great music, powerful stories, and a mission unlike any other theater in the nation.
Our Mission
To eradicate racism and its damaging effects through theater arts and community engagement.
Since 1976, Black Ensemble Theater has used the stage to create dialogue, understanding, acceptance, and healing. Through authentic African American voices — in original productions, education programs, and community partnerships — we bring people of every background together and send them home changed.
We do it with joy. Our productions celebrate the music and stories of legendary Black artists with live bands, extraordinary voices, and audiences on their feet. That joy is the point: hearts open when people are singing together.
Fifty Years of Impact
The numbers behind the mission
50Years on Stage
100+Original Productions
1,000sStudents Trained & Inspired
$20MCultural Center, Opened 2011
The People
Meet the company
Team BE
The artists, educators, and staff who bring every production and program to life.
Meet the team
Board of Directors
Civic and business leaders guiding Black Ensemble into its next fifty years.
See the board
The Next 50 Years
The Free to BE Village
An immersive performing arts hub that dismantles bias by cultivating cross-cultural understanding — and a neighborhood revitalization strategy built with local partners, businesses, cultural institutions, and civic leaders.
The vision: a performing arts education center, a film and technology center, affordable artists’ lofts, a restaurant, a literary café, and retail that strengthens Uptown’s emotional, cultural, and economic health.
Architectural rendering · Free to BE Village