The New Heritage Theatre Group, the oldest Black theatre in New York stage, and the City College of New York have announced the winners of the inaugural Voza Rivers Legacy Series Open-Mic Competition. The series, named after the  producer known for bringing Sarafina! to Broadway in 1990, will present readings of each winning play and screenplay. 

"When you use the word legacy, what does that mean?" says Rivers to Playbill. "There were legacy people around me many years ago, when I volunteered to be a part of a theatre. I did not come to a theatre with any thoughts about being a playwright or actor—none of those things attracted me. What attracted me was to understand the history and the important role theatre played in capturing stories. And so I volunteered to be a part of that. When I look now, 60 years later, and the people that I've met along the way, the stories that we were able to tell—the local organization here in Harlem doing work from Cuba, South Africa, Zimbabwe—it's just beautiful. So the Legacy Series will take the best of what we've done and continue that for the future."

The reading series will include:

• Sango (A Horuba Dance Drama) by David Wright, December 15. The play follows a young man named Sango who goes on a journey in search of his birth father. 
• Little Girl Blue by Sydnie Helsop, January 26, 2026. The screenplay follows a mother Naomi and her seven-year-old daughter Maddie, following the death of Naomi's husband at the hands of the NYPD.
• If Only Yesterday by Eric Richardson-Hagans, February 23. The screenplay is about a father, Charles, who reconnects with his estranged daughter, Sharon, following his Alzheimer's diagnosis.
• At the Table by Allison Shillingford, March 23, 2026. The play follows a student, Simone, whose graduate thesis project includes interviewing a man, Michael, serving time in prison for murder. 
• Mast/Mask by Daisy Dumas-Featherstone, April 27. The play is about what happens to a woman, Avery, after she is raped while on duty in the U.S. Navy.

"It's the first time I'm hearing these words, and I'm not saying them myself," marvels Helsop, one of the winners, who hopes she'll be able to find interest in producers wanting to finance the Little Girl Blue film. "I think [this series is] a great opportunity to put your stuff out there. As shy as I am, I'm really glad that I did this, because you get to meet new people and see if they'll want to be a part of this project, too."

The readings will be free and open to the public. Those interested for the December 15 reading can RSVP here; that first reading will take place at CCNY, Shepard Hall, Rm. 350, 229 Convent Avenue at 6:30 PM. The age range of the winning writers span 25 to 86 years old.

The winners were initially part of a group of 20 works that were performed at two open mic nights in Harlem. The five winners were then chosen by a panel of judges that included Rivers, Tony-nominated writer/performer Jordan E. Cooper, HarlemAmerica founder G. Keith Alexander, journalist Maria Grazia Cavenaghi, playwright Charlene Jean, and screenwriter and director Jamal Joseph Jr.

The Voza Rivers Legacy Series producers are Irene Gandy, Amy Sprecher, Aaliytha Stevens, and Voza Rivers. Explains Sprecher of the inspiration behind the series, which is expected to be an annual event: "A lot of us were talking about how important it is to honor Voza Rivers and his six-decade legacy. Irene, who I've known for three decades now, called me and said, 'How about if we do an annual series that uplifts new voices, multi-generational, BIPOC, LGBTQ, plus disabled, everybody who is potentially unheard?' So we want to uplift and nurture those voices."

This series is supported, in part, by West Harlem Development Corporation, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, the Nederlander Organization, and the Shubert Organization.

close gallery

0 of

Photos: Voza Rivers Legacy Series Media Event

Next Slide  

You may also like

• 
  Photos: Bum Bum (or, this farce has Autism) Off-Broadway
• 
  A Christmas Carol Opening Night at PAC NYC
• 
  Look Back at the Original and Revival Productions of The Color Purple